Virginia Evergreen Winter 2018

am keenly aware of the unique chal- lenges facing those Virginians who proudly make it their livelihoods,” said Governor-elect Ralph Northam. “If we want to ensure the responsible stewardship of our historic and natu- ral resources and continue our eco- nomic growth, we need leaders who are understanding of the necessary balance between both. I am confident the team I am naming today will do just that.” Bettina Ring, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring was appointed State Forester by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2014. Prior to that, Ms. Ring served as Senior Vice President of Family Forests at the American Forest Foundation where she was re- sponsible for overseeing the Ameri- can Tree Farm System®, the largest and oldest sustainable woodland pro- gram in America, supporting more than 80,000 family forest owners col- lectively managing 27 million acres of certified woodlands. Ms. Ring has a long history in the conservation and forestry sectors, having spent 14 years at the Virginia Department of Forestry, departing the agency in 2001 as Deputy State Forester. In her role, Ms. Ring was responsible for operations, and helped to develop and implement a new mission, vision and strategic plan for the department. In the years following her Depart- ment of Forestry service, Ms. Ring held various leadership positions within nonprofit organizations focus- ing on natural resources management and conservation, including the Col- orado Coalition of Land Trusts, The Wilderness Land Trust and the Bay Area Open Space Council. Ring holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Tech and a Master’s degree in Business Ad- ministration from James Madison University. Contact: Ofirah Yheskel, Press@gov-elect.virginia.gov

the Miss State Fair of Virginia pag- eant and the first-ever Blue Ribbon Craft Beer Festival. “We listen to feedback from our cus- tomers and try to be as responsive as we can,” noted Pierson-Jolliffe. She said the changes this year contributed to the fair’s success. Also helping with the high attend- ance numbers was a lack of rain this year. “We had 10 days of nearly perfect weather, and our positive changes to the property made it an even better environment for our fairgoers,” noted Greg Hicks, vice president of com- munications for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, which became full owner of the fair in 2013. “We are already looking forward to the 2018 fair, which runs from Sept. 28 to Oct. 7,” Hicks said. “There will be even more positive changes as we continue to listen to our customers.” October 26, 2017 / Virginia Farm Bureau Plows and Politics Large U.S. Farm Study Finds No Cancer Link to Monsanto Weedkiller A large long-term study on the use of the weedkiller glyphosate by agricultural workers has found no firm link between exposure to the pesticide and cancer, sci- entists said this month. The findings are likely to affect legal pro- ceedings in the United States against Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, in which more than 180 plaintiffs are claim- ing that exposure to the pesticide gave them cancer - allegations that Monsanto denies. The findings may also influence a crucial decision due by the end of the year on whether glyphosate should be relicensed for sale across the European Union. EU countries had been due to vote on the is- sue last week but again failed to agree to a proposal for a five-year extension.

The EU decision has been delayed for more than a year after the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed glyphosate in 2015 and concluded it was "probably carcinogenic" to humans. Other bodies, such as the European Food Safety Au- thority, have concluded that glyphosate is safe to use. The new research is part of the Agricultural Health Study, which has been tracking the health of tens of thou- sands of agricultural workers, farmers and their families in Iowa and North Car- olina. Since the early 1990s, it has gathered and analyzed detailed information on the health of participants and their families, and their use of pesticides, including glyphosate. David Spiegelhalter, a professor at Brit- ain's Cambridge University who has no link to the research, said the findings were from a "large and careful study" and showed "no significant relationship be- tween glyphosate use and any cancer." Click here for the complete article. Or http://wapo.st/2yiKKUg Bettina Ring Appointed Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry

Photo Bettina Ring

RICHMOND - Governor-elect Ralph Northam today announced his selec- tions for Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Bettina Ring will become Virginia’s next Secretary of Agricul- ture and Forestry. “Agriculture and forestry make up two of Virginia’s largest industries, and as a native of the Eastern Shore I

VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2018 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2018 

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