Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC

09/09/2026

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It’s that time of year! See the info below for pod blasting dates and locations 🥜

09/04/2026

ATTENTION PEANUT FARMERS:
Join local extension agents and our Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation (PVQE) Specialist Jacob Forehand for a Peanut Pod Blasting Clinic on Monday, September 14, 2026 from 8:00am-11:00am at the Tidewater Agricultural Research & Extension Center.

Bring your peanut samples and we will pod blast them to help determine the best time to harvest your crop. Feel free to bring multiple samples to represent your different field locations.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact the Suffolk VCE Office at 757-514-4330/TDD* during business hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event.

*TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting a group of Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and Soil and Water Conservation District staff from across the state!

Our faculty and Extension specialists led field tours, sharing insights into cover crops, soybeans, peanuts, entomology, and plant pathology— giving visitors a close look at the research happening at Tidewater AREC. We appreciate everyone who joined us and the continued collaboration that strengthens conservation and sustainable agriculture across Virginia.

Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Virginia Tech Department of Entomology
Virginia Cooperative Extension

08/31/2026

🌱 New publication! The Virginia Cover Crop Variety Guide is now available: https://bit.ly/CoverCropVarietyGuidePub

The purpose of this guide is to provide farmers, industry, crop consultants and government personnel with information for various cover crop species and varieties within species on biomass accumulation, nutrient uptake, and flower/heading dates across Virginia.

08/28/2026

As weather becomes more variable, researchers are helping wheat growers identify planting dates that protect yields and reduce the risk of spring freezes. Read more about the collaborative project here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/08/cals-wheat-planting-research.html.

Eastern Virginia Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Cooperative Extension
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Virginia Grain Producers Association

08/27/2026

Join us on Wednesday, September 23rd for the 2026 PVQE Field Day in Williamston, NC!
Beginning at 10:30 AM, we will have industry/crop updates, breeder updates, and field tours of variety trials. This is a free event and lunch will be served. No registration required.
Visit our event page for additional details: https://bit.ly/PVQEfieldday26

08/25/2026

Congratulations to BSE Ph.D. candidate Frank Efe Erukainure, who has been awarded a 2026 Pratt Fellowship! 🎉
Frank is conducting his research at Tidewater AREC with the Precision Agriculture Technologies Lab, where he works under the guidance of Assistant Professor Abhilash Chandel. His research focuses on developing smart sensors that give farmers earlier insight into disease, water stress, and other threats to crop health.

Congratulations to BSE Ph.D. candidate Frank Efe Erukainure, who has been awarded a 2026 Pratt Fellowship! 🎉

Frank is developing smart sensors that can help farmers detect disease, water stress, and other threats to crop health earlier. His work brings together biosensing, 3D printing, precision agriculture, and artificial intelligence.

The fellowship is the latest of two major honors for Frank. This summer, he also earned first place in the Ph.D. category of the 2026 Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award from . His award-winning research uses 3D-printed sensors to detect a damaging disease in peanut plants.

Congratulations, Frank, on these well-deserved recognitions!