Local Programs
2025 Let's Can It! Series
This canning series will be held at the B.A.R.N. facility in Buckingham, VA. Each session will take place from 4:00 - 7:00 PM. The cost is $30/session or $100 for series. This is a hands-on workshop. Participants will be able to take home their canned goods. The workshop is available for families. But be mindful that each family is only allowed to take home the allotted amount for one registration (Ex. 2-3 quart jars of peaches per family).
To register: https://tinyurl.com/LETZCANIT
- Peach Pie Filling - September 22, 2025
- Apple Pie Filling & Applesauce - October 20, 2025
- Spaghetti Sauce & Salsa - November 17, 2025
- Cranberry Mustard & Cranberry Salsa - December 15, 2025
All recipes used will be for hot water bath canning. Pressure Cookers will be discussed. Due to the nature of the location and resources currently used for the program...pressure cookers will not be used during the workshop.
Click to view flyer: 2025 Let's Can It! Series flyer
Soil Samples - There are soil boxes and forms available at the Cumberland Extension Ofifce that you can pick up and mail off your soil samples to the Virginia Tech soil testing lab in Blacksburg, VA. Testing of samples for commercial crop is free of charge, but samples for gardens, lawn, etc. are $10 per sample for a routine test. Routine test include soil pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, B and estimated CEC. There are also soil probes that can be taken out on loan to assist with collecting the soil samples.
Annual Well Water Testing: Drinking water clinics are organized once a year by your local Extension Agent and Virginia Tech faculty in the Biological Systems Engineering Department. Participation is voluntary and all information is kept strictly confidential. Anyone with a private water supply system (including wells, springs, and cisterns) may participate. Contact your extension office for this year's scheduled date.
Plant Disease Clinic: The Virginia Plant Disease Clinic provides plant disease diagnostic services to Virginia Cooperative Extension agents. Physical or digital samples with problems caused by pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematode, in addition to plant samples with environmental or other abiotic problems may be submitted to the Plant Disease Clinic. Diagnosis is provided for any type of plant. To insure the long-term sustainability of our diagnostic laboratories, effective October 1, 2021, each sample sent to the Virginia Tech Plant Disease Clinic for diagnosis will incur a $35 charge. Many plant diseases can be identified and recommendations given by your local Extension office without having to send to the plant disease clinic so it will be on a case-by-case basis.
4-H Buckingham & Cumberland Livestock Club
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to raise a sheep or a cow? Have you ever thought about what is involved in showing a pig before a judge? You don't have to live on a farm or have your own livestock to participate in the 4-H livestock club. You just have to have an interest, a willingness to commit to caring for an animal, and enthusiasm for preparing for and partipating in the livestock show.
Club members raise and show market and breeding animals at the Piedmont Area Livestock Show held each May in Blackstone, Virginia. They work with their animals for three to five months before competition in the show against youth from ten counties in the area.
Please call the office at 804-492-4390 and/or click link below for more information!
4-H Buckingham & Cumberland Livestock Club brochure
Engaging with Communities
Virginia Cooperative Extension specialists in community viability work with Extension agents, campus-based faculty, organizational partners, communities, and individuals to further opportunity and build capacity in five program areas:
- Leadership & Planning
- Community Enterprise and Resiliency
- Community Food System and Enterprises
- Community Planning
- Emerging Community Issues
Examples of our work include training county elected officials, educating entrepreneurs, facilitating collaborative projects, supporting the growth of community food systems and local economies, enhancing agent skills and community capacity in facilitation and leadership, conducting problem-driven research, and creating publications and tools that address critical community needs.
Do you have a question about Community Viability?
Perhaps one of the Community Viability specialists below can help you. Contact a Community Viability specialist or direct a question to them using our Ask an Expert system.