Pumpkins are Virginia's 20th in the list of the top 20 farm commodities in Virginia. In this session, you will travel to three different pumpkin farms and learn about growing pumpkins for wholesale and for agritourism operations. Then you will learn how to make a family recipe for pumpkin bread.

Native to South America, both red imported fire ant (RIFA, Solenopsis invicta) and black imported fire ant (BIFA, Solenopsis richteri) have been found in the US since the 1930s. Imported fire ants are now widespread across the southern US and have been reported in Virginia since 1989. RIFA and BIFA hybridize and produce fertile offspring in areas of the US where both species are found. The S. invicta x richteri hybrid fire ant zone in the US includes Georgia, Alabama, central Mississippi, and Tennessee. Recently in 2022, hybrid ants were detected for the first time in Virginia in Lee County and in several nearby counties in southeastern Kentucky. Hybrid fire ants are well established in eastern Tennessee as well.