Cultivate Magazine: Virginia Farm Bureau, Its Publications and Readers
Profile updated November 2026
Cultivate magazine is the Virginia Farm Bureau's quarterly membership magazine about safe, fresh, locally grown food and the Virginia farms that produce it. It sits beside the federation's long-running newspaper, Virginia Farm Bureau News, and reaches members who may be farmers, food shoppers or both.
| Publisher | Virginia Farm Bureau Federation |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Focus | Safe, fresh, locally grown food and Virginia farms |
| Federation | Representing Virginia farmers since 1926 |
| Sister publication | Virginia Farm Bureau News, first printed February 15, 1941 |
| Digital editions | Issues posted on Issuu |
| Official website | VAFB.com |
History of Cultivate
The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has represented the state's farmers since 1926. It began as a cooperative that supplied farm inputs to members at a discount, then widened its mission to legislative representation, and today describes itself as the state's largest farm advocacy membership organization.
Publishing has long been part of that work. Virginia Farm Bureau News, the federation's publication of record, first appeared as a tabloid newspaper on February 15, 1941, and marked 75 years in print in February 2016. Issues from 1941 to 2000 have been digitized through a partnership with the Library of Virginia.
Cultivate was added as a consumer-friendly membership magazine. Its quarterly issues, posted online by season, run at least from 2018 through 2025.
Cultivate Today
Cultivate appears four times a year, with Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter editions, and recent issues are published digitally on Issuu as well as in print. Each issue centers on local food and the Virginia farm families who grow it, written for members who may never have worked a farm themselves.
Virginia Farm Bureau News continues as the federation's policy and member newspaper, while affiliated programs include Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., the Farm Bureau Young Farmers Program and Agriculture in the Classroom.
What Cultivate Is Publishing Now
Local food
Stories on fresh, seasonal Virginia products, from farm markets to on-farm stores, with recipes built around them.
Farm families
Profiles of the Virginia farmers behind the food, showing how it is grown and raised.
Farm Bureau life
News of member benefits, youth programs and Agriculture in the Classroom for the federation's broad membership.
Cultivate Editors and Staff
Virginia Farm Bureau communications contacts associated with Cultivate include:
- Kathy Dixon - VFBF Communications
- Christina Dolan - Editorial contact
- Wayne F. Pryor - VFBF President (as of 2016)
Back issues of Cultivate and Virginia Farm Bureau News are available on the federation's Issuu page.
Who Reads Cultivate
Cultivate is written for the wide Farm Bureau membership in Virginia, many of them families who join for insurance and other benefits and want to know where their food comes from. Virginia agriculture ranges from beef cattle and poultry to grains, vegetables and orchards, and Virginia county data can be explored in USDA's Quick Stats.
Nationally, the 2022 Census of Agriculture found 116,617 farms selling directly to consumers, with $3.3 billion in direct sales, the kind of local food connection Cultivate is built around.
Cultivate readers know the joy of a Virginia tomato bought from the person who grew it. For a side of laughter with that local produce, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor about farm markets, picky shoppers and stubborn weather, with ranch humor for the Shenandoah cattle folks. Its farm jokes are locally sourced, more or less.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
Cultivate Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Virginia Farm Bureau: Marking myriad of milestones - federation and Farm Bureau News history.
- Cultivate Fall 2025 on Issuu - a recent issue of the magazine.
- Virginia Farm Bureau News, January 2025 - the federation's member newspaper.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Virginia crop and livestock statistics.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - direct-to-consumer farm sales nationwide.
Cultivate FAQ
Who publishes Cultivate magazine?
The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm advocacy membership organization.
How often is Cultivate published?
Quarterly, in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter editions.
What does Cultivate cover?
Safe, fresh, locally grown food and the Virginia farms that produce it.
Does Virginia Farm Bureau have another publication?
Yes. Virginia Farm Bureau News has been its publication of record since February 1941.
Season after season, Cultivate magazine connects Virginia Farm Bureau members with the farms that put local food on their tables.