Greensville/Emporia-Virginia Cooperative Extension

06/22/2026

06/22/2026

Mark your calendars and plan to join us on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 for the 2026 Entomology Field Day in Chesapeake, VA!

8:30 AM - 12 PM (Lunch Provided)
1613 Centerville Turnpike South, Chesapeake, Virginia 23322
🔗Register here: https://bit.ly/EntFieldDay26

Virginia Cooperative Extension - Virginia Beach
Virginia Cooperative Extension - Chesapeake
Virginia Tech Department of Entomology

06/19/2026

4-H Babysitting Certification Workshop presented by Greensville/Emporia Cooperative Extension. This 2-day workshop is designed for youth ages 12–18 who want to learn essential babysitting skills and gain confidence caring for children. Participants will learn childcare basics, safety procedures, leadership skills, and CPR & First Aid.

June 30 & July 1, 2026
9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Southside Virginia Education Center, Emporia, VA

Cost: Free
Optional CPR & First Aid Certification Card: $20

Participants who complete the workshop will receive a 4-H Babysitting Certificate. Official CPR & First Aid certification is available for an additional $20 fee.

Registration required. Space is limited to 30 youth.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/4Hbabysitter

For questions, contact Hannah Wilson at (434) 348-4223 or [email protected].

If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please notify Hannah Wilson, Greensville/Emporia VCE at (434-348-4223/TDD*) during business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Community and Economic Development City of Emporia, Virginia

4-H Babysitting Certification Workshop presented by Greensville/Emporia Cooperative Extension. This 2-day workshop is designed for youth ages 12–18 who want to learn essential babysitting skills and gain confidence caring for children. Participants will learn childcare basics, safety procedures, leadership skills, and CPR & First Aid.

June 30 & July 1, 2026
9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Southside Virginia Education Center, Emporia, VA

Cost: Free
Optional CPR & First Aid Certification Card: $20

Participants who complete the workshop will receive a 4-H Babysitting Certificate. Official CPR & First Aid certification is available for an additional $20 fee.

Registration required. Space is limited to 30 youth.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/4Hbabysitter

For questions, contact Hannah Wilson at (434) 348-4223 or [email protected].

If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please notify Hannah Wilson, Greensville/Emporia VCE at (434-348-4223/TDD*) during business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

06/18/2026

⚠️ PSA: FAWN SEASON IS HERE. SEE A FAWN IN YOUR YARD? GIVE IT SPACE.

Spring is the time when many Virginians enjoy seeing young animals in their yards and neighborhoods. It is also the time when parents are very protective of their young. Whether it's bird nestlings or a fawn using your backyard as a nursery, give them plenty of space and keep pets on a leash. You don't want a doe or hawk seeing you as a threat to their young.

In particular, deer can be very protective of their young and as a large animal can cause serious injury to those they see as a threat. As many deer find it safe to raise fawns in urban/suburban areas, it is important for residents to be aware of does with fawns in their yards, keep their distance, and to ensure pets are leashed and kept away from deer as much as possible.

There are reports every year of dogs being injured or killed by does with fawns.

Please help us spread the word. Link in the comments.

📷: Clint Mooney

06/17/2026

Join us for the next virtual session in our Agriculture Succession Planning series, “An Introduction to Conservation Easements for Virginia Landowners,” on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 9:30–10:30 AM.

🔗Details/RSVP: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=hGiVYK0Q-kCGPU8yweOjehUrbiV4dvFEqvhj_7jQUK1UQ1ZGUUdSMU4yS05NR1lZVERNRTZDTlkzOC4u&origin=lprLink&route=shorturl

Conservation easements are a powerful way for landowners to permanently protect farms, forests, and open spaces. They can preserve scenic views, wildlife habitat, historic features, family heritage, and working agricultural land for future generations. Our panel of experts will introduce how conservation easements work and how they can support succession and legacy planning.

06/16/2026

AHH watch out it'll sting, it's a..... wasp?! 🐝 That's right, yellowjackets are not bees--they're actually wasps.
Lets clear up the difference between this troublesome pest and our native bee species, most of which rarely sting.
🐝 How to ID a yellowjacket: Yellowjackets range from 3/8" to 5/8" long. They are bright yellow with black lines, spots, triangles or diamonds on their abdomen (different species have different color patterns). Yellowjackets have a hard and shiny body with few hairs. Since they are a type of wasp, they have a definite waist. They fold their wings lengthwise when at rest.
🐝 Like all wasps, yellowjackets prey on a wide variety of insects and other arthropods. Yellowjackets are unusual in that the workers will also forage on foods consumed by people, especially sweets and meats.
🐝 If you have a yellowjacket problem, NOW is the right time of year to think about controlling them: Effective management of yellowjackets in a given area can be achieved by rigorous sanitation and physical exclusion of foraging workers from attractive food sources. If begun early in the summer and carried throughout mid-autumn, proper sanitation will help reduce the buildup of foraging yellowjackets within an area. Lids of trash containers should be kept closed whenever possible. Open trash containers should be emptied regularly (every few hours when large numbers of yellowjackets are present).
🐝 More info on yellow jackets, including options for controlling them: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO-49/ENTO-49.html
🐝 Large invasive hornets: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ento-592/ento-592.html
Image text:
Title reading: Did you know? Yellowjackets are wasps! No, they're not bees!"
Body text reading: In areas with numerous yellowhacket colonies, foragingin workers may become serious nuisance pests as they search for food. They often pester people eating outside and scavenge food from trash bins and dumpsters. In Virginai, yellowjacket wasps can be nuisance pests in recreational areas from late summer until early autumn, when colonies begin to die off.
Photo of a insect with yellow and black stripes and a smooth, narrow body. Long black wings protrude from behind a big-eyed head.

06/16/2026

The June 2026 Virginia Forest Landowner e-Update is now available! Link in comments.

06/16/2026

Our office will be closed in observance of the Junteenth Holiday, Friday, June 19, 2026. We will reopen Monday, June 22, 2026.

06/16/2026

Important lawn care information below!

06/08/2026

Good news for Virginia — the Alliance application deadline has been extended to June 15! 🌱

If you’ve been meaning to apply or haven’t finished your application yet, there’s still time. The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture provides financial incentives to producers implementing conservation practices that support soil health, grazing management, and long-term farm productivity.

Funding opportunities are currently available through both the General Program and the Pasture Renovation Subpilot. We encourage producers across Virginia to explore the available options and see if your operation is eligible. Find out more at allianceforcsa.org/virginia

Apply today: https://smapply.allianceforcsa.us