What Virginia Cooperative Extension Is
Virginia Cooperative Extension, or VCE, is the state's farm-and-family education network. Per its About page, it was established in 1914 and is a partnership between Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, working with the USDA and local governments. The network includes 107 offices, 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and six 4-H centers across the state. Agents, specialists and volunteers staff it, and the same figures appear on the Virginia.gov agency page.
If you have a sick calf, a weedy pasture, a 4-H kid who wants a show lamb or a business question about a farm stand, an Extension office is usually the first call. The offices are county and city based, so the person who answers is likely to know your local soils, your local fair and your local neighbors.
What the Program Areas Cover
The VCE site organizes its work into these program areas:
- Agriculture
- Community and Leadership
- Family, Food and Health
- Lawn and Garden, which includes the Master Gardener program
- Natural Resources
- 4-H Youth Development
Faculty from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, its College of Natural Resources and Environment, the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station contribute, along with Virginia State University's College of Agriculture. Virginia State describes Extension's work as research-based education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development, and Family and Consumer Sciences, and notes that citizen-led Extension Leadership Councils help identify local issues, per its Extension overview. Virginia State also lists a Small Farm Outreach Program under agricultural systems.
What a County Office Does for Producers
Each local office decides what it emphasizes, so look at your own county's page. As one example, the Grayson County office's programs page lists help with:
- Livestock, crops, natural resources and the environment, business and finance, pest management and emergency preparedness
- Soil testing with fertilization recommendations, plus forage testing
- Identifying and controlling insects, diseases and weeds
- Pesticide safety training
- Agricultural market trends and production advice for livestock, crops and gardens
- Extension Master Gardeners, volunteer educators who promote sustainable landscape management
The same page describes community viability work, including training for county elected officials and support for entrepreneurs, community food systems and local economies. Your office may offer a different mix, so call before you assume a service exists.
4-H and Youth Livestock
For many Virginia families, Extension means 4-H. The VCE site lists camping, competitions, STEM, livestock, horse and leadership opportunities under 4-H Youth Development. Livestock projects are where Extension and the fair circuit meet. Virginia Tech's Extension team runs the youth livestock shows at the State Fair of Virginia, and its State Fair youth livestock page lays out nomination, DNA sampling, entry and payment steps. A 2026 nomination letter put the beef, sheep, swine and meat goat shows at October 1 to 4, 2026, with nominations due July 1.
County programs set their own rules. Shenandoah County's 2025 livestock show and sale rules, for example, required exhibitors to be enrolled in a county 4-H club or FFA chapter by February 1, to be at least 9 by September 30, and to hold YQCA certification before the fair. Beef market animals had to be owned and fed by the exhibitor from March 1, and other species from June 3. Those were that county's rules for that year; your county will have its own, which is the best reason to meet your agent early.
Not every 4-H event is livestock. King George County's 4-H county fair registration page for September 12, 2026 listed $5 youth test and competition entries for ages 9 to 18, workshops and demonstrations, and free fair entry.
How to Find and Use Your Office
- Start at the VCE office finder at ext.vt.edu/offices.html and look up your county or city.
- Bring specifics: a photo of the problem, a soil sample if the office asks for one, or the species and age of the animal.
- For youth livestock, ask for your county's show and sale book, tagging dates and ownership deadlines before you buy an animal.
- Ask about local Master Gardener volunteers if your question is about a home garden or landscape.
- For statewide questions, the State Administrative Office is in Hutcheson Hall at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and the About page lists 540-231-9347 with office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Small Farms and Virginia State University
Virginia is a two-university Extension state. Virginia State University is an 1890 land-grant institution, and its Petersburg-based Extension program is part of the same network. If you run a small or beginning farm, ask your county office about Virginia State's Small Farm Outreach Program, which is listed on its site, though the page does not spell out the services. A phone call will tell you what is available near you.
A Few Practical Tips
Offices are small and busy in spring and fair season, so call early for soil tests and show paperwork. Services and staffing vary by county, and some offices share an agent between localities, so check the office finder rather than assuming a nearby county covers you. Dates and rules quoted here changed from year to year, so treat them as examples and confirm with your local office.
Virginia Listings Covered by This Guide
- Accomack County Extension Office
Virginia Cooperative Extension office serving Accomack County farmers and 4-H families from Front Street in Accomac. Open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; mailing address is P.O. Box 60.
23185 Front Street, Accomac, VA 23301 | 757-787-1361 Website - Albemarle-Charlottesville Extension Office
Joint Virginia Cooperative Extension office for Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville on Stagecoach Road, home to the local 4-H program and county livestock show.
460 Stagecoach Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902 | 434-872-4580 Website - Augusta County Extension Office
Virginia Cooperative Extension office in the Augusta County Government Center in Verona, open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., supporting agriculture, 4-H and the county livestock programs.
13 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA 24482 | 540-245-5750 Website - Bedford County Extension Office
Bedford County office of Virginia Cooperative Extension on County Farm Road, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., linked to the county agriculture development program and farm resources.
1257 County Farm Road, Suite B, Bedford, VA 24523 | 540-586-7675 Website - Botetourt County Extension Office
Botetourt County Virginia Cooperative Extension office on West Main Street in Fincastle (mailing P.O. Box 217), supporting local growers, livestock producers and 4-H and FFA youth.
9 West Main Street, Fincastle, VA 24090 | 540-473-8260 - Campbell County Extension Office
Campbell County office of Virginia Cooperative Extension in Rustburg covering agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development and community viability.
163 Kabler Lane, Rustburg, VA 24588 | 434-332-9538 - Caroline County Extension Office
Caroline County Virginia Cooperative Extension office at 109 County Street in Bowling Green, providing agriculture and 4-H youth programming.
109 County Street, Bowling Green, VA 22427 | 804-633-6550 - Carroll County Extension Office
Carroll County Virginia Cooperative Extension office in Hillsville at 205 Oak Street, Suite 102, serving local farmers, gardeners and 4-H clubs.
205 Oak Street, Suite 102, Hillsville, VA 24343 | 276-730-3113 - Charlotte County Extension Office
Charlotte County Virginia Cooperative Extension office on LeGrande Avenue in Charlotte Court House, serving farm families and 4-H members in southside Virginia.
133 LeGrande Avenue, Charlotte Court House, VA 23923 | 434-542-5884 - Culpeper County Extension Office
Culpeper County Virginia Cooperative Extension office on South West Street in Culpeper, offering agriculture, family and 4-H youth programs for the county.
101 South West Street, Culpeper, VA 22701 | 540-727-3435 Website - Dickenson Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Dickenson, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Dinwiddie Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Dinwiddie, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Essex Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Essex, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Fairfax Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Fairfax, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Fauquier Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Fauquier, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA | 540-422-8250 Website - Floyd Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Floyd, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Fluvanna Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Fluvanna, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Franklin Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Franklin, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Frederick Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Frederick, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Giles Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Giles, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Gloucester Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Gloucester, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Goochland Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Goochland, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Grayson Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Grayson, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Greene Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Greene, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Greensville and Emporia Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Greensville and Emporia, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Halifax Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Halifax, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Hanover Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Hanover, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Henrico Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Henrico, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Henry and Martinsville Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Henry and Martinsville, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Highland Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Highland, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Isle of Wight Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving Isle of Wight, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - James City Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving James City, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - King and Queen Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving King and Queen, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - King George Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving King George, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - King William Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
Local office of Virginia Cooperative Extension serving King William, with a county web page for agriculture, 4-H youth and community programs and local staff contacts.
VA Website - Prince William County 4-H Extension Office
Prince William 4-H office in Manassas, led by the 4-H extension agent, publishes a weekly newsletter of camps, contests and fair activities for local youth.
8033 Ashton Ave, #105, Manassas, VA 20109 | 703-792-4536 Website - Pulaski County Extension Office and 4-H
Pulaski Extension office runs 4-H clubs, a livestock club and cattle, forage and beef quality programs for a county with about 445 farms.
143 Third Street NW, Suite 3, Pulaski, VA 24301 | 540-980-7761 Website - Shenandoah County Extension Office
Virginia Cooperative Extension office in Woodstock serving Shenandoah County farmers, gardeners and 4-H families.
600 North Main Street, Suite 100, Woodstock, VA 22664 | 540-459-6140 - Smyth County Extension Office
Smyth County Extension in Marion provides agriculture, family nutrition and 4-H programs, plus beef and farm-management meetings for local producers.
121 Bagley Circle, Suite 434, Marion, VA 24354 | 276-783-5175 - Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Virginia Tech field research station in Blackstone conducting crop and livestock research for Southside Virginia farmers, with open field days and a published fact sheet.
2375 Darvills Road, Blackstone, VA 23824 | 434-292-5331
Plus 48 more. Find yours on your county's page in the Virginia directory.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.