Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) hosted his fall Farm Tour across the southern half of Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District on Wednesday, Oct 19. The tour began with a roundtable breakfast with leaders in the agriculture industry in Raphine, and then visits to Huffman Livestock Margaret Ann Smith Farm in Lexington, C&F Farms (Cox & Frye Farms) in Roanoke, and Bryant Orchards in Fincastle to hear their needs and concerns on how decisions in Washington impact their industry. The Sixth District is home to more than 8,000 farms, leading the Commonwealth, and that agriculture is Virginia’s top industry, accounting for 9.5 percent of Virginia’s total gross domestic product, providing 334,000 jobs, with an economic impact of $70 billion annually. Cline is pictured with the owners Bryant Orchards in Fincastle, which specializes in apple growing, high tunnel produce production as well as cattle farming and hay growing. Since its beginning in 1978, the Bryant family farm has expanded and now has 250 acres of land.
