Life on the Eastern Shore of Virginia has always centered around agriculture. Before the civil war the Eastern Shore grew oats and corn to feed animals and shipped it via steamboat to urban cities on the East Coast. Once the railroad came through in 1884, grain shipped in from the mid-west undercut Eastern Shore prices and the market collapsed. At that point farmers in the area pivoted to produce.
Potatoes were the main crop grown on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and were shipped in barrels to urban cities via railways. When the potatoes got to cities from the Eastern Shore, farmers had no way of knowing what price they would get. To top it off, commission houses would take a standard cut out of each barrel sold, no matter what the price was. This system made it nearly impossible for farmers to make a profit off their crop and caused many to suffer financially.
As a result of these marketing issues, growers came together and formed the Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange in 1900. The goal of the Produce Exchange was not only to market produce for farmers in larger markets but also develop a recognizable Eastern Shore brand and make sure a premium product was leaving the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
To become a member of The Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange, farmers had to buy a $5 share in the venture. In turn, The Produce Exchange would take over sales and delivery of produce to larger markets – securing prices before they were shipped. Inspectors were hired to manage the quality of the produce sold and located them at each railway station to make sure produce coming off the Eastern Shore of Virginia was the finest quality. The “Red-Star Brand” was developed to identify the produce as an Eastern Shore of Virginia product and the premium quality standards set. The Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange was one of the first grower co-operative in the country and was very successful.
The Produce Exchange had many years of success, however the development of trucking transportation enabled growers to more easily market their own crops. The produce brokers realized this and after 55 years in business decided to close their doors. In 1955, The Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange was dissolved and all tangible property (i.e. office building, and the Red Star Brand) was sold to Mr. Carrol R. Bull, a well-known Eastern Shore and Florida produce operator who operated as Farmers Exchange.
After the dissolution of The Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange there was a void in a unified voice representing agricultural issues on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The Association of Virginia Potato & Vegetable Growers, Inc. was formed in the early 1960’s to be that voice. One of The Association’s primarily roles was to administer the Virginia Seed Potato Law. The Virginia Seed Potato Law was enacted in 1950.
After several years, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) decided to administer the Virginia Seed Potato Law from within. This caused role of the Association of Virginia Potato & Vegetable Growers, Inc. to change and focus mainly on agricultural advocacy. The goal was to provide agricultural producers and industry leaders a voice in issues that affect them in state and federal policies.
Since the late 1990’s, vegetable production acreage in eastern Virginia has severely decreased. This is the result of labor issues, environmental and water constraints, food safety concerns, shifts between contract availability, vertical integration, and consolidation of the industry into larger entities. This led to membership numbers of The Association of Virginia Potato & Vegetable Growers, Inc. reaching an all-time low.
As the agricultural world shifts, The Association of Virginia Potato & Vegetable Growers, Inc. had to adapt and diversify with it. In 2023, The Association of Virginia Potato & Vegetable Growers, Inc. re-branded to be more inclusive of the entire agricultural industry in eastern Virginia. Now currently known as “The Association of Eastern Virginia Agricultural Producers, Inc.”, we represent agricultural producers that encompasses vegetables, grains, aquaculture, nursery, viticulture, small fruits, and poultry. Our goal is to be an advocate for all agricultural producers and to showcase the diverse and rich agricultural culture present in eastern Virginia.
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