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Farmer trading cards are back at Loudoun County public schools

By Jeff Clabaugh
The farmer trading card program is a partnership between Loudoun County Economic Development and Loudoun County Public Schools’ Nutrition Services office. (Courtesy Loudoun County Economic Development)

Loudoun County Public Schools students in Virginia have the chance to collect Farmer Trading Cards starting this week. Trading cards feature actual Loudoun County farmers in a program to get kids interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.

This is the fifth year for the program, though last year’s Farmer Trading Card program was put off because of COVID-19-related remote learning for students.

The trading card program is a partnership between Loudoun County Economic Development and Loudoun County Public Schools’ Nutrition Services office. It is timed to coordinate with both the Nats’ season opener and the beginning of the spring planting season for farmers.

All students at Loudoun’s 59 elementary schools can pick up the cards by going through the lunch food line (no lunch purchase required), where there is usually one new card a day. Some schools distribute them all at once so students can swap for cards they are most interested in.

Loudoun Economic Development pays for the cards, producing 94,000 of them for this year’s program, at no cost to schools. Farmers are chosen for the cards based on a nomination process and staff picks.

Featured farmers usually visit the schools, but are making virtual appearances through videos about their individual farms this year.

“The future of our farms depends on students interacting with farmers and understanding possibilities with the profession,” said Loudoun Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer.

Agriculture in Loudoun County is a whole lot more than vineyards.

According to the USDA, Loudoun County has more than 1,200 commercial farms, and produces the most grapes, hops and honey of any county in Virginia. It is also the top Virginia county for the number of llamas and alpacas.

This year’s Farmer Trading Card farmers are:

  • Ben Sedlins, Quartzwood Farm
  • Catie Dutcher, Butterfly Hill Farm
  • Christ Van Vlack, Hanging Rock Hay and Grain
  • Evelyn Carr, Three Bags Wool Farm
  • Kristina Schard, Loudoun Beekeeping Company
  • Maya Wechsler, A Farm Less Ordinary
  • Pamela Jones and Sarah Waybright, Gathering Springs Farm
  • Rebecca Brouwer, Shepherds Corner Farm
  • Todd Morrison, Dawson Gap Farm

Loudoun County also leads the state for share of farms owned by women, minorities and military veterans.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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