Graduate student visits oyster farm on the Chesapeake Bay

Master's student Shannon Fluharty visits a farm to see how oysters are grown in floating cages

Farmer shows oyster seed at an aqua farm

Oyster grower holding small seed oysters

Faculty member and student on boat in the Chesapeake Bay

Jonathan van Senten (VT-VSAREC), Bubba (Cherrystone Aqua-Farms), and Shannon Fluharty (VT) get out on the Chesapeake Bay to see how oysters are farmed

Wet storage facility at Cherrystone Aqua-Farms

Cherrystone Aqua-Farms wet storage facility designed in partnership with VSAREC

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Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center joins fellow researchers, farmers, industry leaders, and consumers in celebrating local agriculture this week. Governor Ralph Northam declared June 13–19th Virginia Agriculture Week to recognize and celebrate the many contributions of Virginia's agricultural community.

The Virginia seafood industry has an annual economic impact of more than $550 million, accounts for more than 5,600 jobs, and increases the state's economic portfolio. VSAREC advances applied research, extension, and education to support the seafood industry, serving as a source of information to help the industry thrive, adapt, and meet the demand for safe, nutritious, and sustainable seafood.

This applied research can be seen in action across the state at seafood processors, distributors, and farms like Cherrystone Aqua-farms in Cape Charles. Master's student Shannon Fluharty and assistant professor Jonathan van Senten, both with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, visited the operation on the Chesapeake Bay to see the farming of oysters firsthand. They followed oysters from seed all the way to the wet storage facility—designed in partnership with the VSAREC.