(The Center Square) – Virginia has substantially increased funding for a program that helps farmers reduce pollution, and a new legislative review found the program is largely working but could better control how the money is spent.
Funding for the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program, known as VACS, has exceeded $200 million in each of the past three years and increased to more than $300 million for fiscal 2027, according to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
Adjusted for inflation, funding has increased more than 300% since fiscal 2017.
VACS provides financial incentives to agricultural producers to adopt practices aimed at reducing nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment entering Virginia waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay.
Nearly 2,600 producers participated in fiscal 2026, an increase of more than 30% over five years. Those producers implemented nearly 53,000 conservation practices, up about 80% over the same period.
JLARC found 62 of the 64 practices eligible for funding have been scientifically shown to reduce agricultural pollution to some degree.
The commission described VACS as largely effective but found areas where funding, project selection and oversight could be improved.
One concern involves money appropriated but not committed to projects.
JLARC found the state’s estimate of how much funding the program needs assumed conservation practices would be implemented faster than has proved realistic. The report said that has contributed to a substantial amount of appropriated money remaining unobligated that could otherwise have been available for other commonwealth priorities.
JLARC also found Virginia does not have a ranked list of the most cost-effective agricultural conservation practices.
The commission recommended developing such a list and revising the award process so local soil and water conservation districts more consistently prioritize cost-effective projects.
The review also found districts use different methods to verify whether cover crops meet required soil-coverage standards.
JLARC warned that inconsistent verification could cause pollution reductions to be overestimated and recommended standardized verification methods and additional training for district staff.
JLARC said the changes could help Virginia better target funding and ensure the pollution reductions credited to the program reflect what is actually being achieved.
This post was originally published on The Center Square.
