Suffolk continued to lose more farmland in 2025, part of a trend across Virginia and the United States.
“Nothing has changed,” said David Bosselman, chair of the city’s agricultural advisory committee.
Suffolk’s farm sector did have some bright spots, according to Julia Hillegass, the city’s agricultural specialist, who delivered this year’s state of agriculture report on Wednesday.
Suffolk is home to 412 producers. Its farmers ranked among the Top 10 in several crops compared to other localities, coming in second for cotton production and third for peanuts. Crops sales generated more than $35 million, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The city, however, still lost about 500 acres, which adds up to a 19.5% decrease, nearly 10,000 acres, since 2002. Hillegass said most of the 2025 losses were to housing developments, with warehouses and other projects also contributing.
“That acreage represents not only land, but long-term production capacity, economic opportunity and environmental stewardship,” she said.
The losses make the need for a farmland preservation program all the more clear for Bryan Harris, agricultural advisory committee vice chair and owner of Liberty Lane Farms. Suffolk’s farmers are, on average, older than 60 and many don’t have heirs-in-waiting for them when they retire.
“Time is not on our side,” Harris said.
Hillegass oversaw Virginia Beach’s agricultural reserve program when she worked for its agriculture department before being hired by Suffolk. More than 11,000 acres of farmland have been enrolled in Virginia Beach’s program since it formed three decades ago.
Hillegass expects Suffolk's agriculture committee to have a framework ready for city council in 2027. Whether Suffolk leaders will be interested or able to fund it remains uncertain.
“We have some really good support,” Hillegass said. “But I don’t think it would be a slam dunk.”
Farmers in Virginia Beach’s program, such as Land of Promise Farms’ Don Horsley, said speed will be important for an effective program in Suffolk. If farmland becomes too fragmented, it can be difficult to profitably farm.
Hillegass said some areas of Suffolk are already approaching, or past, that point. That makes creating a flexible program for different types of producers crucial, she believes.
“Maybe it’s not all row crops,” Hillegass said. “Maybe you do more specialty crops, whatever the case may be, to make it really viable for the long-term.”
“We’re trying to juggle those priorities and come up with a good list of criteria to get the most significant benefit.”
Harris has a “measured optimism” that Suffolk can stop the loss of farmland, if not reverse it. He sees greater awareness of agriculture and work on a reserve program as small steps of progress.
“We don’t need to hit a home run to win a baseball game,” Harris said. “We can get there with base hits.”
