| 10 | 16 | | |
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| 11 | 17 | | |
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| 12 | 18 | | |
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| 13 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Walter and Lou Ann Bass, owners of Bass Sod Farm in Campbell County, won the Virginia Sunbelt Ag Expo Farmer of the Year award in 2024; and |
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| 14 | 20 | | |
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| 15 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Bass Sod Farm, a certified century farm, was established by the Bass family in 1921 on 200 acres of farmland in Gladys, and Walter Bass has been working the land for more than 57 years; and |
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| 16 | 22 | | |
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| 17 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Bass Sod Farm served as a traditional tobacco operation until 2005, when Walter and Lou Ann Bass worked with their sons, W.B. Bass and Allen Bass, to revitalize the property and invest in irrigated sod, organic soybeans, and timber, as well as a large sunflower field that serves as a community attraction; and |
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| 18 | 24 | | |
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| 19 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Walter and Lou Ann Bass have prioritized environmental protection and conservation of the region's vital natural resources through their practices at Bass Sod Farm; the farm uses natural byproducts as nutrients for the soil and no-till planting methods on all soybean acreage to protect the local watershed, and it employs various methods to reduce erosion; and |
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| 20 | 26 | | |
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| 21 | 27 | | WHEREAS, members of the Bass family have also offered their leadership to the Gladys Volunteer Fire Department, Campbell County Farm Bureau Committee, Virginia Cooperative Extension, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and many other organizations; and |
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| 22 | 28 | | |
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| 23 | 29 | | WHEREAS, as the winners of the Virginia Sunbelt Ag Expo Farmer of the Year award, Walter and Lou Ann Bass represented the Commonwealth at the national Sunbelt Ag Expo, held in October 2024; now, therefore, be it |
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| 24 | 30 | | |
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| 25 | 31 | | RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Walter and Lou Ann Bass hereby be commended on the occasion of their selection as the 2024 Virginia Sunbelt Ag Expo Farmer of the Year award winners; and, be it |
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| 26 | 32 | | |
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| 27 | 33 | | RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Walter and Lou Ann Bass as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for their contributions to agriculture and environmental conservation in Central Virginia. |
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