Local farmers worry a nearby uranium site might hurt the marketability of their products. More than three dozen farmers, frequently from the Dan River Region, asked the National Academy of Sciences to include impacts to agriculture in its statement on uranium mining in Virginia due in December.
The farmers, along with five water and environmental groups, submit joint explanation to the study panel, asking that its statement include risks of possible contamination to the food chain from uranium mining and milling in Virginia. Farmers fear customers’ awareness of risks to food products could hurt demand and their bottom lines. Agriculture is Virginia’s major industry with an economic impact of $55 billion annually.
Reputation is the whole thing for Our Father’s Farm in Gretna, said owner Jacques “Jack” Fuhrmann. The farm’s selling point is contribution all-natural beef, poultry, eggs and seasonal produce without using chemicals. Most clients are in Lynchburg, Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake. Sales are direct, so clients know where the food is coming from.
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