Maysville Baptist Church is holding Vacation Bible School Day Camp with a theme of “Galactic Starveyors” June 23 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and June 24 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. for children age 4 through 12th grade. All are invited to lunch and the closing program  June 24 at 12:30 p.m. Early drop-off and late pick-up available. Call (434) 969-4657 to register. Location address is 13329 W. James Anderson Hwy., Buckingham Court House.

Concord Baptist Church is holding Vacation Bible School from June 25 through June 30 from 6-8:45 p.m. Come out and enjoy games, arts and crafts, snack time and Bible time for kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. Concord Baptist Church is located at the intersection of Francisco and Deer Run Roads at Sheppards. Come learn about Jesus.

Need something for those youngsters to do this summer? Bring them out for co-ed basketball day camp at Maysville Baptist Church gym. From July 10-13, children will learn basketball skills from Rick Caldwell (former Hampden-Sydney College player) and Dwayne Braxton (former James Madison University player). Camp runs daily from 9 a.m.-noon for ages 7-14. For easy registration, visit www.buckinghamrec.net. Deadline to register is June 26.

America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The census is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them. “The Census of Agriculture remains the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “As such, census results are relied upon heavily by those who serve farmers and rural communities, including federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations, extension educators, researchers, and farmers and ranchers themselves.”

The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed that more than three million farmers operated more than two million farms, spanning more than 914 million acres. This was a four percent decrease in the number of U.S. farms from the previous census in 2007. However, agriculture sales, income and expenses increased between 2007 and 2012.

This telling information and thousands of other agriculture statistics are a direct result of responses to the Census of Agriculture. “Today, when data are so important, there is strength in numbers,” said Hamer. “For farmers and ranchers, participation in the 2017 Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity to shape American agriculture — its policies, services and assistance programs — for years to come.” Producers who are new to farming or did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to sign up to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form by visiting www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking on the “Make Sure You Are Counted” button through June.

NASS defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year (2017). For more information about the 2017 Census of Agriculture and to see how census data is used, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call (800) 727-9540.

If you buy, sell or produce baled hay, check out USDA’s new fact sheet titled “Questions and Answers: Moving Baled Hay from Areas Under Quarantine for Imported Fire Ant.” This publication contains useful information for farmers, ranchers, hay growers and suppliers as they respond to recent wildfires in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Its goal is to help support commerce and the movement of hay while guarding against the further spread of the imported fire ant. The web address is www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/baled-hay.

Sherri Wise is the columnist for the Buckingham Bulletin. Her email address is wise.buckingham@gmail.com; phone: (434) 983-1393.