THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
BACK BAY – Virginia Farm Bureau this week recognized The Princess Anne Independent News for its coverage of farming and the agriculture industry in Virginia Beach.
The work of several contributors led to the paper earning a special Member’s Choice Award. The community newspaper based in southern Virginia Beach was nominated by Virginia Beach Farm Bureau, and the award was announced on Tuesday, Nov. 29, during the statewide organization’s annual conference.
Bobby Vaughan, president of the Virginia Beach Farm Bureau board, said the newspaper’s coverage of rural life and city government, including elections, is meaningful to citizens in Virginia Beach.
“It’s valuable to us in the rural communities because it informs us about what’s going on,” he said on Thursday, Dec. 1.
David Trimmer, the city’s agriculture director, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, said The Independent News has become known as a voice for the city’s farming community. He submitted a letter of support for the nomination to the statewide organization.
“As director of agriculture, I recognize the importance of everything you do,” he said.
Contributors to The Independent News’ farming coverage prior to the awards deadline were photographer David B. Hollingsworth and writers John-Henry Doucette, Glen Mason, Jane Bloodworth Rowe, Michele Russell and John “Farmer John” Wilson. The stories were copy edited by Cortney Morse Doucette.
Wilson was honored for his work writing columns about sustainable farming and gardening, with specific recognition for a piece about the work of Southern Branch Nursery with native plant species. Wilson’s book From the Ground Up, a collection of his columns from The Independent News, was published this past year.
Trimmer said Wilson is known for his knowledge about sustainable farming practices, especially an expertise in composting.
“He’s forgotten more than most of us will ever know,” Trimmer said. “He’s always been a good friend of agriculture.”
Rowe was recognized for both feature stories and columns about gardening and farming. Rowe, an educator and writer, has been a longtime contributor to The Independent News who is known for her interest in gardening and local history. She has also written for The Virginian-Pilot.
The package of stories recognized included news reporting about the economy of farming in the city, feature stories and photography about the annual 4-H livestock show and stories and columns about local produce growers.
“This is meaningful because of the organization giving it and the people who submitted us for recognition,” John Doucette, editor and publisher of The Independent News, said on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
“Thank you to Virginia Farm Bureau for recognizing this team effort and to Bobby Vaughan and the board of Virginia Beach Farm Bureau for nominating us and David Trimmer for supporting the nomination,” Doucette said.
The Independent News is a print-first community newspaper based in Back Bay. It covers the southern city, including rural areas, and it has expanded to Kempsville and the Oceanfront over the past three years.
It is published 25 times per year by Pungo Publishing Co., LLC. Stories about agriculture, rural life and land use in the southern city have been cornerstones of its news report since it was founded in 2015.
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is the largest farmers’ advocacy group in the commonwealth with 133,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus.
The newspaper is an associate member of Virginia Beach Farm Bureau.
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