Connecting Virginia Tech faculty expertise with Virginia stakeholders

The Land-Use Value Assessment Program (LUVA) has provided tax relief for qualifying agricultural, horticultural, open space, and forest land for over 50 years by allowing land to be assessed at its use value rather than market value, helping preserve rural land. LUVA at Virginia Tech develops these use-value estimates for the Virginia Department of Taxation using two State Land Evaluation Advisory Council (SLEAC) approved methods, the capitalized rental rate approach and the capitalized income approach, which are reviewed annually by SLEAC.

For Tax Year 2026, SLEAC adopted LUVA’s updated estimates, which show an average statewide decrease of $65 per acre from 2025, bringing the average use-value to $958 per acre. Sixty percent of localities experienced decreases, reflecting recent agricultural challenges such as lower government payments, declining grain prices, and high input costs. While localities are not required to adopt these values, lower use-values can reduce tax burdens and encourage the continued preservation of Virginia’s rural and productive lands.

On July 14, 2025, the U.S. government imposed a 17.09 percent tariff on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico and terminated the nearly three-decade-long Tomato Suspension Agreement, signaling a major shift in tomato trade policy and raising concerns about the effects on U.S. producers and consumer prices. Since 1990, domestic production has declined while imports, especially from Mexico, have surged, with tomatoes becoming the highest-value imported vegetable and imports doubling domestic production volumes by 2024. These trends have fueled debates over the competitiveness of U.S. growers, particularly in Florida, and set the stage for renewed trade actions after the USITC found in 2019 that Mexican imports threatened material injury. With the immediate effects of the new tariffs still uncertain, the article reviews the evolution of U.S.–Mexico tomato trade policy, recent pricing patterns, and the key factors that will shape how these 2025 tariffs influence consumer prices and domestic production.

The study found that consumers who try plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) are likely to buy them again, indicating strong habit formation. However, frequent beef buyers are less likely to choose PBMAs, and the products often complement rather than replace traditional meats in household purchases.