The 2008 Virginia Farm Bureau Convention returns to the Homestead in Hot Springs this week.

One of the hot topics at this year's Virginia Farm Bureau Convention is the effects of agriculture on the economy. Experts say many people are still unaware of how important the industry is.

Dr. Terry Rephann, an economist from the University of Virginia, discusses just how important the agriculture industry is, because he says it's an industry that's commonly overlooked.

Rephann says, "They support the income of labor and proprietors and so forth, and that money gets re-spent in the economy and supports additional business."

He says forestry and agriculture expand to supply more than 500,000 jobs in the state.

"Even though that core production sector is relatively small, it's like the base of a very large pyramid," adds Rephann. "So it supports a lot more jobs than you think."

One of the ways of keeping the agriculture industry alive is the theme of the convention: "Keeping Locally Grown Food Profitable."

Dr. John Ikerd, Agriculture Economist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, says, "If you're going to serve the customer well and profit from it, you have to understand what is motivating the customer."

Ikerd says the key is to overcome the conventional farming mindset and for more and more farmers to jump in on the local-food-selling market.

Communications Director for the Virginia Farm Bureau, Greg Hicks, agrees.

Hicks says, "If every household in Virginia spent $10 a week on local food, it would contribute $1.65 billion to the Virginia economy, which is quite a figure."

Gov. Tim Kaine was scheduled to speak at the convention Sunday night but weather kept him away.