2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 177
Celebrating the life of the Honorable Barry D. Knight.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 26, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, February 26, 2026
WHEREAS, the Honorable Barry D. Knight, who prided himself as a “good ole pig farmer from Pungo” and supported the agricultural sector in Hampton Roads for decades, and who was an esteemed statesman, representing the residents of parts of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach over the course of his distinguished 17-year tenure in the Virginia House of Delegates, died on February 19, 2026; and
WHEREAS, Barry Knight grew up in the former Princess Anne County and graduated from Kempsville High School; as a young adult, he worked on a neighbor's farm for several years, trapping pests and helping raise hogs for market; and
WHEREAS, Barry Knight spent his winters working as a long-haul truck driver to raise money to fulfill his lifelong dream of buying his own farm and ultimately established Barry D. Knight Farms in Virginia Beach, which produced as many as 25,000 finished hogs every year until his retirement in 2016; and
WHEREAS, over the course of his career as a farmer, Barry Knight was highly admired by his peers in the agricultural sector, receiving the American Farm Bureau's Virginia Young Farmer of the Year award, the Clean Water Farm Award, and the Virginia Beach Man of the Year in Agriculture award, among other accolades; and
WHEREAS, Barry Knight served as president of the Tidewater Pork Producers from 1984 to 1990 and was appointed by two governors as a member of the Virginia Pork Industry Board; he also served as chair of the Virginia Beach Planning Commission, guiding responsible growth and development in the community; and