Balance… what is balance? I was not able to attend the majority of the most recent Northern Neck VALOR trip, and it was hard looking at the agenda knowing I was not going to participate with my cohort, and when I did get to spend the few hours one evening with the, it was hard… Continue reading Real Talk…
Some people dream about living near the water and visit from time to time. A few people make it happen in retirement or a hopeful business venture. Some have been near water their entire lives. I’ve always enjoyed the water and time I’ve spent in “Rivah” and beach towns. When you’re on vacation and seeking… Continue reading Water, Water, Everywhere…
Agriculture has had a bad rap over the years for environmental concerns-too much fertilizer, too many herbicides, too much tillage, no cover crops. Wherever your were, or are now, with your thinking, I encourage you to take a trip to the Northern Neck of Virginia for a reality check. You’ll see how the land stewards… Continue reading Strong Partnerships
Hot crab dip! Our first stop this session was to West Point, Virginia and I got to experience my hometown as a tourist. The town has changed so much for example, we met at 3 Rivers Seafood, growing up this was the spot of Massey Oil and the neighboring lot was a riverfront restaurant. I… Continue reading Welcome to West Point!🦀
I am not referring to the Justin Timberlake song but to agriculture. On our recent seminar to the Northern Neck one of the main themes that we experienced is the shortage of employees in the agriculture sector. This does not just apply to certain segments but is industry-wide, across all localities, regions, states and the… Continue reading Bringing Sexy Back
VALOR Class V recently had a wonderful trip to the Northern Neck. Personally, I had never spent much time on the Northern Neck and found that it was a great place to visit with a wealth of agricultural history. Highlights of the trip were our visit to the Northern Neck Technical Center, Kellum Seafoods, a… Continue reading What is Healthy?
The daily headlines read how divided the nation has become. The idea of civil discourse has become harder to achieve. Why? I propose it is a lack of a common, unifying experience. We have lost that which makes us united: service to others for the collective good. Service is defined as helping others. It can… Continue reading The One Percenters
Our first stop on the Southwest Tour was Duchess Dairy in Rural Retreat, VA. It was my first time seeing milk bottling, and it was so exciting! When we arrived, they were bottling chocolate milk, and it was so fascinating watching their team and equipment in the process from filling, sealing, labeling, and packing the… Continue reading Nutritious and Delicious
VALOR V’s tour of operations in Southwest Virginia provoked the group to ponder the question in the auspices of Mount Rogers-how do you maintain your roots and grow when faced with rugged terrain? Figuratively speaking, local labor availability and markets provide challenges for day-to-day operations. Realistically speaking, the terrain poses limitations for agriculturists to efficiently… Continue reading Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Our July seminar took us to beautiful southwest Virginia. We toured Virginia Produce Company, River Ridge Land & Cattle, Grayson Natural Beef, Landcrafted Food, a coal mine, Bottomly Evergreens, VDACS regional veterinary lab, Duchess Dairy, Burke’s Garden and Foxwood Farm. These are all very different agricultural operations ranging from produce, milk bottling, sheep, cattle, beef… Continue reading Hidden Beauty
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