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
In order to remain the same, sustainable, profitable producer that you currently are, you have to adjust and adapt to the science and evidence as it changes over time.
“Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied.” - George Washington Carver My husband Alec is an engineer. He spends his days using math and science to solve complex problems. I work for two youth-centered non-profit organizations where I spend my days helping people navigate in leadership… Continue reading Send it on Down the Line
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller During our last seminar we had the opportunity to spend time in Washington D.C. and its neighboring Virginia counties. The Capital is always an impressive site. The monuments and memorials capture the rich history of our nation. Through triumphs and… Continue reading Stronger Together
You would not think of a city having food inequalities and access issues, but in DC, the nation's capital, surrounded by immense wealth, you have just that. Life expectancy has a twenty-year difference! We heard from a great panel of Lindsay Smith, Tariq Sherriff, and Kate Lee on our recent seminar to Northern VA &… Continue reading Food Security & Access
VALOR’s most recent session took us to Northern Virginia and Washington DC. Urban ag at its finest-Endless Summer Harvest, Loudoun County Ag Economic Development, and Cultivate the City. National Policy with an array of ag representatives from Capitol Hill. Local food issues from the DC Urban Ag Department and the Anacostia Community Museum’s presentation on… Continue reading A Tale of Two Communities
Have you ever gone to bed wondering when you would have your next meal? Gotten up the next morning and stood in your kitchen and stared at bare cupboards with nothing to relieve the hunger pain deep in your gut? What if you had a child standing beside you, looking up to you, tears in… Continue reading To Eat or Not to Eat….
In our recent trip to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., collaboration, creativity and innovation are the qualities that resonated with me. Most in agriculture don’t think about the Northern Virginia and D.C. area having much to do with agriculture outside of politics. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Several of the places and people… Continue reading Collaborating, Creativity and Innovation Combine
