Matt Lohr, the Commissioner of Agriculture for Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences explains that, “The VALOR program provides an avenue for premier training in communications and media relations, as well as strategies for working with elected officials, for current and future agricultural leaders. We need young folks in agriculture prepared to accept the growing challenges the industry faces. I am excited to help develop the curriculum and subject matter that will be in place to help our young leaders excel.”
Vernon Meacham, Director of Development for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech shares that, “The VALOR program fills a critical need for Virginia’s agriculture community. In order to sustain and strengthen the leading industry in the Commonwealth, we need strong, well spoken, and dynamic leaders. The VALOR program will identify these individuals from our farms, agribusinesses, and centers of education and hone their leadership skills and broaden their agriculture knowledge. The most exciting aspect of the VALOR program will be to watch these leaders go out and make important impacts to benefit not only Virginia, but our world.”
Pictured from left to right: Kern Houff, Gary Larrowe, Matt Lohr, Ed Jones, Vernon Meacham, Rick Rudd, Dave Lawrence, and Megan Seibel.
Dave Lawrence, President of the Farm Credit of the Virginias, ACA, states that, ”the excitement of VALOR is the investment in tomorrow’s agriculture leaders. I am excited to be part of a process where agriculture is pooling resources to provide the next generation an opportunity for experiences, training, and tools in preparation for tomorrow.”
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