Farm Bureau, MD&VA Milk Producers, VAFB Young Farmers. I’ve been apart of so many different groups in the past, but VALOR is one with the possibility to connect me deeper to every aspect of Virginia, the United States, and the globe.
My name is Thomas French and I’m a 6th generation farmer from Maurertown, Virginia. After high school, I decided to take a break from school and headed west. I spent 5 months traveling through the Midwest on a harvest crew. I saw the small towns and back roads of Minnesota all the way down to Texas.
After my time in the Midwest, I bounced between the farm and an agricultural sales job. But I ultimately settled back at my family’s farm as our dairy’s herd manager.
I recently got engaged to the most wonderful and understanding woman, Siaura. During my time in VALOR, my fiancée and I will be planning our wedding so I know I’ll be leaning on my fellow classmates for any and all help they are willing to give in the process.
I told a lot of people before I started VALOR that I’d seen friends and colleagues go through the program and asked them what they had gained from it. Many told me that they gained a deeper respect for Virginia agriculture, some told me that they gained knowledge of how agriculture works outside of just the production side of the industry, but every one told me that they gained long lasting fellowship with their fellow cohorts. The more I get to know my class, the more I can tell the same will be true for me.
valeadersor.com 