My first seminar didn’t get off to the best start. My day started in the airport at 4:45am with a flight delay that would ultimately not allow me to connect with my classmates until after 8pm. While the day was largely frustrating, I will never forget the warm reception from my classmates when I finally arrived. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how that gesture made me feel. I remember reflecting to myself, these aren’t my Valer VII cohorts, but rather my Valor VII family. Our seminar included multiple stops in the Tidewater/Eastern Shore area. While each facility was excursion was outstanding, there were a couple of stops that stood out to me. Smithfield Foods was an extraordinary stop. We were able to tour the facility and also speak with different departments to better understand the many components that make up Smithfield. An international company of this size has many components that are attempting to pull in the same direction. The tour allowed us to move through the facility and see how the animal is processed. We looked at how the meat is frozen, cut, seasoned, cooked, and packaged. It was an amazing experience to watch the pig move through the plant in a sustainable and efficient manner. The marketing department at Smithfield is tasked with promoting the company’s sustainability efforts and their farmer/producer and community relations. The conversations surrounding their efforts were enlightening as they consider how to move the organization forward from a profitability standpoint and also build favor with the customers that value sustainability and agricultural justice.
The Commonwealth Gin was a unique stop because cotton is not a crop that comes to mind when I think of agriculture, yet it’s uses are evident in my everyday life. I was impressed when Johnny Parker spoke about how cotton was considered a North Carolina crop and then he drove into Virginia and challenged why it wasn’t being grown just north of the border. As with any industry, challenging the status quo can lead to increased business dynamics. Commonwealth Gin went on to make a strategic decision to process the crop vs. growing the crop. This appears to have been a win-win situation, considering the cotton farmers can now have their crop processed locally.
The Rogers hosted dinner and included the value add of their son-in-law speaking to the effects of drugs throughout the commonwealth. Mr. Rogers spoke to the current farming landscape and the issues that are affecting it. He was especially in tune with the how and why farming communities are decreasing and the issues that come with trying to transfer a farm. Considering my wife and I have young children, I was surprised to see some of the charts detailing the drug usage throughout the state. I found it even more concerning that many of the drugs tested included additional lethal components.
When my wife and I drive through rural communities, we often see large fields of soybeans, but the logistics behind the bean has never occurred to me. The tour of Purdue Agribusiness was exceptional! The facility removes the moisture out of the soybean and then it is processed for multiple uses including animal feed, cooking oil, and mycelium substrate, just to name a few. Logistically, Purdue moves resources by truck, rail, and barge. They mentioned during the tour that one vessel at sea can take 300 trucks off the road! The location of the plant allows easy access to the highway, rail, and ocean. As we viewed the operations center, it was hard to believe how efficient the staff was in moving soybeans throughout the world.
Upon first look, I was a little hesitant about the purple ice cream but it was indeed a treat! Mr. Jardine told the story about how Quail Cove Organics had come to be. Through many ups and downs and trials and tribulations the current state of the farm has become a noteworthy contributor to agriculture on the Eastern Shore and beyond. The decision to farm organically vs. non-organic can be the source of many heated debates and can lead to many alternative techniques with regards to farming. No matter which side of the equation you fall on, when Mr. Jardine spoke about the moment, he decided to practice organic farming…. his why, was powerful. Intently looking forward to our next seminar…
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