Agriculture can be ugly

Not a title I expected to use after visiting the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. I have been to Valley a few times and have always admired its beauty, and to the naked eye there is nothing ugly to see. Breathtaking views everywhere you look. But those who work in agriculture know that it is not always sunshine and rainbows. Therefore the “why” someone choose to work in agriculture is the driving force through the ugly.

Our first stop this session was to Houff Corporation who has taken “diversifying the family farm” to a new level. The corporation offers a variety of services including fertilizer, crop protection, seed sales, trucking, to name a few. They are conveniently located along the rail line and can process 3000 rail cars per year of supplies for farmers in and around the community. They are too big to be small and too small to be big so they take pride in quality customer service. They have found this brings customer, big and small, coming back even if they can find something cheaper elsewhere. The why? problem solving! Finding a way to solve a problem a farmer is having is puzzle those at Houff like to tackle. If they can make a profit while doing that is a bonus.

Certainly, cannot talk about the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley without mentioning Harmony Harvest. I have often stated my “why” as a passion I have for agriculture. Jessica does not have to state it; you can hear her passion in everything she says. A fresh cut flower farm is not where I was expecting to get an economic lesson on imports and exports but I was shocked to hear that the US imports 80% of its fresh cut flowers (reminder this seminar was before all the rumblings of tariffs so I am curious how this is affecting the business). By asking where our flowers come from Harmony Harvest was able to fill a need most people probably did not know we had. Their Mum Project, focusing on growing heirloom chrysanthemums in US soil, meets the high demand of a fresh cut flowers while saving the varieties from extinction. Another inspiring thing about Harmony Harvest is they have created their business model around what resources they have. My (stereotypical) thought of a farm in the Shenandoah Valley is that of hundreds of acres gained through generations but they are thriving on an obtainable amount of land.

You can’t put together a Virginia made food basket without a bag of Route 11 chips. Another inspiring “glow up” of starting small and growing a business in an unknown economy. And another example of showing leadership through openness and honesty. Ms. Cohen answered all our questions and shared a genuine story. Their products are potatoes kettle cooked in sunflower oil and seasoned. Prety simple, and I now consider these chips a health food in my house. I especially appreciate their Chesapeake Crap chips being seasoned in JO, any true Marylander knows you don’t steam crabs in Old Bay, you steam them in JO.

We got a small peek into the Department of Forestry and yet another example of successful production on a small piece of land. But small is not the right word for four million trees on 27 acres. Virginia Poultry Association and Virginia Poultry Growers’ Co-op offered a world of knowledge into the Poultry industry *enter memories of poultry production at Tech.*

ATL Farms and F&L were not one of those “big names” in Ag that I recognized on the agenda before we arrived. But anyone who asks what my favorite stop of the trip was knows who they are now. Their spotless shop, plethora of equipment and trucks would have had my husband drooling all over himself (I think I may have caught some drool on a few of my male cohorts as well). But their candidness in sharing the ugly side of agriculture was the major draw for me. Adam and Taylor Long (ATL) are custom harvesters in the Shenandoah Valley. They work LONG hard hours and do what they need to, to get the farmers’ crops planted and harvested. Their livelihoods depend on each other.

F&L Environmental handles one of the uglies parts of agriculture, mortality management and composting. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) hit The Valley hard in 2002, and even with all the biosecurity advancements and protocols it is a risk for all poultry farmers.  In the devasting case that this does happen, and a farmer is forced to euthanize the flock, what next? The carcasses and shavings are piled into windrows to be composted. Done properly, millions of birds can be turned into usable, sanitary compost in 28 days. Nature is remarkable.

The Highland County Maple Festival was on the top of my “I can’t wait” list. Unfortunately the weather had other plans (again!?). Many of the vendors had packed up by the time of our arrival, which was probably for the best of my wallet. I love the secluded feel of Highland County and the maple syrup making process was just as I remembered seeing in the mountains of western MD as a kid. Heritage is a big part of many people’s “why,” glad to see not everything is constantly changing.

ROBOT MILKERS? Change is also good and agriculture is always adapting. I am so glad I finally got to see robot milkers in action. VALOR alumni Paula Craun and Clay Greene gave us an in depth look at Hillview Farm’s dairy barn. In true leader fashion, they took their time answering all our questions freely.

Growing up with draft horses exposed me to the Amish community as a child (growing up near Lancaster, PA also helped). They most certainly had the best handmade tack, fresh cheese and bread, furniture, and fair prices. However, I never had the opportunity for the conversations had at the house of Ruthann Weaver. Our Mennonite dinner was equally filling to the belly and soul. I learned so much about the culture that I never knew and continue to learn more from cohort member James (whose wife gets credit for a lot of the food).

FOOD. Seminar IV definitely wins the best food award. Mrs. Butterfield so graciously hosted and cooked a fantastic farm to table meal and I still figuring out how I can get Valley Pike BBQ to deliver to New Kent County. If you are not following Fieldsmith Home Arts Studio or John Henry General Store on Facebook, you should be. But beware, it is going to make you want to move to The Valley.

I appreciate that these trips are “kid free.” It allows me to put my whole focus on absorbing what the speakers are saying and being in the moment. In “real life” at least half my brain is always thinking about what my son needs. But man o man, Walter would have LOVED WestRock. They had every piece of equipment in the toy box plus some. With this facility tour and meeting the employees we did, I better understand how Forestry is one of the top industries in Virginia. They certainly have the same passion and similar “why” as those in the agriculture industry. Go team ag and forestry!

It is well known in the agriculture community that acquiring land is the biggest barrier to access for young farmers getting into the industry. Throughout this seminar we met and spoke with many booming business’ directly tied to ag, none of which were farming large pieces of their own land.  At the beginning of this post, I mentioned how the leaders of the Houff Corporation see themselves as problem solvers. But as I worked seminar IV out “on paper” it seems all our hosts were problem solvers.

Leaders in agriculture answer “how” with their “why.”