How encouraging to see so many flourishing enterprises in Central Virginia. And how enjoyable to get first hand experiences with some of them during our March VALOR seminar. We visited Madison Wood Preservers, Senterfitt Farms, and Step-at-a-Time Farm, - all thriving local ag-based businesses. And we learned about Crisis Communications from both Corrine Geller,… Continue reading Eat, Drink, and be Married
VALOR Class II sprinted through the end of our Vietnam journey with a packed final day. In a country that seems to be in perpetual motion, we fit in well. Beginning the day with a boat ride to the Mekong river's largest floating farmers market, we saw the wholesale beginning of much of the produce… Continue reading Farewell Vietnam
On our second day in lovely Dalat, Vietnam, we climbed higher into the Cau Dat region to visit a tea plantation. Starting at the factory, we got to sample fresh oolong tea and meet the impressive young Taiwanese Vice President of Haiyih tea company. She explained tea production from field management and harvest, drying and… Continue reading The mile high Zen of Tea and Kings
VALOR Class II expanded their horizons with a six-day November trip to Florida, their eighth of twelve seminars. And while there is no doubt about the diversity of Agriculture in our own Commonwealth, seeing a small slice of Florida's Agricultural diversity was eye-opening. Comparing the two states further reveals some major differences. Florida represents… Continue reading #VALORtakesFL
Stuck indoors on yet another incredibly soggy, rainy Fall day, trying not to worry about the soaked and un-harvested cotton and soybeans in the waterlogged fields makes me want to focus on something else. My mind turns to worry instead about the watermen and farmers we met on our recent VALOR trip to Tangier Island in… Continue reading Food and Fiber -culture
If you follow this blog, you know by now that our VALOR II group is travelling the Commonwealth and beyond, learning about Agriculture, Leadership, and a lot about each other. Our July trip to Southwest Virginia added a whole new level of learning and a whole new level of people obtaining results in their communities. In… Continue reading Obtaining Results
Our VALOR trip to Washington, DC in May has had me thinking a lot about distances. Of course the obvious one - how relatively close DC is to my home, but how long and awful driving into and out of there can be. But also how fortunate we on the East Coast are to have… Continue reading Distances
Richmond during the General Assembly Session is an interesting place. So much hurry up and wait. So much current events and history as old as our Nation. So much that seems trivial and so much that is vitally important. All of this jammed together in the organized chaos that is government in action. Definitely a… Continue reading Agriculture and History – A Woman’s Place
Food is something we all certainly have in common. Just try no food for awhile and I'm sure you'll agree. As a cotton grower, I think we all need cotton in our lives too, but that's another story for another time. Right now, I want to focus on food. (But hey, check your potato chip… Continue reading Let’s Eat!
As I try to catch my breath between the harvest and the holidays, I thought pausing to review the last month might slow me down enough to achieve a couple of deep inhales and exhales. Breath in, breath out.... maybe. Catching a rainy afternoon helps too. About a month ago, in the middle of our… Continue reading The Fiber of Our Lives
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