VALOR's Patagonian Steppe excursion included a stop by the estancia of El Galpon del Glaciar. Ranch manager Marcos and his partner Mary took us through their operation, that included sheep and wool production, a restaurant, Patagonia Steppe excursions, and agrotourism. The operation began in 1912, in what was then an even more remote part of… Continue reading Sheep Grazing
Greetings from the farthest point south that this fellow has ever traveled! The Patagonian region of Argentina is home to the the third largest ice field in the world, and Los Glaciares National Park. At roughly 18,000 square kilometers, the ice covers an area larger than the entire state of Connecticut. We visited the Perito… Continue reading Ice Gazing
At VALOR's sixth seminar in July, we had the pleasure of visiting Garner's Produce a Virginia Century Farm near Warsaw, on Virginia's Northern Neck. The produce operation, run by Dana Boyle, her husband Bernard, her father and several seasonal employees provides fresh vegetables for a dozen farmers markets throughout Northern Virginia and the District… Continue reading Producing Produce
We're one year into the VALOR experience, and I must say that it has been an extremely rewarding program. Over the last twelve months we've crossed the state at least three times and spent over two dozen nights on the road. We've met leaders in the industries of fabrication and mechanics, exports, pork production, food… Continue reading Why Are We Here?
At our third seminar in January, the VALOR fellows visited the Leech family, and Ingleside Dairy. Parents Charles and Linda, and children Jennifer and Beau are all Virginia Tech graduates, with degrees in Dairy Science. The family milks approximately 300 cows on their Rockbridge County, VA farm. The dairy farm started operations in 1967, and… Continue reading The Future of Farming
Unless I get long-winded, by the time you finish reading this post, our world will be inhabited by an additional 450 people, that's 20 more since you started reading this sentence. By the year 2050, experts predict that world population will rise to 9 billion people, with approximately 4 percent of that population living within… Continue reading Growing Agricultural Exports
Greetings from the road! I am Dana Fisher, a proud life-long resident of Shenandoah County, where I grew up on my family's small beef cattle operation. I was an active member of my local FFA chapter, and I was proud to represent Central FFA on the state and national levels. My time in FFA helped… Continue reading Finding Dana Fisher
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