If there is one thing I learned from our last VALOR seminar in Southside Virginia, it's that I can't grow tobacco. We were fortunate enough to visit a nice family tobacco farm. I was one of the lucky ones that left with a few tobacco plants. We had eight plants in a cut off Coke… Continue reading I’m not a tobacco farmer.
The last VALOR trip took us from Culpeper to Charlottesville. We saw everything from vineyards and orchards to beef cattle and lumber. Each operation was uniquely different and had a distinct vision. My favorite part of the seminar, other than the Moo Thru ice cream, was learning about our personal conflict management styles. Before the… Continue reading Conflict Management
This morning we toured the High Tech Agriculture Park on the edge of Ho Chi Minh City. The park is used by the government, universities, and private companies for research. We first saw a lab where they were taking tissue cultures from orchids for herbal medicine. They also raise orchids and sell them to hotels… Continue reading Friday, January 15th
This morning started at 3:30 AM. As I rolled over I found a few new bruises from yesterday's basket boating adventure... The one where our boat flipped at least eight times. We checked out of the beautiful Ancient House Resort in Hoi An and headed for the airport. By eight o'clock we were in Dalat,… Continue reading Dalat, Vietnam
Do you know what I'm scared of? I'm scared of car wrecks, things on fire that aren't supposed to be, and a stranger hiding in my house when I get home at night. Do you know what I'm not scared of? The food on my plate. I am not the least bit concerned about the… Continue reading Legit Things to be Scared Of
Our last seminar in the Northern Neck area of Virginia marked the start of our second year in VALOR. We had the pleasure of spending time on a few impressive crop operations and in the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. When you reach the half way point there is a sense of relief. You know what to… Continue reading Half Way There
#1: We Want to Grow; Bigger and Better! From Carroll County to Wise County, I heard story after story of success. The VALOR class visited Virginia Produce Company, Vanguard Furniture, and the Worrell family vegetable farm, and several other places in Carroll County. Business is booming! The owners of these businesses could easily sit back… Continue reading 3 Themes of Seminar 6: SWVA
Participating in VALOR is no small task. It takes time and dedication from the fellow, their family, colleagues, and employees. In mid-May myself and the Class II of VALOR spent five days in Northern Virginia and Washington DC. I did all I could at home on the farm to make sure my absence would leave… Continue reading Teamwork!
Here we are looking right into the face of the 2015 spring planting season! Exciting! Mostly because farmers like to see things grow, but another thing that makes it exciting is the fact that we don't know the outcome. We hardly know the weather for next week much less the weather for the summer. We… Continue reading Eliminating Risk
"A little bit of dirt/mud never hurt anybody." I'm pretty sure that's a saying. I'm also pretty sure a little bit of mud never did anybody any good either. This time of year mud seems to be inescapable when you have a job outside. The height of your boots becomes important, as does making sure… Continue reading A Little Bit of Mud
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