Our last seminar brought us to Central VA. We had the opportunity to stay at Graves Mountain Lodge and use that as our base for the entire visit. I've not spent much time in Central VA, so I didn't know much about the area or the ag industry in this part of the state. We… Continue reading Central VA – The Last Stop for Class VI
How do I even begin writing about this experience? At this point, we all know blogging is pretty low on my list of things I enjoy doing (actually writing in general is) ...but that's beside the point. I've had many people ask how my trip was.... likely expecting to hear exciting stories about animals, agriculture,… Continue reading Kenya – Imagine Being in Their Shoes(?)
Visiting the Northern Neck was certainly an eye opening experience for me. When I think of farming, all the traditional "on-land" practices come to mind. However, in this part of the state, farming methods include "in-water"! Oyster farming is a thing, and a very delicate process at that. I had no idea it took about… Continue reading Northern Neck – A sense of Community
We had the opportunity to visit the area of VA that I call home for our July session. Southwest VA is not easy to navigate....mountains and curvy roads, not to mention it typically takes twice as long to get anywhere! We certainly couldn't stay overnight in the same place either since we had so much… Continue reading The Views are a Little Different in SWVA
Horses and Bourbon are what this state is known for....and we certainly had the opportunity to learn about and experience both during our VALOR National trip to Kentucky! As someone who grew up in the equine industry, I never really learned much about the Horse Racing Industry. The farms that breed, raise and train these… Continue reading The Bluegrass State – VALOR National Trip
When you live in rural Southwest Virginia, it's hard to imagine what "Urban Agriculture" looks like. I am in awe of those who have the ability to grow things inside old buildings, parking decks and their basement! And when I say "things", I mean rows of produce that could feed hundreds or even thousands of… Continue reading Big City Lights…and Agriculture
To say that spending time in a city is somewhat out of my comfort zone would be a large understatement! City streets, traffic, people and all things that go with this are VASTLY out of my comfort zone! I'm so far out of my comfort zone that I've experienced minor panic attacks trying to determine… Continue reading Stepping out of Your Comfort Zone
I have definitely, and on purpose, procrastinated long enough to write this blog post! For some reason, I have found myself in the middle of two programs that are what I'd like to call, "out of my box". Agriculture is right up my alley however, dressing in business attire and visiting with dignitaries in addition… Continue reading Perseverance and Teamwork
I didn't grow up on a farm, but I did have an interest in horses. Actually, it was probably more of an obsession! I had all the books, figurines, movies, pictures....you name it, I had it. The one thing I didn't have.... the actual horse. I can recall waking up on several Christmas mornings looking… Continue reading Believe in Yourself First
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