I’m looking for a line. Can you tell me where it is? It’s the one that separates the basic healthcare rights our U.S. government feels responsible to its citizens for and which ones they say, “You’re on your own, buddy.” A lot of countries apparently don’t have a line. If you’re in Sweden, Australia, Great… Continue reading The Healthcare Line
The libation of choice of our Virginia colonial ancestors, hard apple cider, had a 200-year run in the commonwealth and the rest of the U.S. before falling out of favor in the early 1900s due to a new penchant for beer. Prohibition delivered the final blow to America’s affection for the fermented apple brew, until… Continue reading Back To The Future—How A Colonial Beverage of Necessity Is Becoming Orchard Owners’ Ticket To The Future
The third cohort of VALOR fellows were fortunate enough to have our fifth seminar in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. I may be biased, but there is no better place than Virginia’s largest agricultural county (in terms of gross receipts) to learn about agricultural leadership. And when you are in Rockingham County, the unofficial turkey capital,… Continue reading Turkey Day!
Agritouirsm - a loaded word and opportunity in Virginia and the country as a whole. Agritourism by definition is an activity(ies) on a farm that the general public is invited to enjoy. It can range from a winery, a pick-your-own operation, to a corn maze, to whatever your imagination can possibly dream up. It is… Continue reading Love Agritourism and All That It Offers
On March 13, 2017, one of the stops on our fourth VALOR Seminar was to a little-known battleground in Arlington, VA. It’s not your traditional battleground though. No commemorative statues. No walking or driving trails. Not even an interpretive sign to be found on the grounds. That’s because this battleground is still active. The battle… Continue reading Reevesland: The Battleground We Didn’t Know We Visited
Our seminar began with tours of agricultural operations in Loudon County, a unique area where agriculture meets urban development. While this convergence can create many challenges for farmers, some have leveraged the opportunity for growth. Mary Ellen Taylor of Endless Summer Harvest has used her proximity to urban development to capture a niche market for… Continue reading A whirlwind tour of Northern VA agriculture and policy…
As the Agricultural Marketing and Development Director for Halifax County, Virginia, I serve in the VADO group AND I am a member of VALOR - Class III. As a bit of background, the Virginia Agriculture Development Officers (VADO) was created by then Sec. of Agriculture Todd Haymore as a means for VDACS and the local counties / cities… Continue reading VALOR and VADO – What a combo!
I’ve spent my career as a marketing and communications professional, crafting and delivering messages both on paper and in front of the camera. Being interviewed has been part of my job for more than 25 years (don’t do the math please!), but I’ve never been so ill at ease talking into a mike than I… Continue reading Interviewing 101–Nailing the Message
Last week the VALOR Class III fellows met in Richmond to learn how to grow corn in concrete cracks in sidewalks. It's the new buzz in urban agriculture! (Insert laughter now) The Class III fellows really went to Richmond to witness the behind the scenes and all the moving parts that go into legislation. Our… Continue reading Laughter and Leadership
In a whirlwind of speed and efficiency and through a maze of machines and people, pigs fly through Smithfield Foods’ packing facility. Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. As a part of our second VALOR seminar we were very fortunate to tour the… Continue reading Pigs Really Can Fly…
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