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
Above: VALOR Class III Fellows with the First Lady of Virginia, Mrs. Dorothy McAuliffe; Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Honorable Basil Gooden; and Virginia Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Megan Seibel Dear Virginia, There's a lot of emotion buzzing across the country this week as President Obama turns the reigns over to new… Continue reading Virginia Works
Wednesday we met with Andrew Smith of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. He is the Senior Assistant Director for VAFB Governmental Relations. VAFB is a grassroots organization. Is essence, Andrew is part of a team that puts into action ideas that VAFB producer members have developed. “Virginia Farm Bureau Federation successfully represents farmers in Richmond and… Continue reading Walk with Purpose.
I remember my first performance evaluation. Yeah, we always think we are doing fine until someone presents otherwise, lol! In our earlier session with Norm and Sherri during our video interview mock-up, the best evidence was in front of us--ourselves. The feedback they offered was interesting, relevant, and accurate. It made me think of the… Continue reading You Own The Story
I arrived off-schedule to our third session in Richmond, VA. As I was driving, I recalled a similar experience I had while participating in another leadership program. Here is the story: In the other program, I was lost while driving and looked-up and saw a huge American flag and it was soaring above a post… Continue reading How Driving is Like Leadership…
When I used to think of crop production it envisioned rusty equipment clacking across the field. The vision I had was covered in dust, mud, sweat and exertion. I pictured heat and rain and glorious discomfort as hard working people put the definition in tough and the grit in GRIT. There was plenty of doubt… Continue reading Precision Ag in Action
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…
What a great trip in November to the Eastern Shore and Tidewater. Every tour stop and presenter was very good. From pork packing facility to oyster hatchery and cotton to luxury coaches...quite a diverse offering. Having some past experience in logistics, I was so impressed with all that is going on at the Port of… Continue reading Tidewater/Eastern Shore Trip
On our trip to the Eastern Shore, we learned not only about the diverse production agriculture on the shore, but we also had the opportunity to visit with Mr. Bill Jardine and his son, Brian, of Quail Cove Farms. Both of these gentleman shared about their unique challenges with soil, weed and pest management in… Continue reading Quail Cove Farms
(pictures from Amadas Website) Two weeks ago, on our VALOR III seminar, we had the privilege of meeting Mr. John Wagner from Amadas Industries to give us a tour of the Amadas Production plant as well as the Amadas Coach line. Mr. Wagner shared with us the history and vision of the company and how… Continue reading AMADAS Industries and Coach
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