My first seminar didn’t get off to the best start. My day started in the airport at 4:45am with a flight delay that would ultimately not allow me to connect with my classmates until after 8pm. While the day was largely frustrating, I will never forget the warm reception from my classmates when I finally… Continue reading Soybean and Purple Ice Cream
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Where the sunshines and Cotton grows
My newest Valor friend I’ve been all over the country, from Texas to Minnesota, to the deserts of Arizona, all the way to the sunny beaches of Florida. In all my travels I’ve seen a peanut field, much less a warehouse 2 football fields long filled to the brim with peanuts. It was amazing! VALOR… Continue reading Where the sunshines and Cotton grows
Mind your P’s and C’s: Peanuts, Pork, Perdue, Potatoes, and Cotton!
Our second VALOR session is behind us, and it is amazing to look back on everything we learned. This session we spent time in the Tidewater and Eastern Shore region of VA, an area well known for their unique and sandy soils. On the first day, we took a deep dive into the world of… Continue reading Mind your P’s and C’s: Peanuts, Pork, Perdue, Potatoes, and Cotton!
Close to Home: Reflections on Tidewater’s Agricultural Impact
Our most recent VALOR seminar brought us to the Tidewater region and Eastern Shore of Virginia, a corner of the state that, while geographically close to home for me in Suffolk, holds a rich agricultural heritage with far-reaching global significance. Over three days, we explored the industries that thrive in this region — peanuts, pork,… Continue reading Close to Home: Reflections on Tidewater’s Agricultural Impact
Growing Roots in Leadership and Agriculture
Hello, I’m Bryan Harris, and I’m excited to embark on this incredible journey as part of the VALOR Class VII program. I currently live in Suffolk, Virginia, where I own Liberty Lane Farm, a horse boarding facility. My wife, daughter, and I call this farm home, and every day, I’m reminded of the importance of… Continue reading Growing Roots in Leadership and Agriculture
A Journey through Peanuts, Pork and Potatoes
Our second VALOR seminar took us to the Tidewater region and eastern shore of Virginia. I was really looking forward to this seminar. Living in southwest Virginia, I do not visit this area often. I am not very familiar with this part of Virginia. We had the opportunity to get an inside look at agriculture… Continue reading A Journey through Peanuts, Pork and Potatoes
Thinking about Tomorrow
Our recent class visit to Tidewater and the Eastern Shore of Virginia highlighted some decisions in our Agriculture Industry. These decisions aren't for immediate results. Instead, they focus on the futures of the companies involved. Our visit included many amazing experiences, that a Northern Shenandoah Valley agriculturalist was amazed to see the diversity throughout our… Continue reading Thinking about Tomorrow
Reaching back…
My name is Sierra Guynn, I am a veterinarian currently teaching, researching, and practicing at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Though today I can’t imagine working in any other field, I found my way to agriculture haphazardly. After 5 years of graduate school, where an inordinate amount of… Continue reading Reaching back…
Agriculture IS Sustainable
I knew we used "everything but the oink," but peanut and cotton hay?! Those were news to me. This seminar was full of surprises but what I found most remarkable was how sustainable agriculture just "is." Add on conversations with a fellow cohort member who works in rendering, and I wonder the marketing opportunities the… Continue reading Agriculture IS Sustainable
Seminar II: Ag Trade & Engaging w/ Others (Tidewater/Eastern Shore)
Alongside my VALOR class VII cohort, I enjoyed an enriching and exciting four days in the tidewater region and eastern shore of Virginia in late November. Over the course of the seminar, we visited a variety of farms and agribusinesses, learning the unique challenges, production practices, market conditions and marketing associated with cotton, peanuts, pork… Continue reading Seminar II: Ag Trade & Engaging w/ Others (Tidewater/Eastern Shore)
