Seminar 3 of our VALOR experience was in the Shenandoah Valley and was focused on communicating our industry of agriculture. We talked to a lot of great people on this Seminar, from all of the people that gave their time to spend an evening doing interviews with them, to all of the farm stops. Each… Continue reading Learning From the Past
Last month we visited the Shenandoah Valley. Although we visited various farms, each offering valuable wisdom and insight, what ultimately stands out in my mind is all of the components that play a role in poultry production. In all probability there are many reasons for this being the dominant area of my focus, but the primary reason simply… Continue reading Poultry and Produce
"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
Food is something we all certainly have in common. Just try no food for awhile and I'm sure you'll agree. As a cotton grower, I think we all need cotton in our lives too, but that's another story for another time. Right now, I want to focus on food. (But hey, check your potato chip… Continue reading Let’s Eat!
As a collective group, we had over 40 layers of clothes on. I’m pretty sure that my left pinkie toe is still regaining circulation, and it feels quite odd to pull on dress pants without the accompanying fleece layers today for work. Three guesses as to what in the world was going on. (No, it… Continue reading Layers & Leadership
In November, my VALOR classmates and I had the great experience of exploring agriculture in the Tidewater and Eastern Shore region of Virginia. It was exciting to learn more about this region’s impressive contribution of produce, equipment and leadership to the global agricultural marketplace. In addition to learning about the region, we learned more about… Continue reading “Embracing the Future of Agriculture”
The sequel classic to Black Belt Jones inspired me while I was reminiscing over November's VALOR tours. If you have not had the pleasure of Jim Kelly's genre busting follow up, please have a quick taste now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRODUU5BCA In November we visited an equipment manufacturing firm supplying specialty harvesting equipment to the world for large… Continue reading Hot Potato Issue
Agriculture in the Tidewater/Eastern Shore region holds a special place for me as a Virginia "transplant" - it's very similar to my family's homestead. The terrain is flat - no undulating hills and mountains like those in Franklin County (my adopted home in VA), and less clay (aka “red dirt”). It's this geographical uniqueness that… Continue reading Tidewater and Eastern Shore: Internationalization Aplenty
The 2nd seminar of the VALOR program led us to eastern part of our state. One of the many things that I already love about the VALOR program is that I get to carve out time to travel to different parts of my home state. My work with Milton’s Local takes me to different parts… Continue reading A Local Response to a Global Market
The second session of VALOR took us to Suffolk, VA, where we had the opportunity to experience and realize the diversity and impact of Virginia agriculture. Our visit focused on all levels of production; from field, to harvest, to processing, to getting it to your front door. We visited Paul Roger’s farm; a conventional farming… Continue reading Sea of Opportunity
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