According to the Virginia Horse Industry Board the horse industry has a $1.2 Billion impact on the Virginia economy and generates 16,000 jobs. The horse industry is the 9th largest agricultural commodity in Virginia and ranks 12th in the nation for the number of horses. The part of the Commonwealth that has the largest impact… Continue reading Horsein Around
Creative marketing of local foods. A surging wine industry. Maintaining and revitalizing a treasured equine property. A behind-the-scenes view of National Ag Policy. These were some of the themes observed as the VALOR fellows experienced Urban Agriculture during Seminar Five in Northern Virginia & Washington DC. I must admit that I take my close proximity… Continue reading Meditations on Urban Agriculture
At our third seminar in January, the VALOR fellows visited the Leech family, and Ingleside Dairy. Parents Charles and Linda, and children Jennifer and Beau are all Virginia Tech graduates, with degrees in Dairy Science. The family milks approximately 300 cows on their Rockbridge County, VA farm. The dairy farm started operations in 1967, and… Continue reading The Future of Farming
The VALOR inaugural class had the opportunity to tour America’s Promise Alliance and meet with the executive vice president, Melinda Hudson, during our Northern Virginia/ Washington D.C. Seminar. America’s Promise Alliance was founded in 1997 by Gen. Colin L. Powell. It is the nation’s largest partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth.… Continue reading America’s Promise Visit
During the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. seminar I had a truly unique experience in Purcellville, VA. I got to try “microgreens” while touring Endless Summer Harvest. Endless Summer Harvest is a family-owned and operated hydroponic commercial agribusiness. They take great pride in providing locally grown, pesticide free lettuces, gourmet greens, and herbs. Mary Ellen Taylor, president… Continue reading Micro……What?
A year into the program with the inaugural VALOR class and there they are...calm, cool, collected, and utterly brilliant. A true cohort team. As we approach our sixth of 12 seminars at the end of next week, we will have fully completed the first of two years of whirlwind-like programming. We have traversed the state… Continue reading Too Cool for Deja Vu
My son Andrew, a Boy Scout, recently spent a week at Camp Davy Crockett in Rogersville TN. Camp is a weeklong adventure where Scouts utilize skills learned in scouting to be self sufficient and continue the learning process. As you might expect I am very proud of my son and his accomplishment in Scouting. He… Continue reading Be Prepared
Our quest of experiencing urban agriculture took us to suburban Prince William County, to a town called Nokesville. Well.....kinda. The adventure began as the fellows huddled in (3) separate vehicles.....plugged in Nokesville to their GPS.....and all (3) cars managed to get lost in transit. We even managed to get separated from the other cars (now back… Continue reading “Pick Your Own” Route to Yankey Farms in Nokesville, VA
This morning I walked down to the mailbox with my most recent National Agricultural Statistics survey report. As I walked, I carried with it a certain frustration with this seasonal task. If you are not prompt in completing this report, daily phone calls or personal visits will follow from the USDA. It seems that the… Continue reading A Trip To The Mailbox
My wife and I made the decision about a year ago that the best gift we could give our two young sons would be for her to leave her job at Virginia Tech and stay home with the boys. This decision has had an impact on our bottom line. We like great food, but we… Continue reading What is it with local foods?
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