The song I chose for this blog's title, by Old Crow Medicine Show, is somewhat of a contradiction, because as our visit to Southside Virginia showed us, tobacco is still very much a part of the region. However, we also saw that farmers are increasingly having to diversify their operations, with row crops, beef, and… Continue reading We Don’t Grow Tobacco
While I have indulged in an occasional cigar, I have never been a smoker. So, my curiosity in all things tobacco never materialized. Having observed how cigars are hand-rolled, I imagined making cigarettes could not be very difficult. That conjecture was quickly put to rest during our tour of JTI Leaf Services located in Danville,… Continue reading Tobacco is Still Alive!
VALOR Class IV's first stop on the Southside tour was JTI - Japan Tobacco International - Leaf Services in Danville, VA. At the facility we watched and learned how tobacco was bundled and brought in by partner farmers, cut, re-hydrated, sorted and repacked for international distribution. Tobacco products were not made at this facility but… Continue reading Seminar VIII: Southside VA
Our trip to the westernmost tip of Virginia through the vast green oasis of hills and mountains of the Appalachian region in southwest Virginia was a first for many of us. While we explored businesses and industries that had been in the region for many years such as Domtar Paper and Virginia Produce Company, it… Continue reading Where the Rivers Run West
I've always loved the water. Its a love that is kind of ironic for a girl that can barely doggy paddle from one end of the pool to the other. Even though I was more apt to sink than swim, that didn't stop me as a kid from jumping into the waves at the beach,… Continue reading Doing Right Up River
I laid my head down on my pillow on a bunk bed at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Port Isobel Island Environmental Education Center and there was complete silence. I could hear absolutely nothing. No cars driving by, no emergency vehicle sirens, no planes flying overhead, no dogs barking, no upstairs neighbors jumping around, no fan,… Continue reading Ag, people & the environment
The Extreme’s of Virginia Although it might appear as though I waited to combine the last two VALOR trips to complete a thought, the fact is I was delinquent in writing a blog for our SW Virginia tour. The last two trips do lend themselves well to this blog though. The geographical ends of… Continue reading The Extremes of Virginia
Traveling through the Northern Neck was a wonderful experience! I truly enjoyed the unspoiled landscape! Seeing the culture, strong agriculture, and tie to the water was very intriguing! The people were truly welcoming during our visit! I also enjoyed traveling out to Tangier Island! Traveling on a boat for an hour out to the island… Continue reading Vulnerability
Appalachia/Cumberland Gap and the Northern Neck/Chesapeake Bay - two extremes of Virginia. At first glance they seem to have nothing else in common. Appalachia: Blue Ridge Mountains, turning into flat tops from strip mining. Tobacco, coal, timber - historical resources growing more scarce so the mountain folk turn to new practices such as hemp, wine,… Continue reading #Trending
It is hard to believe we have already crossed the halfway point of VALOR. The past two trips have taken us from reclaimed coal mines in southwest Virginia to the crab shanties on Tangier Island. Virginia truly is a unique state to have such vastly different terrains and agriculture industries. Being able to visit and… Continue reading From Southwest VA to the Chesapeake Bay.
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