Hello everyone! My name is Brandon Reeves and I am honored to be a member of the VALOR class this go-round. At the outset, I’d like to thank all the supporters of VALOR and the folks that make it happen. We had an awesome first session and I look forward to spending the next two… Continue reading “All you have to do is be smarter than the cow.”
Wrapping up our first session of Valor, 2 weeks later and I'm just making it home. This was my first trip to Va. Tech, and my second trip to southwestern Va. in the last 9 months and in my life. I took my passport this time, according to Siri and google maps, a border crossing… Continue reading M’asem (my story in the Akan/twi language of Ghana)
It has been a while since I actually participated in a leadership development program - which is slightly ironic given that most of my young career has been spent behind the scenes of membership organizations coordinating program development. Last Friday, I was sitting at the Panera in Blacksburg, finishing up some work-related tasks over lunch… Continue reading The Start of Something Wonderful…
The definition reel (v) is as follows: wind a line onto a reel by turning the reel. lose one's balance and stagger or lurch violently This could sum up my first weekend with VALOR Class IV. And quite a bit of my life; so let’s start there, and reel it back… Hi, I’m Kari Sponaugle,… Continue reading Reel it in…
Prior to our VALOR Class III trip to Washington State, I knew very little about hops. Fortunately for me, Washington State leads the nation in hop production, so I was in the right place to learn. We started our morning off by meeting with Frank Hendrix, a Yakima County Extension agent. He provided a great… Continue reading Hops for miles!
On Wednesday, May 16th, VALOR Class III departed for our national trip to Washington State. The experience surpassed expectations. As with South Africa, I chronicled just about every stop on Instagram though I still have a few visits outstanding.[1] The highlights and leadership examples were many. Here’s a few of the memorable ones for me… Continue reading New Leadership Examples from Washington State
South Africa is in an interesting time for agriculture, possibly a historical turning point. The crossroads of politics, social obligation and absolution, commerce, and history is a tricky, trying, profound place to be. It is not a place upon which one can make much judgement. A two week trip does not make one an expert. … Continue reading ZA – Making Sense of Things
VALOR Class III fellows had the pleasure of learning about the South African beef cattle industry during our international seminar. We started our day with an early morning drive to the town of Heilbron where we met with Solomon Maseou, an emerging farmer. Solomon farms on 600 hectares of land that was purchased by the… Continue reading Sernick Group – South Africa
Farming. What do you think of? Amber waves of grain? OshKosh B’gosh overall-clad children rolling in hay? The pitchfork-in-hand puritanically dressed couple of Grant Wood’s American Gothic? A pastoral way of life? On a recent trip to South Africa, I learned farming had a different look. There, farming looked like 10-foot chain-link fences topped with… Continue reading Farming in S. Africa, A Different Reality
I’m a late adopter of Instagram. I’d been advised to join by my millennial counterparts working in food and agriculture but getting accepted to VALOR was what made me add yet another social media platform. Fast forward almost two years, and I’m up to 45 Instagram posts for our international trip to South Africa alone.… Continue reading South Africa: 45 Instagram Posts and Counting
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