Despite the one small(ish) snowfall of the year, the VALOR class had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Pamela Hess about the work she's doing with Arcadia Food, a nonprofit organization focused on creating a more equitable and sustainable local food system in Washington, D.C. Video conferences are an intrinsically tough way to have a good conversation, but Pam… Continue reading Arcadia – Equitable Food Access in D.C.
A wise man once said, sometime in your life you'll need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer. (Paraphrasing Brenda Schoepp.) And all the people said, "Amen!" There are many ways that we can now get our food from the farm to the… Continue reading The Grocer
Share your story. This week VALOR III Fellows met in Northern Virginia to learn and discuss agriculture. The field is so vast that my last statement could require a million more words to define it. This week was focused on urban agriculture on some days and national agriculture policy on others. It makes sense. Northern… Continue reading Share your story.
So, we were headed to DC Central Kitchen. As to be expected, people had gravitated to the basic human need of food as we walked to the entrances. "Hi," "What are ya'll looking for," "They're having chicken tonight..." were some of the warm greetings expressed by the fundraisers. What fundraisers?...those people hanging out front who… Continue reading The Fundraisers
We visited Endless Summer Harvest and as I listened to Loudon County, VA Extension Agent, Mr. Hilleary, he made me create one definition of agriculture: Agriculture is not necessarily a place or product. For example, "This is a field, therefore it is agriculture....or this is a machine and it is agriculture." Agriculture is… Continue reading Agriculture is a System
Ok, by now you are aware of eclectic interpretations of leadership. This particular session revealed the ancient wisdom of the donut! Here is how a donut is like leadership: It's circular shape suggests collaboration or teamwork. How it's made (baked or fried) is not as important as what it becomes (sprinkles, cream, etc.). It doesn't… Continue reading How is a donut like leadership?
Lol, I never thought I would tap into the horse spirit of Secretariat. VALOR exposed me to this medium as we visited Dr. Bridgett Mcintosh, equine nutrition specialist at Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MARE) in Middleburg, VA. The horse farm is 400 acres of open pasture-paddocks and well-maintained. Several noteworthy things were observed:… Continue reading Secretariat Lives!
As the Agricultural Marketing and Development Director for Halifax County, Virginia, I serve in the VADO group AND I am a member of VALOR - Class III. As a bit of background, the Virginia Agriculture Development Officers (VADO) was created by then Sec. of Agriculture Todd Haymore as a means for VDACS and the local counties / cities… Continue reading VALOR and VADO – What a combo!
I’m guessing that the word lobbyist may have a negative connotation to a lot of people. I can certainly understand how this association evolved over time, but lobbyists do serve a useful purpose in our government. And, for those involved in agriculture, we should be thankful that there are people looking out for our best… Continue reading Friend or Foe?
During our visit to Richmond, our VALOR class had the honor and pleasure of meeting with the First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Dorothy McAuliffe. Of particular interest to the class was the ongoing work Mrs. McAuliffe has tackled in fighting to eliminate childhood hunger in Virginia. Toward this goal, the First Lady has connected… Continue reading VALOR and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe
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