Agritouirsm - a loaded word and opportunity in Virginia and the country as a whole. Agritourism by definition is an activity(ies) on a farm that the general public is invited to enjoy. It can range from a winery, a pick-your-own operation, to a corn maze, to whatever your imagination can possibly dream up. It is… Continue reading Love Agritourism and All That It Offers
On March 13, 2017, one of the stops on our fourth VALOR Seminar was to a little-known battleground in Arlington, VA. It’s not your traditional battleground though. No commemorative statues. No walking or driving trails. Not even an interpretive sign to be found on the grounds. That’s because this battleground is still active. The battle… Continue reading Reevesland: The Battleground We Didn’t Know We Visited
Our seminar began with tours of agricultural operations in Loudon County, a unique area where agriculture meets urban development. While this convergence can create many challenges for farmers, some have leveraged the opportunity for growth. Mary Ellen Taylor of Endless Summer Harvest has used her proximity to urban development to capture a niche market for… Continue reading A whirlwind tour of Northern VA agriculture and policy…
At our last VALOR seminar in the Northern VA/ Washington D.C. area, we had a great time visiting different farms and agricultural venues in an urban setting. I particularly enjoyed visiting with Mary Ann from Endless Summer Harvest and enjoying fresh salad from their facility. I really enjoyed sharing this visit with my students as… Continue reading Endless Summer Harvest
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?
valeadersor.com 