When I used to think of crop production it envisioned rusty equipment clacking across the field. The vision I had was covered in dust, mud, sweat and exertion. I pictured heat and rain and glorious discomfort as hard working people put the definition in tough and the grit in GRIT. There was plenty of doubt… Continue reading Precision Ag in Action
Pigs Really Can Fly…
In a whirlwind of speed and efficiency and through a maze of machines and people, pigs fly through Smithfield Foods’ packing facility. Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. As a part of our second VALOR seminar we were very fortunate to tour the… Continue reading Pigs Really Can Fly…
Tidewater/Eastern Shore Trip
What a great trip in November to the Eastern Shore and Tidewater. Every tour stop and presenter was very good. From pork packing facility to oyster hatchery and cotton to luxury coaches...quite a diverse offering. Having some past experience in logistics, I was so impressed with all that is going on at the Port of… Continue reading Tidewater/Eastern Shore Trip
Class III – Seminar with Helena Chemical Company
After only our second seminar, VALOR is proving to be just as amazing as I had hoped. During one of our stops in November, we had the pleasure of meeting Tommy Savage and Kyle Sturgis with Helena Chemical Company. According to their website http://www.helenachemical.com, Helena Chemical "has grown to be one of the nation's foremost… Continue reading Class III – Seminar with Helena Chemical Company
Efficiency and beyond….
During the last session for the class III fellows, we were exposed to many diverse angribusiness entities on the Eastern Shore. These businesses ranged in size from a father-son farming operation to a massive global industry leader employing over 50,000 employees world wide. The later mentioned business is Smithfield and their high sanitation standards mixed with efficiency… Continue reading Efficiency and beyond….
Quail Cove Farms
On our trip to the Eastern Shore, we learned not only about the diverse production agriculture on the shore, but we also had the opportunity to visit with Mr. Bill Jardine and his son, Brian, of Quail Cove Farms. Both of these gentleman shared about their unique challenges with soil, weed and pest management in… Continue reading Quail Cove Farms
AMADAS Industries and Coach
(pictures from Amadas Website) Two weeks ago, on our VALOR III seminar, we had the privilege of meeting Mr. John Wagner from Amadas Industries to give us a tour of the Amadas Production plant as well as the Amadas Coach line. Mr. Wagner shared with us the history and vision of the company and how… Continue reading AMADAS Industries and Coach
Port Day!
Port day! During our day at the ports in Norfolk, we had the pleasure of viewing trade in Virginia from two unique viewpoints: first by learning the ins and outs of the Port of Virginia as a whole, and second by walking through Perdue Agribusiness' Deep Water Port and discussing the products that flow through… Continue reading Port Day!
Innovating Hogs
Don't pretend that you didn't know hogs are innovative! They can build straw homes, go wee-wee-wee all the way home, and my favorite part, turn slop into chocolate covered bacon. Okay, so maybe none of that is exactly true, but at Smithfield Foods, they make it all seem possible. Our visit to Smithfield's Innovation Space… Continue reading Innovating Hogs
Leadership Momentum
Have you ever wondered why leaders seemingly "don't get it"? "It" could be trying ideas, being innovative or just simply making decisions that seem so obvious to others. Here are some specific examples to understand leadership momentum: Natural/Man-made disasters (Hurricane Katrina/BP Oil Rig Explosion in Gulf of Mexico): What took so long for President George… Continue reading Leadership Momentum
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