To borrow from American Revolutionary War hero, Nathan Hale, “I only regret that I have but 55 days to learn more about Virginia’s vast agriculture industry.” These are the words that echoed in my head as I headed back east down Rt. 460 from my three days with my 12 other VALOR Class III fellows in… Continue reading Musings on My First VALOR Session…The Clock Starts Ticking on My 55-Day Adventure
Service has always been a part of my life. My family has always set an example for me of the importance to serve others beyond yourself. Sometimes this comes as sacrifice, but at the end of the day the lasting legacy of service will live beyond your years. I feel that growing up in a… Continue reading Why I Serve
Virginia, roughly shaped like a triangle (per my fantastic drawing above), is home to two distinct population curves. The more common one, called the Golden Crescent, is home to approximately 6.1 million people, and if it were a state, it would be second in the nation for college degrees, wealth, etc. It stretches from the… Continue reading I Expect MORE
If there is one thing I learned from our last VALOR seminar in Southside Virginia, it's that I can't grow tobacco. We were fortunate enough to visit a nice family tobacco farm. I was one of the lucky ones that left with a few tobacco plants. We had eight plants in a cut off Coke… Continue reading I’m not a tobacco farmer.
Production agriculture is largely a low margin, high volume business. The pressure on producers is ratcheted up even greater when the product is a global commodity such as milk, which is influenced by global agricultural trends. Farms like the Vanderhyde Dairy are competing in the global marketplace by embracing technology to increase efficiency and lower… Continue reading Never Seen a Lazy Susan like This!
In March, we had the pleasure of touring central Virginia. Before VALOR, I always thought that central Virginia was just metro-Richmond, but I quickly learned that it includes a much larger section of Virginia, including Charlottesville and nearby localities. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, this area has proven to be… Continue reading Agri-Tourism is Thriving in Central Va.
The question was asked at Madison Wood during our last seminar in Central Virginia along the Rt. 29 corridor -- "Who are your major customers?" The answer demonstrated perseverance, common sense, and most of all - a commitment to excellence as they quickly replied "All of our customers are major!" What a reviving answer. Fortunately, this is… Continue reading Commitment to Excellence
The last VALOR trip took us from Culpeper to Charlottesville. We saw everything from vineyards and orchards to beef cattle and lumber. Each operation was uniquely different and had a distinct vision. My favorite part of the seminar, other than the Moo Thru ice cream, was learning about our personal conflict management styles. Before the… Continue reading Conflict Management
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ9jmWLlen0 The preeminent K-Pop series detailing a popular music group's move to the country, this gripping drama highlights a generation's view of the importance of agriculture. It also stole the name from the industry leading ag-news provider, found here. What does agriculture mean to the Virginia Pediment? I find agriculture in this central region of… Continue reading Virginia Piedmont Agriculture, Such Wow
Our most recent VALOR excursion landed us in beautiful central Virginia; here we focused on adding value. We visited numerous operations that were committed to adding VALUE to their products. Going back to my Ag Econ roots at Virginia Tech, it is well documented that most commodity producers keep very little of the full retail… Continue reading Value added
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