The DeGrandchamp family has been producing berries near the shores of Lake Michigan since 1955. Mike DeGrandchamp treated the VALOR fellows (and a couple from Texas who happened to stop by the farm at just the right time) to a tour of their operation during our recent trip to Michigan. DeGrandchamp Farms blueberry fields and… Continue reading Berry production on the shores of Lake Michigan
Question: How does a 1st generation farmer expand from 1 greenhouse in 1982, to 20 acres of greenhouses today? Answer: By using innovative and efficient farm practices, effectively managing costs, compromising when needed, fostering a team atmosphere, and above all, maintaining a positive attitude throughout the process. Our path this session was different than our… Continue reading The Power of a Positive Attitude
At VALOR's sixth seminar in July, we had the pleasure of visiting Garner's Produce a Virginia Century Farm near Warsaw, on Virginia's Northern Neck. The produce operation, run by Dana Boyle, her husband Bernard, her father and several seasonal employees provides fresh vegetables for a dozen farmers markets throughout Northern Virginia and the District… Continue reading Producing Produce
We're one year into the VALOR experience, and I must say that it has been an extremely rewarding program. Over the last twelve months we've crossed the state at least three times and spent over two dozen nights on the road. We've met leaders in the industries of fabrication and mechanics, exports, pork production, food… Continue reading Why Are We Here?
Tomorrow we leave on our US study trip, which officially means we’re past the halfway point with VALOR. I’ve thought a lot about how fast this program is passing. Seminar VI, like all of the seminars thus far, was fantastic. For me, one of the most meaningful experiences was the weekend on the bay with… Continue reading Investing with a long-term view.
Triple Overtime As I begin to write this blog, I reflect back on the Virginia Tech’s Hokies football victory this past weekend and am reminded that Virginia Tech’s Cooperative Extension agents are working in triple overtime. The load and demands placed on them by serving multiple communities has them spread too thin. The Hokies set… Continue reading Triple Overtime
VALOR Fellows had a complete experience during Seminar VI: Bay/Northern Neck - Agriculture, Technology and the Environment. It was an exciting time bringing together firsthand the components of one of the most talked-about efforts in decades, allowing a vibrant agricultural industry and work in partnership to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay… Continue reading A little technical assistance please …
An otherwise inconspicuous grain elevator along Tidewater Trail in Center Cross, Virginia, holds thousands of bushels of soybeans. However, these aren’t just your average beans. The Montague Farms facility contains natto beans grown by farmers in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, and destined for export to Japanese markets. It’s not just the beans that are… Continue reading Not your average beans…
A few years back Guy Clark postulated that there are only two things that money can’t buy, true love and home grown tomatoes. I suppose there is some wisdom in that but the times they are a changin’. I can assure you that all over Virginia, and other places throughout the nation, money CAN buy… Continue reading There’s only two things…
Reblogged: Virginia Oysters See Growth Over Last Decade Earlier this month, Gov. Bob McDonnell toured Kellum Seafood Company's oyster harvesting, shucking and packing facility in Weems, located in the Northern Neck along the Rappahannock River, to witness first-hand the strides made by Virginia’s oyster industry and to celebrate the industry's growth in recent years, highlighted… Continue reading Reblogged: Virginia Oysters See Growth Over Last Decade
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