I have long believed that a university should be an asset to the community it is in. That belief has shaped my career, and it is a large part of what brought me to VALOR. I’m Omar Faison, Vice Provost for Research and Economic Development at Virginia State University and a member of VALOR Class… Continue reading Introduction and Tidewater/Eastern Shore Reflections
By VALOR Class VIII Fellow: Mark Sutphin, Extension Agent, Virginia Cooperative Extension - Frederick County What connects a jar of peanut butter, a cotton shirt, a package of bacon, and a bag of potato chips? During Session Two of the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) Class VIII program, we discovered the answer is far… Continue reading Peanuts, Pork, Potatoes, a Port…and Cotton: Understanding Virginia Agriculture Through VALOR VIII
I grew up on a draft horse and mule farm in Baltimore County Maryland. I spent my summers tracking the weather for the perfect 3 days of sunshine and stacking hay in our old bank barn. I slept in stalls to watch foals be born. I carried hay in two feet of snow and busted… Continue reading Finding my place
It’s spring in the Shenandoah Valley and farmers are hard at work preparing for their 2026 planting season. There I was sitting at my four-year-old’s first soccer game in rural Mount Jackson, Virginia. I took a deep breath and inhaled the unquestionable smell of poultry litter scattered at nearby farms and was immediately transported to… Continue reading Chicken Litter
Seedling oysters from an aquaculture setting, seen at Rappahannock Oyster Co. Before I started my current position, and really until this seminar, I was unfamiliar with the Northern Neck. Its name described a vague area and geographical outline, and I was unaware of the qualities that deemed it the Northern Neck region. On this seminar,… Continue reading Spat on a Shell and Life on the Bay
On September 26th, 2024, VALOR Class VII kicked off our orientation in Blacksburg. At the same time, Southwest Virginia would experience the wrath and aftermath of Hurricane Helene. A place you would not imagine being touched by a hurricane was upended from flooding, resulting in loss of life and property and a long- but resilient-… Continue reading Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone: Southwest Virginia and Its Steadiness in a Changing World
A colleague of mine, a dairy farmer who can talk animal health, equipment uptime, and enterprise risk all in the same sentence, was recently invited to a high level executive engagement. The room was stacked with senior leaders from state and federal government, alongside representatives from the Agriculture industry. During the pre-event coordination, the organizer… Continue reading Professionalism and Agriculture
The Oxford Dictionary defines transformation as “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.” During our recent visit to Southside Virginia, transformation—and transformative mindsets—were the underlying themes at every stop. The ability to recognize a changing industrial landscape and adjust the direction or thought process of a facility to maximize outcomes is an extraordinary… Continue reading Transformation
To prepare for our fourth seminar (time flies when you’re having fun!) we were asked to watch Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, “Start with Why”. He described how successful businesses, leaders, social movements, etc., more so focus on the “why” or purpose when communicating their products, organizations, events. “Why” is central, whereas “how” and “what” are… Continue reading What, How and Why: Where do you start to make the most impact?
The Oxford Dictionary defines sustainability in two ways: the ability to continue over time, and the ability to cause little or no environmental damage—thus enabling long-term continuation. Class VII's regional US trip was a resounding example of these two definitions. After spending six days on the road—starting in Winchester, traveling through the Finger Lakes Region… Continue reading Sustainability
