Peanuts, pork, potatoes and Perdue. Discoveries along the Tidewater’s pork-and-peanut trail and Eastern Shore brought VALOR Class VII to ground-level with those iconic Virginia commodities, while offering a 10,000-foot view of their global impact. At our first stop along Virginia’s Salty Southern Route in November, we learned from industry professionals at the Virginia Peanut Growers… Continue reading Salty Southern Route or bust!
On our recent trip to the Tidewater region of Virginia, we visited the Commonwealth Cotton Gin in Windsor, VA. This is a family-owned business run by brothers Tom and Len Alphin. The gin is rooted in the community and has a rich history in the cotton industry. The Alphins take a fascinating approach to their… Continue reading Commonwealth Cotton Gin
I stood in Dr. Julia McCann’s office in Litton-Reaves Hall during the fall semester of my sophomore year at Virginia Tech. In order to gain membership to the Block & Bridle (B&B) club, I was required to obtain faculty signatures on the wooden letters that our pledge class carved and decorated. As Dr. McCann signed… Continue reading Introduction: Are You Interested in Ag Communications?
Over the last 22 months, VALOR Class VI has traversed tens of thousands of miles within the the Commonwealth of Virginia, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and travelled to Republic of Kenya on the African Continent. We've experienced every level of agriculture from the humble beginnings of homesteads/ small-holders to large commercial agricultural enterprises, and everything in… Continue reading VIRGINIA
It was a bittersweet feeling when our group gathered for the first to last time in Central Virginia in May. We had spent the last 21 months visiting with some of the most outstanding and unique farming operations and support groups, hearing about their philosophies and best practices. Amongst all the variety of visits, tours,… Continue reading Seminar 11 Review
For our last seminar of VALOR Cohort VI, we visited Central Virginia with Graves Mountain Lodge as our hub for the trip. I hadn’t visited Graves Mountain Lodge since high school when I participated in the VICE cooperative conference, which they still host each year. It was interesting to think about how things have changed… Continue reading Central Virginia: Leading the Way
It felt like a lifetime since I had seen my fellow classmates since the last VALOR tour in Virginia, wayyy back in November of 2023. I was extremely excited to catch up with our tight-knit group and hear all about their travels across the world to Kenya and back. It was bittersweet not to join… Continue reading Welcome Home!
Visiting Southern (or Southside) Virginia was another educational experience for me. Growing up close to this region means I am familiar with the agriculture, but I was in for some surprises. I thought Megan, our fearless leader, set the stage well as we kicked off this trip in Danville by watching a video of August… Continue reading Passionate Advocates for Economic Viability
Our Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula-Bay tour was just as eye opening as the previous regional visits around the state. Each region’s agriculture and aquaculture is unique, but some similar threads run through many of the businesses we have toured. One of those threads is family. The family farm business takes many different forms. One quality that… Continue reading Family Business Leadership Lessons
During our trip to Southwest Virginia, the theme that surfaced for me is the importance of the support structure that overlays the agriculture industry in this region. I will focus on how I saw the outpouring of assistance related to ag infrastructure in Southwest. It was apparent as we traveled at most every stop that… Continue reading The Structure Supporting Success in SWVA Agriculture
