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
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
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
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
During a recent state-level engagement we hosted in Suffolk with Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, the event began with a few remarks from Mayor Mike Duman. Standing before a room of farmers, policymakers, and community leaders, he said, It’s a true pleasure to welcome you all here today in the heart of Suffolk, where… Continue reading What Suffolk’s Fields Are Teaching Me About Leadership, Policy, and Stewardship
The fourth seminar for VALOR Class 7 led us throughout the beautiful Shenandoah Valley - my home. The core theme around our seminar was "Why?" https://youtu.be/u4ZoJKF_VuA?si=Ot-nSGnp9vK40HEO So WHY am I writing a blog post about crying in public? Stick with me. It'll make sense. Amanda, you tell everyone about Andy It was at ATL Farms,… Continue reading Crying in Public
There’s something about agriculture that forces you to be adaptable. Weather, markets, legislation — it’s a field (pun intended) where change is the only constant. So, it felt appropriate that our third VALOR VII seminar in Richmond began with yet another set of curveballs: a snowstorm, a power outage, and a city-wide boil water advisory. … Continue reading Boiling Water and Bourbon: A VALOR Seminar in Richmond
My name is Marie Schirmacher and I sometimes consider myself relatively new to agriculture. After graduating college, I was an admissions advisor for a few years. While I traveled to high schools and spoke with students, in the beginning I would ask “what do you want to do when you graduate?”. (I later realized this… Continue reading It’s not dirt, it’s soil: my journey to soils, agriculture and leadership
My first seminar didn’t get off to the best start. My day started in the airport at 4:45am with a flight delay that would ultimately not allow me to connect with my classmates until after 8pm. While the day was largely frustrating, I will never forget the warm reception from my classmates when I finally… Continue reading Soybean and Purple Ice Cream
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