Author Archives: laurab08

Meet Featherstone Farm.

Posted on October 1, 2014 by laurab08

The Whittingtons are proud to carry on the family’s farming tradition which began nearly three centuries ago in Maryland and North Carolina. The family settled in Virginia in the 1920s when Juan Whittington’s grandfather bought the Amelia County farm. Juan and his wife Linda took responsibility over the operation in the 1970s, and today they live on the farm and manage the business alongside their son Colin and daughter-in-law Robyn.

In past decades Featherstone Farm housed hogs and livestock, but today it is primarily a grain crop and seed operation. A conventional grain farmer purchases seed each year to obtain the best varieties, produces summer crops like soybeans or small grains in winter, harvests them, and sells the harvest to a grain buyer.

Because Featherstone Farm is a seed business, their crops are processed in an on-farm facility through equipment that cleans plant residue and foreign material from each batch of harvested grain and removes any small or defective seeds that are not viable. Their cleaned seed is then bagged and available for sale to other farmers in the region. The seed varieties grown sold at Featherstone Farm represent the offerings of several companies that develop crop varieties each year with improved performance traits.

Although the Whittington seed business is rather unique compared to neighboring farms, the family still must grow and manage their crops in the same manner as other grain farmers in the region. Oats, barley, and wheat are planted in the fall and harvested in spring. The Whittingtons practice double-cropping, meaning that they plant soybeans immediately after the wheat harvest in order to make a crop during the summer.

In a “double-crop” system, soybeans are planted into the leftover plant residue from the preceding grain crop immediately after it is harvested.

Conservation is just as important to Featherstone Farm as good yields of high-quality seed. In fact, practices that preserve soil health and natural resources tend to favorably affect production. The Whittingtons follow a conservation plan that the Natural Resource Conservation Service developed for their farm. They also employ grass waterways, which prevent soil erosion.

Perhaps their greatest conservation achievement is keeping the land in continuous “no-till” for the past thirty years, or “never-till,” as Colin Whittington describes it. In a conventional tillage system, land is worked up before each crop in order to incorporate lime and fertilizer with the soil, prepare a fine seed bed for planting, and mechanically disrupt weeds. However, tillage can destroy soil structure and lead to erosion, moisture loss, and soil compaction. In a no-till system, the land is not plowed, chiseled, or disked. Instead, leftover plant residue is left on the surface of the field after each year’s harvest, and the seeds of the subsequent crop are drilled through the surface residue down into the soil with minimal disturbance to ground. Microorganisms decompose the plant materials lying on the soil’s surface. “Every single year you use continuous no-till, you are adding organic matter,” says Colin Whittington. Soils high in organic matter from plant residue hold water more effectively, support the growth of soil microorganisms, resist compaction, and resist erosion. Colin cautions growers to use care when working on land that has been converted to no-till systems. “One thing that’s big is not driving over land when it is wet. That causes compaction. If it’s wet, we don’t drive over the land,” he says. Although they may have to wait a bit longer than usual to complete chores after wet weather, the Whittingtons understand that the good soil structure they have built over the years is a benefit too valuable to lose.

No-till farming and variations of this system are widely accepted practices in Virginia, and farmers have a tradition of working with state and federal agencies like the Natural Resource Conservation Service to enact conservation plans and projects. “Farmers are doing the right things and have been for many years. These are not new practices for most,” says Colin.

Like any farmers, the Whittingtons spend most of their time managing their farm. However, they have invested years into promoting the future of the industry. Juan has served twenty-six years on the Virginia Soybean Board, which supports education, research, and marketing projects that improve profitability for soybean growers. Likewise, Colin Whittington has served nine years on the Virginia Soybean Association’s Board of Directors, where he advocates for the industry and facilitates opportunities to support growers. For example, the Virginia Soybean Board works jointly with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Grain Producers Association to hold the annual educational Virginia Ag Expo.

The Whittingtons also play a role in bringing new knowledge to fellow growers during their work right on their farm in Amelia. They have partnered with specialists like Dr. David Holshouser from Virginia Tech to host on-farm research plots. In 2014, their soybeans were used as part of a fungicide study. In past years, they have hosted on-farm trials that were used to collect data for university variety selection publications. In fact, their work with Virginia Tech’s small grain breeding program has enabled them to develop and sell three exclusive wheat varieties. A portion of the sales of these varieties goes back into the university’s research program, which provides valuable data to growers across the state who rely on up-to-date information to make good business decisions.

Featherstone Farm, like many operations in Virginia, has seen incredible change over the last few decades, but the family has adapted by creating a niche, farming progressively, and embracing research-based management practices. Along the way, they have made it a priority to protect the resources on the land where they live and work. Agriculture may have its challenges, but the Whittington family is equipped to excel into the future and support fellow crop growers in Virginia along the way.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Featherstone Farm Seed and Facebook page

Natural Resource Conservation Service-Virginia

Virginia Soybean Board : information about Soybean Checkoff and the VA Soybean Association

Crop Publications from Virginia Cooperative Extension

Virginia Soybean Update blog

Meet the Pumpkin Patch at Richlands Dairy Farm.

Posted on September 15, 2014 by laurab08

We previously featured the Richlands Farm with a focus on the dairy operation. Click here to read the story.

The pumpkin patch is a new addition to the farm this year, along with the two-acre corn maze. Both will be used in the farm’s lineup of weekend fall events, starting with the Family Farm Day kickoff tour on October 4th and ending with a Zombie Maze Run and Haunted Maze.

Photo courtesy of Richlands Dairy Farm

Like many farms in the area, Richlands Dairy Farm has been a family-run, conventional dairy operation for years. However, the family has taken a leap into the growing world of agritourism. The fall festivities, most notably the Family Farm Day tour, bring consumers onto the farm to learn about agriculture directly from the people who produce food. In a world where most people learn about farming from television or the internet, the Jones family finds this venue for real-world education invaluable.

The Family Farm Day on October 4th will be a prime opportunity for visitors to see the milking parlor, learn how dairy cows live on a day-to-day basis, and help the dairy feed their baby calves. Throughout the rest of October when the pumpkin patch, petting zoo, hay rides, and corn maze are open, visitors will get a view of the crops, cows, and pastures that sustain the family operation.

“Agritourism,” the formal name coined for this type of endeavor, helps operations like the Jones’ dairy to diversify their farm income stream. An estimated 500 farms in Virginia engage in agritourism, and although many rely on traditional methods—pumpkin patches, corn mazes, you-pick, wagon rides, and petting zoos—many new agritourism efforts utilize out-of-the box options like wine tastings, movie screenings, farm chore experiences, and crop harvesting parties.

A recent state-wide study of agritourism across the state found that most operations are concentrated along route 81, and that proximity to consumers plays an important role in the viability of these operations. Although there are relatively few agritourism opportunities in Southside Virginia, Richlands Dairy is well-situated for the new fall endeavor because it is located near a major metropolitan area and is a highly-visible fixture along route 460, thanks to the recognizable cow-shaped farm sign next to the road.

The Richlands Dairy Farm corn maze

Like other brand-new agritourism ventures, the fall functions at the Jones’ farm have required extra planning, time, and resources. The corn maze was challenging to design from the ground and the pumpkins required special management for pests and diseases. The family is still working to set up their corn pit and petting zoo for visiting children and finalizing plans for a concession stand. All in all, the Jones family is not sure exactly what to expect on opening day. Nonetheless, they are excited about the way things are coming along, and according to Brittany Jones, a love of all things fall-related helped inspire the pumpkin patch idea in the first place. With a little luck, lots of planning, and some beautiful fall weather on the way, the hard work spent creating something brand-new at Richlands Dairy Farm will pay off when visitors step foot on the farm and join the family for some fun this October.

Additional Resources for Readers

Richlands Farm Website and details on their Fall Farm Festival and Richlands Dairy Farm Facebook Page

Richlands Dairy Farm Twitter

Overview of Agritourism in Virginia

Specialty Crop Profile: Pumpkins

Meet the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Posted on September 1, 2014 by laurab08

More commonly abbreviated as “SPAREC” by those familiar with it, this center is one of Virginia Tech’s eleven experiment stations, or “ARECs,” scattered across the state. The stations were each established to perform research and outreach matching the needs of local agricultural industries.

Sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are grown at the station for the livestock forage research program.

For the Southern Piedmont region of Virginia, tobacco remains a key agricultural product with deep historical significance, and forage production is a critical factor keeping cattle, goat, sheep, and horse operations in the area profitable. To serve the farmers growing these products, SPAREC, located in Blackstone in Nottoway County, provides support and cutting-edge information to farm producers. The station has also performed work in small fruit, field crop, and specialty crop production.

While many people in the eastern, central, and northern part of Virginia have never seen tobacco and the number of tobacco farms in the state has dwindled, it remains the 10th ranking agricultural commodity produced in the state just behind wheat, generating $109,000,000 in receipts annually. Much of the tobacco research at SPAREC centers on improving crop management, testing new materials and practices in the greenhouse and the field, and evaluating new varieties. However, the tobacco projects honing in on plant pathology, nematode management, plant breeding, conservation tillage, energy efficiency, and precision application technology have broad implications for other agricultural industries.

Dr. Charles Johnson, Dr. David Reed, and Dr. Carol Wilkinson each work in one of the unique tobacco research areas at SPAREC. For most of the trials performed at the station, tobacco plants are started in float trays in greenhouses and transplanted to test plots in the spring. The stage after transplanting is called “lay-by,” followed later by flowering when the plants grow tall. Tobacco plants produce pink flowers, but these are “topped,” or removed, so that the plant utilizes its resources on vegetative production. During ripening later in the summer, lower leaves of “flue-cured” tobacco varieties are harvested first, followed later by upper leaves. The leaves are packed in a curing barn and dried by circulating air. “Burley” and “dark-fired” tobacco varieties are harvested all at once; the stalk is cut at ground level, speared on a stick, and hung in a barn. Most Virginia tobacco grows in the counties along the south of the state, where soil characteristics, industry infrastructure, and growing conditions favor production.

Tobacco grows pink flowers, which are “topped” to promote vegetative growth.

Tobacco remains a primary crop at SPAREC, but forage research is an equally critical program at the station thanks to increased interest from farmers who want to mitigate high livestock production costs by improving forage quality and grazing efficiency. Dr. Chis Teutsch has spent years running trials, compiling variety data, creating forage publications, and speaking at Extension and industry events throughout his years working with legumes, Bermuda grass, crab grass, cool-season grasses, and warm-season annuals like brown mid-rid forage sorghums and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids.

Dr. Chris Teutsch manages a Bermuda grass research trial at the station.

To enhance the depth and breadth of the forage program, SPAREC saw the recent addition of a cattle-handling facility and installation of fencing and water troughs on new pasture ground. With the addition of Ruminant Livestock Specialist Dr. Brian Campbell in 2012, the station brought cattle onto the premises for forage utilization studies, grazing schools, demonstrations, cattle management workshops, and research. In fact, since outreach is an important part of the Extension forage work done at SPAREC, producers have numerous opportunities to come visit the station’s cattle facilities and forage plots including a field day each year in July and the many workshops held at the station throughout the year.

Outreach does not stop with forages. The tobacco specialists also organize a widely-attended annual field day in July and several production meetings for farmers in the winter. Thanks to its central location providing easy access for farmers in several surrounding counties, the station frequently hosts workshops put on by nearby county Extension agents covering topics from beef production to greenhouse management to grain crops.

The station is equipped with wagons to transport visitors during field days.

Farm staff have prepared a corn maze for the 2014 Family and Farm Day on September 13th.

Youth agricultural education has become a priority in recent years. Visitors to the annual SPAREC Family and Farm Day witness the station’s commitment to this task and long-standing partnerships with community organizations and agencies. The end result is dozens of hands-on activity stations for the hundreds of children and adults who attend the event to learn about agriculture. This year’s Family and Farm Day, set for September 13 from 9-2, will teach visiting children about soil health, conservation, farm life, livestock, vegetables, crops, insects, wildlife, safety, and farm equipment. SPAREC also hosts Ag Days for 3rd and 5th grade classes for two weeks each April. The Ag Day programs draw buses of students from public and private schools in each county surrounding the station. They continue to grow in attendance each year thanks to the real-life application and reinforcement of classroom lessons and standards of learning they offer.

Since its formal establishment in 1972, the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center has been a force for changing, improving, and modernizing agriculture. The end result is a stronger local agricultural economy built by individuals empowered by the knowledge they have gained from the station’s research and outreach.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Southern Piedmont AREC website

Family and Farm Day flyer

Information about Virginia Tech’s ARECs across the state

Tobacco research, publications, and resources

Forage research, publications, and resources: here and here

Beef cattle publications and resources

Early colonial history of Virginia tobacco from the National Park Service

Meet Piedmont Hops (Again)

Posted on August 14, 2014 by laurab08

Last year, we posted our first story about Piedmont Hops, run by business partners David Goode and Steve Brown. Piedmont Hops includes a yard in Chesterfield County and a second yard in North Carolina. Click on the original story here to read about the background of this operation and learn more about how hops are grown.

The hops industry is growing in Virginia thanks to increased demand for locally-produced goods, an upswing in consumer interest in craft beer, and a boost in the number of brewers establishing themselves in Virginia. David Goode and Steve Brown began growing hops as a hobby, but soon found themselves growing commercially to meet the needs of the industry. Last year, the business consisted of two hundred plants. In 2014 it has been expanded to four hundred and thirty plants, and the combined total for both yards will reach 800-1,000 in 2015. Their hops, once planted, grow perennially out of a crown in the soil, but the bines that produce hops cones grow from new shoots each spring that are trained to grow upward on twine hung from a trellis.

David and Steve collaborate frequently with fellow hop producers, and many prospective growers have toured the operation to learn about the industry. In fact, Piedmont Hops is part of the Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, a grower organization that fosters networking between members and outreach to brewers about Virginia-grown hops. Piedmont Hops has also taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in the Virginia Grown marketing program offered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer services, whereby growers in the state can have their farms and products listed in a searchable online directory available to consumers.

Soil in the new ground at the Chesterfield yard will be amended to prepare for additional plants for the 2015 season.

We spent some time visiting with David at Piedmont Hops this summer and discussing the progress they have made since we last wrote about the operation.

How is the 2014 season going?
2014 could have been better. We made some minor mistakes in VA and have learned a great deal from them. Our NC yard started slow, but decided to wake up early June. We were worried, but it appears we will have a nice yield of hops there.

Did you learn anything from 2013 that motivated you to make changes going into this 2014 season?
We learned the hard way this season that we did not amend our soils properly and we very low on organic matter. Our 2013 fall planting struggled to get going. We planted Columbus in the fall. They did not do well. We planted Zeus, a mirror image variety to Columbus in late spring 2014. It grew much better than Columbus. We will be replacing our Columbus with Zeus.

Any there any new practices you are trying in 2014?
We do soil testing in both yards, a must with this crop. Our fertilizer program in VA can be improved. We may look into fertigation for 2015. We plan to send hops for analysis to VA Tech as soon as we have some more available to harvest. We have worked with our county Extension agents on tissue sampling. What a fun experience it was working with Mike Likins (Agriculture and Natural Resources and Environmental Horticulture agent for Chesterfield County Extension) and seeing the hops under a microscope-very rewarding.

Have you added any new varieties in your yards this year?
We grow in both yards Cascade, Chinook and Nugget. We have added Zeus.

What is your outlook on your grower organization, Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, and the Virginia industry as a whole?
It is great to see the cooperative gaining members and recognition. We are glad to be part of the organization and what it stands for. We regularly attend meetings and always promote and encourage farmers to join. It’s a great way to learn, gain friendships, and fellowship. The industry is growing with the help of Stan Driver, Jeanine Davis, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.

What has been your biggest challenge so far in this business?
Japanese beetles and spider mites at our VA yard have been our biggest challenges. We took care of the mites organically, but failed to rid the bines of beetles. Having two yards in two states makes for challenging logistics. We get it done, but it’s a lot of wear and tear on the bodies.

Do you have any successes you’d like to share?
We were able to successfully market hops shoots to a restaurant in NC, the Eddy Pub. We continue to propagate strong plant material for our VA yard. Our plant cuttings we take in the spring and plant in late May reach the top of our trellis and are full of cones.

Hop plants growing from cuttings from the yard

Marketing Virginia-grown hops is relatively new territory for many growers in this industry. Can you update us on your marketing efforts this year?
We have sold hops to Haw River Farmhouse Ales and Steel String, both North Carolina breweries. Haw River made a hops soda that was a big hit using our fresh NC Cascade. We have the remaining VA hops going to Hardywood Park for their seasonal RVA IPA. Our NC yard will be harvested soon and we are currently working with several NC clients regarding those hops.

Hops are perennials that grow outdoors and require a tall trellis. However, David had some leftover plants in buckets sitting in an unused hoop house this spring. On a whim, he hung some twine from the roof and let the bines climb, and surprisingly enough, these potted plants grew to the top quickly and will offer excellent cones for harvest time.

Piedmont Hops has an excellent webpage and facebook page. How are you using social media in your business?
We thoroughly enjoy taking photos of hops. We get creative and have fun with it. Social media is great for keeping our beer friends up to date on our yards and where they can find our hops. We use Facebook, twitter and Instagram. We have had a few sales based on our social media posts. Most of our marketing is direct emails to the brewers or stopping by for a pint and a chat about locally grown hops. Social media goes both ways. We love checking out photos of other yards and their hops. Folks love showing off their bines!

Additional Resources for Readers:
Piedmont Hops Webpage
Piedmont Hops Facebook page
Old Dominion Hops Cooperative
North Carolina Hops Project
Virginia Cooperative Extension – Chesterfield County (find your local office and agents here)
Virginia Grown program and searchable farm and food directory

Meet Huguenot Hops (Again)

Posted on July 28, 2014 by laurab08

Last year, we posted a story about Huguenot Hops in Chesterfield County, run by business partners Devon Kistler and Kurt Stanfield. Click on the original story here to read about the background of this operation and learn more about how hops are grown.

Virginia may not top the charts as a hops-producing state, but a rising number of growers have kick-started a movement to increase the availability of locally-grown hops to the burgeoning craft beer industry. Huguenot Hops is a trailblazer in this effort, expanding in size this spring to become one of the largest hop yards in the region. With the increased acreage comes more trellises to build, more bines to train, more weeds to control, and more cones to pick, but Devon and Kurt are committed to their work and passionate about quality.

We visited the operation recently to see the yard expansion and compare the upcoming harvest to what we saw in 2013.

How much has your operation expanded since we first visited you in 2013?
Last year we had 70 plants. This year we have 1200 plants on 1.25 acres. Our plan is to expand to 2600 plants on 3 acres in the next couple of years.

Which varieties of hops are you growing?
Last year was just Cascade. This year we added Nugget and Zeus. We plan to add more varieties in 2015.

How is the 2014 hops season going so far?
Because of the weather, the second year plants were ready for harvest a month earlier than we expected. However, we were able to sell the hops to Alewerks. Also, we have learned how to combat Japanese Beetles and two-spotted spider mites.

Did you learn anything from 2013 that motivated you to make changes going into this 2014 season?
Yes! We have a completely new trellis system and automated drip irrigation system. Also, there are fewer rows in between poles. One of the more significant improvements was running liquid fertilizer through the drip irrigation … fertigation rocks!

Any there any new practices you are trying in 2014?
We did hops testing last year and are continuing that practice this year. Same with soil testing. Although we had soil testing completed by another entity we also had some done at VT. As I said before, fertigation rocks! We still need to better understand quantities to put down.

What is your outlook on your grower organization, Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, and the Virginia industry as a whole?
The Co-Op is gaining a lot of participation from new farmers and combining forces with hop growers in North Carolina. We expect there will be more changes in the Co-Op in the next year as new leadership is elected and groups are created to support specific functions of the Co-Op. I think brewers are a lot more aware of Virginia-grown hops than they were a year ago and they are willing to come out to farms and eventually buy local hops. However, the door is not going to open a lot more for sales of local hops until we have the ability to pelletize and professionally package hops at a location that is central to the majority of hop growers.

Devon Kistler holds a rhizome he pulled up from one of his plants. Left to their own devices, hops spread through the underground growth of rhizomes, and some industry suppliers collect and sell high-quality rhizomes that can be used to start a new yard or add more plants to an existing one.

What has been your biggest challenge so far in this business?
Time spent weeding 1.25 acres. However, Kurt has a new system with a flamethrower and weed eater that could be our golden ticket.

Do you have any successes you’d like to share?
With some help from David at Piedmont Hops we have clippings from this spring that are currently 10 feet tall and producing burrs. This really helps expand the yard and helps keep costs down. Also, the early sale of 50 pounds to Alewerks is a pretty nice success.

This burr will mature into a cone, the flower of the female hop plant that is used to flavor beer.

________________________________________________________

In addition to working with Alewerks and Hardywood, Devon and Kurt have literally brought their hops to the table, providing early-spring shoots from their plants to The Tobacco Company Restaurant in Richmond for a dish made with espresso-rubbed veal and allagash white ale cream. Furthermore, Huguenot Hops was recently featured in “The Beer Guy” column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Devon and Kurt will also make an appearance in an upcoming documentary about the brewing industry, From Grain to Growler, alongside several fellow growers.

Huguenot Hops utilizes the support and resources offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension and their county agricultural agent in Chesterfield, Mike Likins. Although North Carolina State University is the regional leader in hops research, Extension resources for Virginia hops growers are expanding. The soil testing lab at Virginia Tech now has a crop code for hops so that growers can get accurate fertilizer recommendations for their yards, and the university has also initiated a hops testing service that will facilitate hop marketing and inform brewers about the levels of alpha acids and other compounds in their purchased hop cones. Virginia Cooperative Extension’s county agricultural agents work with Kurt, Devon, and other growers around the state with insect and disease identification, pest control recommendations, and crop management recommendations.

Additional Resource for Readers:
Huguenot Hops Webpage
Huguenot Hops Facebook page
Old Dominion Hops Cooperative
North Carolina Hops Project
The Beer Guy article in the Times-Dispatch about Virginia hops
From Grain to Growler Documentary
Virginia Cooperative Extension – Chesterfield County (find your local office and agents here)

Meet Swift Creek Berry Farm.

Posted on June 27, 2014 by laurab08

Although the business has grown and changed quite a bit in the last thirty years, it has roots tracing back to the late 1800s when Joseph Tiberus Goode bought land in a part of Chesterfield County known as Moseley and raised sheep, tobacco, and vegetables for the Richmond market. Today, Clyde and Kathryn Goode alongside sons David and Jonathan and daughter Kimberly carry on what Joseph started at the Moseley farm, albeit with a bit of a twist. There is no longer a mule-drawn cart and travel to Richmond involved, and instead, visitors come to the u-pick operation to harvest their own berries and introduce their children to the fun tradition.

Back when Joseph Goode passed away, the land was unfarmed until Clyde and Kathryn began growing a large garden on their property and then dove into the world of blueberry production in the 1980s. Virginia Cooperative Extension played a role in the transformation, as now-retired Extension agent Michael Henry assisted the family with the transition to the new crop. As time went on, the blueberry acreage increased. The family transitioned to Rabbiteye varieties after seeing that they offered better performance than the Northern Highbush varieties in the farm’s location.

The farm has added several greenhouses in the past two decades in order to offer high-quality spring and fall plants and vegetables to customers, and David even has his own business, Piedmont Hops, growing on part of the property. The Goode family understands that diversification of products and income is the key to success for a direct-market operation like Swift Creek Berry Farm, enabling customer engagement outside of the summer blueberry season.

Water is delivered to the plants via a drip irrigation system.

Visitors look forward to returning to the farm each year when berries start ripening in late June. What they may not see is the incredible amount of work required to maintain the plants. Back in the eighties, the Goode children were enlisted to help plant, prune, harvest, and maintain the plants, and the work has never really stopped. Blueberries must be pruned annually to stimulate the growth of fruiting canes, prevent overgrowth, and remove any disease. For several thousand plants, this is a monumental task that requires hours of hand labor. Since rain is never a guarantee in central Virginia, the farm uses a drip irrigation system, which must also be maintained and monitored. During the summer months, cleanup and weed control is a high priority to ensure that customers can walk comfortably between the long rows of plants. The Goode family opts to control weeds using mowing, hoeing, hand removal, and weedeaters. They also strive to protect the natural resources around them by utilizing “BMPs,” or Best Management Practices, to maintain their crop and forest land.

In a growing county like Chesterfield, direct-market operations like Swift Creek Berry Farm and Greenhouse offer a rare and valuable opportunity for people to engage with producers, support local businesses, and get a taste of farm life. Many adults fondly recall childhood memories of berry picking and are eager to introduce their children to the experience, and customers who bring home whole buckets of berries at a time to bake a pie or cobbler find a great deal of satisfaction in the endeavor. The blueberry season may be fleeting and the year-round work behind the scenes may be taxing, but the Goode family provides an experience to the community that simply cannot be found at the grocery store.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Swift Creek Berry Farm and Greenhouse website

Swift Creek Berry Farm and Greenhouse Facebook page

Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication: Specialty Crop Profile-Blueberries

Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication: Small Fruit in the Home Garden

Virginia Grown producer directory

Meet Richlands Dairy Farm.

Posted on May 30, 2014 by laurab08

Like many farmers in Southside Virginia, the Jones family had been growing tobacco since the 1700s, but all of that changed three generations ago when Ray Jones came back to the farm after spending some time in Tazewell, Virginia. He renamed the farm “Richlands” after a town in that county and decided that dairy farming was the future of the family. Ray still lives and works on the farm with his wife, Shirley. Today, he is joined by his son Hugh and daughter-in-law Tracey, along with his granddaughter Coley, grandson Thomas who graduated from Virginia Tech’s Dairy Science program alongside his wife Brittany, and several other members of the Jones family.

Located in Blackstone right along the county line between Dinwiddie and Nottoway, the farm is one of few remaining in the region. Most of Virginia’s dairy production takes places in the Shenandoah Valley, west towards Franklin County, or down in Southwest Virginia.

Nonetheless, Richlands shares some common traits with dairies in these more distant areas. The milking herd consists of about Holstein 230 cows. The farm now milks twice a day like most other producers, although at one time the cows were milked three times per day.

Cow line up to get milked on both raised sides of the parlor; the milking staff stands at eye level with the machines while they are on the cow (above). Unlike most parlors, some of the milking system is housed in a basement below the parlor (below). The milk is cooled and stored temporarily in a bulk tank before pickup (bottom).

Unlike most dairies, parts of the parlor’s milking system are housed in a basement below the parlor, making for a much quieter milking experience for the cows and farm staff working upstairs. Cows that are brought in for milking only spend ten minutes or less with the machine attached before milking is completed and they are able to walk back to the barn to eat, drink, rest, or socialize.

Cows may freely choose to walk to this end of the barn to eat the ration that is delivered to them.

The barn for the milking herd at Richlands is also rather unique. In contrast to a traditional barn which is usually long with open sides with one or two long feed alleys and a middle row of raised stalls with dividers where cows can lie down, the “pack barn” at the farm consists of a high, light roof and a large, open, rectangular bedded area where cows can lie down to rest wherever they please instead of choosing an individual stall. The cows are walked from the barn to the adjacent parlor area at milking time. To eat, the cows walk to the feed aisle, stick their heads through an opening, and eat a mixture of silage, hay, grain, and other feeds that is specially formulated with the help of a dairy nutrition consultant. Ration formulation for milk cows requires precision and a deep understanding of digestive physiology and animal nutrition. Too much or two little of certain nutrients can cause the cow to drop in milk production, lose weight, or get sick; too many unnecessary ingredients can drive up costs.

This handful of “TMR,” or “total mixed ration” for the cows, primarily contains forages such as corn silage and hay. Grain and other feeds may be added to create a balanced diet that meets the nutritional demands of a lactating cow.

The consultant helps the farm keep the ration in balance while juggling changing ingredient availability and costs. Main ingredients like corn silage, hay, and triticale are grown on the farm. Sometimes the ration can contain ingredients like soybean meal, beet pulp, or brewers grains, which result when raw grains and other items are processed for other purposes, but these “by-product feeds” are excellent sources of nutrition for cattle and have the added benefit of preventing waste. Contrary to the belief that milk cows are only fed grain, cows require a high level of forage in their diets, some of which they obtain from corn silage and hay in their feed and some of which they eat when they are let out to graze on available pasture. The growing heifers, which will join the cows after they are old enough to have calves, spend nearly all of their time grazing, as do the “dry cows.” Each cow at Richlands is given a “dry” period of about two months during which she is not milked. This gives her udder a chance to recover and rebuild and allows her to rest as she prepares to have her next calf so that milk production begins again.

When a calf is born at Richlands, caretakers ensure that it receives colostrum, the first milk containing antibodies from the cow, within a few hours. Although some farms opt to keep calves in stalls or hutches with individual exercise areas, Richlands uses a group housing system where all of the calves eat, rest, and socialize together in large pens. The calf barn is kept clean and freshly bedded to reduce the chances of disease. Calves are very curious and quickly learn to recognize that humans are the bearers of milk. As they grow larger, they learn to eat forages and grains and eventually transition to a new area of the farm where they are able to graze with other older heifers. To increase efficiency and enhance the effectiveness of their calf nutrition program, the Jones family is considering the possibility of using an automatic feeder in the calf barn that tracks and regulates each calf’s consumption and allows them to drink multiple times throughout the day.

In a region of Virginia dominated by soybean, wheat, barley, beef cattle, and tobacco production, dairying has become rare. It is even rarer to find a dairy that has adapted to changing times and changing technologies like Richlands has. The family has also willingly become a knowledge resource to the community in recent years by allowing students to visit for field trips and loaning out calves for agricultural education events in the area, and the farm employs some local teenagers who are able to gain valuable work skills.

Ray’s original dream for his family when he returned to the Virginia farm was right on track. Dairy really was—and is—the future for the Jones family, and anyone who has met them can see the legacy they are creating. But even to passing drivers on 460 who will never meet Ray, Shirley, Hugh, or anyone else from the farm, the cutout wooden farm sign in the shape of Holstein cows on the end of the driveway serves as a reminder that the food in the grocery store comes from families across the state who have a lifelong passion for farming.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Virginia Tech Department of Dairy Science

VT Dairy-home of the dairy Extension program

Answers to Common Questions about Dairy Farming

Dairy Farming Today-FAQs about dairy farming

Virtual Dairy Farm for kids

Meet Smithfield Horse Center.

Posted on April 28, 2014 by laurab08

534945_10151575562645556_222529459_n (2)

Will Golden, the center manager, teaches students about foal and broodmare care.

A visit to the farm on a warm spring day affords joggers and passing cars the opportunity to see newborn foals napping in the grass while their dams graze nearby. The teaching and breeding facility, located on Smithfield Plantation Road, is about a mile away from Virginia Tech’s dorms and classrooms, allowing easy access for students and visitors alike.

The property at Smithfield formerly housed Virginia Tech’s renowned sport horse breeding program which was moved several years ago to the 420-acre Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Today, the Blacksburg facility is home to a herd of registered Quarter Horses, including broodmares, young stock, and breeding stallions. The Smithfield herd’s ancestry includes the likes of Smart Little Lena, Peppy San Badger, Peptoboonsmal, Freckles Playboy, and other famous cow horses. While many horses can be trained to work cattle, Quarter Horses—especially foundation-type Quarter Horses—have innate “cow-sense” coupled with abundant muscle and agility, enabling them to excel as performance horses in sports like cutting, roping, and reining.

Because mares cycle during the warm season, the Smithfield broodmares are bred in the spring to one of the stallions available at the farm. They foal the following spring after eleven months of pregnancy. This year, eleven foals are expected and several have already made an appearance. The foals are kept on pasture with their dams, or mothers, for four to five months before they are weaned. Throughout this period, they are acclimated to human interaction and learn to be groomed and led. As they grow and mature, they learn how to walk onto a trailer, stand still while tied, stand for bathing, exercise in a round pen, ground drive, carry a saddle and bridle, and other skills that set a foundation for later training.

10011211_611894978899876_5654201183377933120_n (2)

Mares are pregnant for eleven months. They are brought into a large foaling stall close to the time they are expected give birth so that both mare and foal can be monitored. In many cases, foals will stand up and nurse within about an hour of birth.

10253942_609710322451675_8690791449251424778_n (2)

Mares nurse their foals for several months before the foals are weaned. Even while they are still nursing, foals begin to learn to graze and eat grain, enabling them to become independent at weaning time.

While Smithfield Horse Center strives to provide the horse industry with high-quality animals, it also provides excellent opportunities for students to learn valuable skills as part of a degree tailored to their interests in Equine Science. Students in a basic equine management class visit the center to practice horse handling, treatment, and care. A more advanced course in equine production enables students to watch a mare through her pregnancy, monitor her as she foals, and care for the newborn foal as it grows. Students in the undergraduate Animal Science program can apply each semester to volunteer extracurricular hours at Smithfield where they work with the farm staff to handle, train, and care for the Smithfield herd. Will Golden, the center’s manager, oversees daily operations and the breeding program.

Students who work with the young stock at Smithfield have the opportunity to carry their skills to the Middleburg MARE Center for a summer internship or a semester-long Equine Studies Program in the fall and spring. Furthermore, they can hone their riding skills in one of Virginia’s Techs equestrian clubs and courses or participate on the college’s horse judging team to advance their knowledge.

Like many offerings from the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture, the undergraduate Animal Science program prides itself on providing a hands-on approach that relies on real-world experience and practice. For students seeking a career in the horse industry, which has an economic impact of $1.2 billion in Virginia alone, this recipe for success relies upon good facilities, passionate teachers, and animals that represent the current industry. Smithfield Horse Center, with its dedicated faculty, manager, and volunteers, certainly fits the bill.

Special thanks to Christine Thomas Photography for providing the photos for this story. Christine has been part of the farm staff at Smithfield for several years and will be graduating with a degree in agribusiness management this spring.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Smithfield Horse Center

Extension Resources and Publications about Horse Care and Management

Extension Information about the American Quarter Horse

Virginia Tech’s Equine Science Program

Meet Knoll Crest Farm.

Posted on April 13, 2014 by laurab08

The farm, operated by the Bennett family, has a rich history of influencing the cattle industry since 1944 through high-quality seedstock genetics. Respect for the Knoll Crest breeding program is affirmed by the presence of faithful buyers at the annual fall and spring sales who purchase bulls for their operations. Some of the top bulls are acquired by semen companies for use as artificial insemination service sires.

Like many farms in Virginia, Knoll Crest had its origins as a tobacco and cattle operation starting in 1929. James and Paul D. Bennett acquired their first purebred polled Hereford in 1944, setting the stage for a future as a seedstock operation.

Unlike commercial cow-calf operations in Virginia, which produce weaned calves for feedlot buyers and may utilize crossbred and grade brood cows to meet the needs of the beef market, seedstock operations like Knoll Crest aim to develop and improve the genetics of purebred animals. Seedstock producers keep performance records on their animals, which are typically registered with a breed association. Bulls, females, and even embryos and semen from seedstock operations are bought by other breeders and commercial operations who wish to add purebred influence to their herds or shift a herd’s genetic potential.

Knoll Crest Farm’s breeding program focuses on Angus, Hereford, and Gelbvieh animals. In fact, the farm was the first to bring purebred Gelbvieh cattle to Virginia. The Gelbvieh breed originated in Germany and has become popular in parts of the U.S. thanks to its excellent milk, fertility, growth, and longevity. In Virginia, Gelbviehs are most commonly used as part of a crossbreeding program, enabling producers to improve growth and maternal traits in Angus-influenced herds. In fact, Knoll Crest specializes in Gelbvieh-Angus hybrid bulls to capture the best of both worlds.

Traditionally, many herds in Virginia have relied upon the Angus breed as the herd backbone. Knoll Crest develops Angus bulls that embody the greatest traits of the breed—carcass merit, marketability, and maternal ability. Hereford genes are also valuable in a crossbreeding program where docility is valued by the producer. Knoll Crest’s Hereford program traces back to its early days transitioning from a commercial operation to a seedstock operation.

Many producers across the region have enjoyed the positive influence of Knoll Crest genetics in their herds. Despite the fact that the farm was twice named the Beef Improvement Federation’s Seedstock Producer of the Year and James Bennett was recognized in the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame in 2012, the family remains humble and dedicated to the strong operation they have built together. The top-notch offerings from Knoll Crest may keep buyers coming back to Bull Hill for each sale, but it seems that the Bennett family’s choice to remain dedicated to their customers, committed to excellence, and genuinely interested in enjoying and serving the people they meet plays an equal role in the Knoll Crest legacy.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Knoll Crest Farm’s Webpage

Beef Cattle Breeds and Biological Types-publication from Virginia Cooperative Extension

Crossbreeding Beef Cattle-publication from Virginia Cooperative Extension

Meet Amelia Barter Town Farmers’ Market.

Posted on March 20, 2014 by laurab08

Stop by the Amelia County fairgrounds on a Tuesday afternoon and you will be met by a colorful array of fresh vegetables, canned jams and preserves, bright flowers, and plenty of flavorful homemade foods and local goods. For the past few years, Amelia has gone without a permanent, centralized farmers’ market, and most people had to travel to on-farm stands or more distant markets in the nearby region to purchase locally-grown foods. Thanks to a collaboration between several churches, a board of motivated community leaders, and numerous county supporters, the Amelia Barter Town Farmers’ Market came together in the spring of 2013, and after a successful season-long run, it is set to open for an extended season in 2014, running from 4-7 PM at the fairgrounds from April 1st through the end of October.

Why the name “Barter Town?” Consumers and vendors have the option to buy, sell, and trade goods and services. In 2013, it was not uncommon to see trades between vendors and consumer for eggs, vegetables, plants, and other goods. For-sale items like local breads, vegetables, cheeses, jams, sausage, plants, crafts, and herbal products retained their popularity each week.

Due to their proximity to buyers in Richmond and its suburbs, Amelia and its neighboring counties are also home to numerous “direct-to-market” farmers who sell goods straight to consumers through venues like Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions, or CSAs, as well as on-farm stores and stands and weekly markets across the region.

Not all of the region’s farm operations are suited to local face-to-face marketing. For example, some crop producers may rely on contracts with grain buyers, and other farms may supply to wholesale outlets or custom buyers. However, direct marketing is the bread and butter for many small-scale, specialty, and niche crop producers in this region as well as many new and beginning farmers who have a diverse set of goods but produce small amounts of each. Even though most direct-market operations sell their products through multiple outlets and go to markets several days of week, close-to-home markets like Barter Town allow producers to keep some of their goods inside the county and serve their own neighbors within the community.

Local residents took to the stage each week to provide music for customers at Barter Town.

Last year’s inaugural summer season at Barter Town market drew crowds each evening even during the hottest summer days for a time of conversation, community, shopping, and enjoyment of the many musical performances that took place each week. The market also featured some food samples, food preparation demonstrations, and a weekly contest for prizes in categories such as “Ugliest Vegetable” or “Cutest Pet Photo.” Many participants also took part in the “$10 Pledge” campaign offered state-wide by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which offered customers a chance to win prizes for spending $10 each week at local markets and keeping track of purchases using a loyalty card. Because Barter Town exists to serve the community rather than make a profit, support from consumers and community sponsors last year played a vital role in the market’s success as it came off the ground.

FFA youth, who participate in agricultural education, sold locally-produced honey last season to support their activities.

Barter Town is just one of the many up-and-coming markets in central and southside Virginia contributing to the growth of “direct marketing” of agricultural goods. Thanks to an increased interest in local foods, small-scale and specialty producers are able to use markets to extend their reach in the community, build a steady supply of willing customers, and make an impact on the local economy. Furthermore, these markets provide a valuable venue for growers and buyers to meet face-to-face to discuss farm production practices and build confidence in the agricultural industry. Barter Town is one of many markets in Virginia proving that great things happen when a community has a vested interest in its own health and success and a motivation to preserve and enhance local agriculture.

Additional Resources for Readers

Amelia Barter Town Farmers’ Market Webpage

Amelia Barter Town Farmers’ Market Facebook Page

Resources for finding local foods near you, including farm stands, subscription services, CSAs, cooperatives, and markets:

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services “Virginia Grown” Directory

Buy Fresh Buy Local Directory: You can also pick up a printed Buy Fresh Buy Local guide for your locality by visiting your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office.

There are numerous other places you can find local foods, including sites such as Local Harvest.

A note to farm and food producers: Sites like this offer free advertising. Visit them for information about adding your listing, or seek help through your local Virginia Cooperative Extension agent.

Central Virginia Ag Spotlight

Connecting communities to agriculture

Author Archives: laurab08

Meet Featherstone Farm.

Meet the Pumpkin Patch at Richlands Dairy Farm.

Meet the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Meet Piedmont Hops (Again)

Meet Huguenot Hops (Again)

Meet Swift Creek Berry Farm.

Meet Richlands Dairy Farm.

Meet Smithfield Horse Center.

Meet Knoll Crest Farm.

Meet Amelia Barter Town Farmers’ Market.