The Pulaski County 4-H Livestock Club loves to
learn about agriculture! Each summer
they choose a state to visit to learn about their agriculture industry and how
they are different from us here in Virginia.
After traveling through Kansas, Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana and Michigan,
the group decided it was time to tour their home state of Virginia! Virginia’s
agriculture production is one of the most diverse in the nation and is
Virginia’s largest private industry by far.
Over the course of the
next few weeks, you can follow their journey as they learned about the many
opportunities open to them as they consider lifelong careers in the agriculture
industry.
Day One: Monday, June 24, 2019
Our trip began in Dublin as we
boarded a Sunshine Tours bus. Our first
stop was in Harrisonburg at Riverhill Farms where Glenn Rodes and his family
have a dairy as well as poultry houses where the family raises turkeys. Four generations currently reside on the
860-acre farm in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. One of Glenn’s sustainability projects is
producing biodiesel right on the farm instead of completely relying on outside
petroleum. As a result, he’s able to
produce 6,000 gallons of biodiesel a year that not only helps the farm, but
over time, helps the environment as well.
Hemp is also grown on the farm as well as canola which Mr. Rodes uses to
make his fuel. Other crops are also
grown to feed livestock. Look for the
label “Shady Brook Farms” on the next turkey you buy….it just might have come
from the Rodes farm in Harrisonburg.
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Turkeys at RiverHill Farms (look for Shady Brook brand in
the grocery store)
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A picture of the long poultry houses where the turkeys live
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Glenn Rodes teaching us all the steps in making biodiesel
fuel – He is owner/operator at RiverHill Farms in Port Republic, VA
(Harrisonburg area)
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When we left there, we stopped
for a brief tour at the Route 11 Potato Chip factory where we got a sampling of
many varieties of their chips. From
there we traveled to Winchester where we met Mark Sutphin, Agriculture
Extension Agent for Frederick County, at the Alson H. Smith Agriculture
Research Extension Center (AREC). He
shared with us the research that is being done there with horticulture food
crops, particularly tree fruit and wine grape production. The center also specializes in graduate
student training and placement of these students in prestigious industry and
academic roles.
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Mark Sutphin talking to us about what type of research is
going on at the Alson H Smith Jr. Agriculture Research Extension Center is
Winchester
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From there we traveled to West
Oaks Farms, a 10th generation working farm where they grow every
type of produce that one can imagine! Along
with their beef cattle operation the Snapp family has acres and acres of fruit
trees including apples, peaches, cherries, plums and nectarines along with
fields of vegetables including sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers and
so much more. This produce is marketed
through the West Oaks Farm Market which is fairly new and offers a variety of
products as well as an event venue and a café with indoor/outdoor seating, all
with commanding views. They also have “pick
your own” strawberries, apples and in the Fall, pumpkins. This is not just a place to stop and pick up
fresh produce, this is a place to come and spend the day with your family! Definitely worth your while to visit!
Tune in next week to hear about
day two!
