The Pulaski County 4-H Livestock Club Summer Agriculture Tour of Virginia

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.

Turkeys at RiverHill Farms (look for Shady Brook brand in the grocery store)

A picture of the long poultry houses where the turkeys live

Glenn Rodes teaching us all the steps in making biodiesel fuel – He is owner/operator at RiverHill Farms in Port Republic, VA (Harrisonburg area)

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. 

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

From there we traveled to West Oaks Farms, a 10^th 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!

West Oaks Farm Market

Tune in next week to hear about day two!