Lexington here we come!

Hey, farming friends!

This past weekend, the Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmers Winter Expo was held in Lexington, VA. Three Fluvanna County Young Farmers members attended, along with board member Mark McWilliams. The first day of the expo included a tour of  McCormick Farm (Shenandoah Valley Research Station) and a tour of the Devils Backbone Outpost Brewery. That evening, we attended a program in the Jefferson Ballroom at the Natural Bridge Hotel, where we would be spending a majority of the weekend. At the program, we heard a General Assembly update and discussed policy development.

Saturday began with a delicious breakfast, fueling the busy day ahead of us. In the morning, we attended a workshop on international agriculture and worldwide agriculture issues. Dr. Tim Durham, from Ferrum College, gave an extremely informative presentation on GMO's. Following Durham, were Antoine Ehouman and Joy Powers, discussing agriculture leadership projects in Africa.

Later in the day, we drove through beautiful Shenandoah countryside to Ingleside Dairy Farm and Donald's Meat Processing. At Ingleside, we were led through the milking and calving facilities, learning about the process of dairy farming. Our favorite part of touring the meat processing facility included homemade ice cream and jerky that followed.
After we finished our tour, groups returned to the hotel, where we ate dinner and participated in a Casino night. Overall the weekend was a blast! It was great to connect with new and old friends, learn more about Virginia agriculture, and make memories with Virginia Young Farmers.

Win: The expo was a success and we are looking forward to holding the first Fluvanna Young Farmers meeting next week...

Pinch: Hope to have more members attend the expo next year!

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." 
-Albert Schweitzer