Margaret Ann Smith is a sixth generation farmer in Rockbridge County, Va. She farms with two other generations on her family’s farm.
Virginia Farm Bureau sent out a press release on September 26 inviting the public to visit six farms in an hour from your own living room. The virtual tours include a Rockbridge County beef cattle business, a Hanover County dairy, an Eastern Shore vegetable farm, a Shenandoah County poultry operation, a Spotsylvania County produce farm and a Buckingham County pork operation.
On Oct. 3, Virginians can “visit” six different farms via the Internet when Virginia Farm Bureau Federation holds the Real Virginia Virtual Farm Tour. The presentation will be hosted at the State Fair of Virginia’s Meadow Pavilion from 7 to 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the VFBF website, VaFarmBureau.org.
“We realize that not everyone has access to a farm or has time to personally visit one,” said Greg Hicks, VFBF vice president of communications. “That’s why we’ve sent our staff out to a variety of Virginia farms to report the farmers’ stories to the public. This way, people can visit six different farms in one hour.”
JoAnn Miller and her son, Ben, along with his father, Wayne, operate a vegetable operation called Miller Farm Markets in Spotsylvania County, Va.
Viewers can watch the live feed and submit questions to realvirginia@vafb.com. They also can follow the event on Twitter at #RealVA. A panel of farmers and agricultural experts will be on hand to answer questions from participants.
Contact Greg Hicks at 804-290-1139 or Kathy Dixon, VFBF communications, at 804-290-1137.
