Virginia’s Young Farmers Podcast

In part two of this episode, we met up with Casey Logan, President & CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, and Chandler Vaughan, Associate Director in the Virginia Office of Broadband, to discuss rural broadband in Virginia. Join the conversation and the historic work that Virginia is having in connecting our state to broadband. Stay tuned for part two! 

Contact Chandler: broadband@dhcd.virginia.gov  

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

In part one of this episode, we met up with Casey Logan, President & CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, and Chandler Vaughan, Associate Director in the Virginia Office of Broadband, to discuss rural broadband in Virginia. Join the conversation and the historic work that Virginia is having in connecting our state to broadband. Stay tuned for part two! 

Contact Chandler: broadband@dhcd.virginia.gov  

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

We sat down to speak with Matt Nuckols, Virginia Farm Bureau Safety Program Coordinator, to hear about the data and tracking of farm safety and accidents. Listen to become more aware and hear safety preventions to keep the family farming. You're the biggest asset to your farm. Also, get the details on state safety contests to promote safety.

Contact Matt: Matt.Nuckols@vafb.com

Virgnia Farm Bureau Safety Website

Safety Products

The Dairy Wife Website

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

National FFA Week is celebrated every February to highlight how to organization leads over 1 MILLON FFA members in leadership, community development, and career success through agricultural education.

As many of us know, one of the most influential people in your life is a teacher, and for a lot of our ag folks, it is your ag teacher. Join Dustin as he sits down with his ag teacher after all this time to talk about why she teaches ag, memories she loves (and not so much) with Dustin, and what she has to say to those who are looking to teach ag or have kids in FFA.

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

We recovered THE lost episode from spring 2024 where we sit down with two respected Virginia veterinarians, Dr. Amanda Weakley-Scott and Dr. Melinda McCall. 

Dr. McCall shares fond memories and crazy stories about being a vet from her book, "Driving Home Naked", which sheds light on being a vet, connecting with farmers, and motherhood. She was a speaker at our Women's Conference offering advice and tips from herself and Dr. Temple Grandin on talking to consumers, like "soccer moms", about what we do as farmers. Listen closely as Amanda and Melinda all fill us in on what we need to be doing with our large animals to be PROACTIVE this spring on the farm. 

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

Back in 1977 The Clouses started a Christmas Tree Farm all because an FFA chapter planted their "seedling program" trees on their land. Leaving livestock behind, they now run a farm with 20,000+ trees welcoming thousands of customers from communities and cities from all over. Hear from Ryan, 2nd generation farmer, on how he works with his 78-year-old father, is a leader in the Christmas Tree Association, and shares the joys and challenges of operating a Christmas Tree farm.

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

Seasons are changing and Morgan felt it was time to hang up the podcast. Meet your new podcast co-host from Halifax, Virginia...Dustin Francis! From a career in law enforcement to a farmer and Community Relations Coordinator for an electric cooperative, Dustin shares with us his farm mistakes, joys, and hopes. He also enlightens us on what it is like to work with your family...or not! Let's give a warm welcome to Dustin and a good farewell to Morgan by listening to this transition episode. 

Side note: you can donate funds or apply for Hurricane Helene disaster relief as an affected farmer at vafairs.com/virginia-farm-relief-fund

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

This episode started off as a nod to June's dairy month - and where we ended was a theme of finding opportunities to serve the agriculture industry. For Thomas French of French Brothers Dairy, all of the above involves family.

Thomas shares the evolution of his family's dairy farm, along with the technology and innovation they've integrated to stay viable over the generations. Recently named as the Outstanding Young Cooperator, Thomas also explained the role of a milk cooperative and how milk gets from the tank to your table.

Thomas has had opportunities to advocate for the industry through Farm Bureau and his milk cooperative. He talks about key issues the dairy industry is facing right now, and we dove into a great conversation about recruiting and retaining members into advocacy organizations.

And the juiciest part of this interview? The discussion between skim milk, whole milk, A2, and imitation beverages!

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

Active and engaged listening is a super power when it comes to having difficult conversations - this is what Ashley and Morgan learned while sitting down with Vance Crowe at the Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmers Winter Expo.

Vance's introduction to agriculture was an interesting one: he is the former Director of Millennial Engagement for Monsanto. His primary role was to address complaints and questions about controversial topics like GMO's and pesticides. In this podcast, he shares that often being curious about someone's perspective helped cool down conflict to eventually find common ground. Storytelling is one way people can connect and find belonging. He's leveraged that curiosity and the art of asking the right question into his own business, Legacy interviews. He privately records individuals and couples to give future generations the opportunity to know - and learn from - their family history.

How does this relate to a young farmer? We have difficult conversations all the time - whether its with our spouse as we are analyzing what to do next with our farm business, talking through a family farm transition plan, or even just problem solving with our boss (on or off the farm). Asking the "right" question could make a huge difference in the outcome of those conversations.

On this episode, Vance gives our audience real-world examples of how asking non-confrontational questions can build trust over time. He outlines listening pitfalls we should avoid in order to be better engaged.  He gives tips on how to communicate through conflict and how to (literally) sketch out a problem in order to solve it.

If you've been looking for a way to build your listening and communication skills with the people closest to you, you've got to tune into this episode.

An added bonus: you'll hear the best blind date story ever!

Check out more content by Vance by checking out The Vance Crowe Podcast.

This episode pairs perfectly with the Farm Farm Succession episode with Dick Wittman. Check it out here, if you haven't already.

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com

Morgan and Ashley were able to catch up with Jacob Gilley at Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmer's Winter Expo back in February to chat about land acquisition.

As a first generation farmer himself, Jacob shares how relationship building is at the core of any opportunity for land access. He shares not only personal examples of how he and his wife have initiated these relationships, but also provides resources through his off-farm job at American Farmland Trust.

Share your thoughts on our social media at vafbyoungfarmers or email us at vayoungfarmerspodcast@gmail.com