This series of 11 semi-structured interviews was carried out by Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension to better understand farmers’ and ranchers’ agroecological motivations and values related to the protection and conservation of water resources. The series highlights diverse farms of Virginia’s agricultural community through a narrative inquiry framework.
Introduction to the Soil for Water Project and Video Case Studies
Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm
Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm is a multi-generation farm located in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rappahannock County, Va. In this video, Mike Sands shares about his early career as a researcher and educator with the Rodale Institute. A "gnawing in his gut" led him into farming and a move toward more regenerative practices that strengthen biodiversity, build soil health, sequester carbon, and mitigate climate change.
Bramble Hollow Farm
Bramble Hollow Farm is owned and operated by Brent and Anna Wills, and is located along the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford County, Va. Brent and Anna and their family raise pork and chickens on pasture, along with having raised other livestock and poultry through the years. They use multiple market channels as well as an on-farm commercial kitchen to add value to what they grow. In this video, Brent shares who and what influenced him and helped form his vision of regenerative agriculture, where soil health equates to plant health, plant health equates to livestock health, and livestock health ultimately equates to human and planetary health.
Cattle Run Farm LLC
Cattle Run Farm LLC is a third-generation, family-operated, and veteran-owned farm located in Greene County, in the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Sarah and Ralph Morton raise cattle, chickens, hogs, produce, blackberries, and more. They are committed to carrying on the tradition of their family and expanding the concept of an agrarian lifestyle and business to the community. Sarah shares about her family's roots in farming and how asset mapping played a critical role when her father wanted to transition to the next generation. Cattle Run Farm’s story is one of resilience, scale, diversification, and the fortitude to keep farming and reaching towards sustainability, while empowering others. Overall, the story gives a glimpse into Sarah’s and Ralph’s ecological and social consciences and how reconnecting to the land instills passion and power.
Ellett Valley Beef Company
In this video, Guille ("Gil") Yearwood reflects on his time raising beef since 1975 in Montgomery County in southwest Virginia. Gil took an interest in cattle and grazing as a teenager, and has been a mentor for many young and second-career cattle farmers. His story demonstrates that regenerative agriculture and grazing is a journey and a lifelong process. Gil shares his overarching goals, challenges, lessons he has learned, and what gives him hope as he interacts with other farmers and visitors to his farm.
Ember Cattle Company
Becky Szarzynski is owner and operator of Ember Cattle Company in Fairfield, Va. She has honed her grazing management skills over the past 15 years by working with her father, attending conferences, being mentored by other farmers, and serving as coordinator of the farmer-to-farmer mentoring network of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council. In this video, Becky shares her motivations, lessons learned, aspirations, ongoing research, and of course, her fascination with dung beetles.
Glade Road Growing
Glade Road Growing is a small family farm within the town limits of Blacksburg, Va. Sally Walker and Jason Pall started the farm operation in 2010, building on their experience with home gardening. They didn't grow up on farms but have learned through internships, conferences, reading, YouTube videos, farm visits, and their own experiences over the past 14 years. Although they are not quick to use the term "regenerative" to describe their vegetable production practices and livestock rotations, respect for their soil, water, animals, staff, and customers is always at the forefront of their thinking, along with the idea of growing together with their community.
Heaven’s Hollow Farm
Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a fourth-generation family farm in Orange, Va., operated by Jacob and Jennifer Gilley, and their children. It's a Black Angus cow-calf operation that also includes pastured poultry and pork, mostly marketed directly to consumers and local restaurants. Jacob and Jennifer take a holistic approach to managing their farm and seek to improve soil health, water quality, bird and wildlife habitat, and pollinator diversity as much as possible. In this video, Jacob describes their thinking about these processes. Soil health, profitability, and quality of life must be balanced and shouldn't be too complex.
Holsinger Homeplace Farms
Buck and Amanda ("AJ") Holsinger and their children are the 10th and 11th generations to live on their farm in Rockingham County, in Virginia's central Shenandoah Valley. They started farming with the goal of feeding their family the healthiest food possible, and their animals are allowed to roam and obtain a nutritious diet from a forage base and silvopasture system that includes black locust, black walnut, pine, cedar, and other mast, fodder, and shade producing trees. In this video, Buck and AJ share their motivations and speak about how they have a generational perspective. Silvopasture management is a centerpiece of their farm as they seek a system that is multi-functional and provides multiple benefits across time.
Shamoka Run Farm
On their family farm in northern August County, Va., Leo and Judy Tammi raise sheep and lamb on about 240 acres of hay and pasture and 60 acres of rented land. Leo was a founder of the Virginia Lamb Cooperative, is an active member of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council, and has implemented various best management practices like riparian buffers, bird and pollinator habitat, and native grass plantings. In this video, Leo shares several epiphanies and observations about rotational grazing, resilience, aesthetics, marketing, wildlife habitat, and the need to educate people about the services farming and good land management provide to the broader community. He reminds us that regenerative and soil health-building principles must be internalized, requiring inquisitiveness, energy, resilience, and continual observation.
Singing Spring Farm
Adam Taylor and Elizabeth Spellman-Taylor co-operate Singing Spring Farm in the Sinking Creek Valley of Craig County, Va. Their goal is to be a whole, complete-diet farm that offers heirloom fruits and vegetables, goat milk, kefir, cheese, culinary and medicinal herbs, eggs, and pastured, lamb, goat, and poultry. Agroforestry and permaculture are important themes as Adam and Elizabeth seek to protect the Singing Spring on their farm, create community, and live out paradise gardening. In this video, they talk about experiences and authors who have inspired them. Adam describes how interning on a farm in southwest Virginia and time spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia profoundly impacted how he views farming. Elizabeth discusses her conservation ethic and commitment to agricultural land protection and agrarian commons.
Swisher Family Farm
Jerry Swisher owns and operate his family’s farm in the towns of Fairfield and Brownsburg in Rockbridge County, Va. Throughout his career with Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension, he supported Virginia’s dairy farmers, 4-H youth, and others in the industry. In this video, Jerry offers a historical perspective on what has motivated farmers to transition to grazing systems from confinement operations that have limited access to pastures. He discusses the advantages of grazing in an era of high costs and frantic industrial change, describes the pushback from the dairy industry, and answers some frequently asked questions about grass-based regenerative dairy farming.
Want more information? See the related SARE grant:
- Soil for Water (LS21-345)
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.