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Agriculture Archive
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Sperryville: How you can help SVRS to help you
Posted on August 26, 2010 | No CommentsYour rescue squad needs your help. Ambulance drivers and Emergency Medical Technicians who are already certified or who would like to take free training are especially needed. So much goes into sustaining a volunteer team and advanced life support ambulances at a professional level and... -
The Rapp for August 19
Posted on August 19, 2010 | No CommentsArt and antique events; good news about apples; the Monarchs reign; and a new store to open in Sperryville. -
The Rapp for August 12
Posted on August 12, 2010 | No CommentsDetails of the upcoming Flint Hill Carnival, school orientation news, a medicinal plants workshop, hay-hauling relief and a brush with Hollywood at Ballard's. -
Farm Tour set for Sept. 25-26
Posted on August 12, 2010 | No CommentsThis year's Rappahannock Farm Tour on Sept. 25 and 26 hopes to capitalize on the good showing during the 2009 farm tour when 500 visitors -- not including children -- attended. Those encouraging results, prompted the Office of Tourism, the Virginia Extension Service and a few volunteers to organize this year's tour. -
State delegate warns against environmental ‘overreaching’
Posted on August 12, 2010 | No CommentsWhat happens in the Valley doesn’t stay in the Valley. So it is that Del. Todd Gilbert’s recent comments in the Shenandoah Valley town of Woodstock found their way across the Blue Ridge to Rappahannock, the easternmost portion of his constituency. The Republican delegate was... -
Letter: Protecting county’s water resources
Posted on August 12, 2010 | No CommentsLast week during the discussion as to scenic river designation for the Hazel, concern over our water resources finally clicked. At one time our rivers were our highways and produced all our power in Rappahannock County. But in the 1930s, electricity was brought into the... -
Local wineries win honors in competition
Posted on August 12, 2010 | No CommentsFrom contributed reports The honors keep coming for Rappahannock County viticulture. Narmada Winery of Amissville recently was awarded a gold medal for its 2009 Viognier in the State Fair of Virginia Wine Competition. The winery also received first place for “Best Use of Whimsy on... -
Water issues override Hazel River designation
Posted on August 5, 2010 | No CommentsState Scenic River recommendations might be entering a period of drought in Rappahannock County. At the end of a day during which it heard dismaying estimates of drought-related crop damage in the county, and heard others caution against “giving away” river-related rights to the state for a variety of reasons, the county Board of Supervisors declined Monday night to recommend State Scenic River status for an eight-mile stretch of the Hazel between Route 231 and the Culpeper County line. -
Forage and beef farm tour draws a big crowd
Posted on August 5, 2010 | No CommentsMore than 80 local farmers attended a series of workshops and lectures at various sites on Woodville’s sprawling Eldon Farms last Thursday (July 29), a successful day by any measure. -
Sperryville: Rock, paper, scissors and more at art camps
Posted on August 5, 2010 | No CommentsThese were only some of the ingredients in a fun-filled week of clay and fiber camps on Main Street. Four separate groups at Sperryville Pottery were shaping clay, throwing pots on a wheel and glazing their cups, butter dishes, dinosaurs and other interesting creations. -
Editorial: Bearing witness
Posted on August 5, 2010 | No CommentsThe heat is on. And the precipitation is not. That’s the story now and here in Rappahannock County. Things could be worse. Things can always be worse, of course: there’s consolation, if not rainfall, in that. Russia, for instance, is experiencing its worst drought in... -
Letter: Food Pantry donors acknowledged
Posted on August 5, 2010 | No CommentsThank you for running The Rapp article about meat donations to the pantry. We would have acknowledged the donors then but only learned their names the day the newspaper appeared. I would like to thank them here. The pantry received nine hogs, five lambs, and... -
Help for forest landowners
Posted on August 5, 2010 | No CommentsFrom contributed reports Forest landowners in Virginia will have greater access to state and federal programs and assistance as well as expanded market opportunities for their products now that an agreement has been signed that recognizes forest management plans — prepared under the auspices of... -
The Rapp for July 29
Posted on July 29, 2010 | No CommentsAT&T might be considering cell towers in Rappahannock County; the Browns of Culpeper help the Food Pantry with livestock donations. -
Young man sees his future – and it’s in Rappahannock
Posted on July 29, 2010 | 1 CommentFormer Rappahannock County High School students do not have to leave the county to make a difference in the world. Carter Bruce, a 2006 graduate, is making his mark right here. After two years at Germanna Community College, where he earned a career studies certificate... -
2nd Annual Farm Tour
Posted on July 23, 2010 | No CommentsThe 2nd Annual Rappahannock Farm Tour is a self-guided tour of 20 venues, including family farms, vineyards, orchard, nurseries and farm schools, starting at the Link in Sperryville. Includes programs and activities for the entire family as well as the opportunity to visit farms normally not open to the public. Cost is $5 per person, free for ages 15 and younger. More information at farmtour.visitrappahannockva.com. Food and craft vendors (residents or business of Rappahannock County) can apply to have a spot at the Link to sell their wares as well as nonprofit organizations with an interest in agricultural issues ($40 for the weekend). Contact Sylvie Rowand at sylvie@laughingduckgardens.com or 540-675-3725. -
The Rapp for July 22
Posted on July 22, 2010 | No CommentsThe passing of Amissville 'cornerstone' Paul Poling; the impressive showing of Rappahannock County's 4-H Club at the Culpeper-Madison-Rappahannock Farm Show; a Hospice benefit July 31-Aug. 1 kicks off a new Rappahannock 'Artisanal Wineries Trail' -
The Secretary visits
Posted on July 22, 2010 | No CommentsAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, second from left, got a tour of the Narmada Winery’s vat room and vineyards Saturday during a brief visit to Rappahannock with his wife, Christie (not shown). Narmada’s owners (Pandit, left, and winemaker Sudha Patil, second from right) gave Vilsack the... -
Washington: Bring your ‘can-do’ attitude
Posted on July 22, 2010 | No CommentsMany people are interested in knowing how to can food so they can preserve some of the harvest for the winter. If you have never canned before and want to learn, or if you need refresher, you might be interested in the canning workshops offered by Laughing Duck Gardens & Cookery in Washington. -
Hazel River vote is delayed
Posted on July 15, 2010 | No CommentsBefore delaying for a month its vote on designating a stretch of the Hazel River as a State Scenic River, the county Board of Supervisors heard some unusual testimony from a Culpeper County landowner last Wednesday night. Ben and Rita Grace, who own land along... -
The Rapp for July 15
Posted on July 15, 2010 | No CommentsTop basketmakers at the Culpeper-Madison-Rappahannock Farm Show; more work (and more play for you) at the Castleton Festival; local 12-and-under team heads to the state baseball tournament; and more. -
Ash to Ash . . .
Posted on July 15, 2010 | No CommentsIt might sound like a B-grade horror movie, with a title like “Killer Baby Bug Eats Victims Alive.” But it’s a true tale, and it’s unfolding now in Northern Virginia. The insect’s prey is not human, but ash trees. The “killer” is the emerald ash borer, which is smaller than a penny and, as its name indicates, is metallic green. This beetle has killed tens of millions of trees in the United States and Canada since its initial discovery in 2002. -
More barley, cotton, soybeans grown
Posted on July 15, 2010 | No CommentsThe Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reports that the commonwealth’s farmers will increase barley acreage by 23,000 this year. Cotton and soybean acreages are up nine percent and two percent, respectively. Peanut and hay acreage has increased as well, according to a survey... -
The Rapp for July 8
Posted on July 8, 2010 | 1 CommentA fab Fourth, "little" Washington's sure-to-be-the-next-great cartoonist Thomas Mullany, news of a small new vineyard and a large old yard sale. -
Food Pantry Update: Pantry needs a new home
Posted on July 8, 2010 | No CommentsAre we blue? Kinda. The Rappahannock Food Pantry must move from its cozy quarters on Mt. Salem Avenue in Washington by late summer. So we’re looking for new space. We’d like to locate somewhere central in Rappahannock, so that no one has to travel too... -
Rappahannock Briefs
Posted on July 8, 2010 | No CommentsAmissville medics gain national recognition for 20-plus years of EMT-paramedic service; rugby players sought; forage and beef tour; local graduate and honors students. -
CMR farm show opens July 8
Posted on July 1, 2010 | No CommentsFrom contributed reports When the Culpeper-Madison-Rappahannock (CMR) Farm Show takes place July 8 through July 12, families can take their children to watch 4-H members show and sell their animals, to participate in or watch the tractor driving and stockman’s contests, or compete to become... -
The Rapp
Posted on June 24, 2010 | No CommentsA Rappahannock Fourth in Sperryville (and a patriotic reading in Washington), plus news of two wineries' achievements with Google and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. -
A peach of a crop expected in Virginia this year
Posted on June 24, 2010 | No CommentsAfter a mid-June survey of major peach growers around the state, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has high expectations for a very good peach crop this year. From Cana to Winchester and from Charlottesville to Rappahannock, growers say the peach harvest is looking promising. “All the growers that I know say it’s looking good this year,” said Roy Alther, who with wife Janet runs Roy’s Orchard, just off U.S. 211 at Old Hollow Road, and who grows peaches, apples, cherries and plums. -
Conservation and farm funds still available
Posted on June 17, 2010 | No CommentsSpecial to Rappahannock News The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline for applications for the 2010 conservation stewardship program to June 25 from June 11. The USDA has also released the final rule, which incorporates about half of the recommendations made by... -
The Rapp
Posted on June 10, 2010 | No CommentsRapp's Farm-to-Table is a national model; a Hunt and Habitat golf tournament; a RappCats event; more. -
A tour for the going-native gardener
Posted on June 10, 2010 | No CommentsFour wildlife-friendly farms are featured on a first-ever tour sponsored by Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) on Saturday, June 19. Meet some of the participants. -
Gray Ghost, Gadino earn gold medals
Posted on May 27, 2010 | No CommentsGray Ghost’s 2009 Vidal Blanc struck Double Gold and the Merlot Gold at the recent 23rd Annual Tasters Guild International Wine Competition in Grand Rapids, Mich. At the same competition, Gadino Cellars’ estate Cabernet Franc was awarded a Gold Medal. The Washington winery’s 2008 Franc... -
Local Flavor assists in webcast
Posted on May 27, 2010 | No CommentsMark Reinhardt, co-founder of The Local Flavor, a direct farm-to-consumer distribution service based in Amissville, partnered with Chuck Ebbets of Kit-Digital to produce a webcast of the Farm to Table to Kid conference in Atlanta, Ga., last weekend. -
The Rapp
Posted on May 20, 2010 | No CommentsCalendar items -- including those you can submit to us online || Rae auctions off everything || You can be an extra in a film being shot in the county || Farm-to-Table news -
Letter: Kudos to the sheriff
Posted on May 20, 2010 | No CommentsSheriff Connie Smith deserves great accolades for her recent decision to have the inmates put in a garden at the Rappahannock County Jail in Washington. Not only will the garden provide fresh produce for the inmates, but it will save taxpayer money. The garden will... -
Plant time
Posted on May 13, 2010 | No CommentsSylvie Rowand, left, of Washington, and Nina Moore, right, of Sperryville seemed to know exactly what they were looking for at Waterpenny Farm’s annual spring plant sale on Saturday, May 1. Several hundred showed up – especially between 9 and 11 a.m., when it’s most... -
Farm energy audits
Posted on May 6, 2010 | No CommentsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced an initiative to help agricultural producers trim their energy costs. State Conservationist Jack Bricker says the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing $2 million for on-farm energy audits in 29 states, including Virginia. -
Conservation stewards, act now
Posted on May 6, 2010 | No CommentsDistrict Conservationist Rex Rexrode says there is still time for farmers to sign up for the Conservation Stewardship Program that is administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Producers may apply at anytime for CSP; however, the second period for evaluating applications for this year’s funding runs until May 14. -
The Rapp
Posted on April 22, 2010 | No CommentsAn opportunity to learn from Farm-to-Table students, a prestigious volunteer award for a Sperryville man, Miss Rappahannock and more.