Crop students learned about Virginia’s changing agricultural industry on field trip

Crop students learned about Virginia’s changing agricultural industry as they toured tobacco, peanut, and cotton operations
Peanuts and cotton have long dotted the fall landscape of Western Tidewater, while tobacco fields have been prevalent in Southside Virginia. However, production and harvest methods have changed in recent years. Thirteen students from the Agricultural Technology Grain Crop Management course were able to experience tobacco, peanut, and cotton harvests on October 19 and 20, 2023. They also learned about industry changes as they toured farms and agribusinesses in southcentral and southeast Virginia. 

No longer do you hear the hum of peanut dryers at every farm or see many rectangular cotton modules in the fields. Instead, as the students learned, the peanuts are hauled to a buying station in large trucks to be dried, forgoing the small trailers once numerous on Southeast Virginia farms. Replacing the cotton modules are more efficient, large cotton round bales. Over two days, several Virginia Tech alumni and industry friends spent time explaining the changes and giving tours.  
 
“I like to offer students in my Grain Crop Management class an opportunity to travel to Southeastern Virginia to learn about cropping systems that are integral to Virginia’s agricultural economy, but not practiced near Blacksburg”, stated Wesley Gwaltney, Agricultural Technology (AT) advanced instructor.  “Many of my students have no experience with these crops and this trip allows them to learn more about these production systems, meet local producers, extension personnel, and industry professionals, and build their networks throughout the state.”

Dinwiddie County Extension Agent and AT alumni, Mike Parrish, gave the students a tour of local farms as the farmers were busy harvesting tobacco and peanuts. Mike showed the students around Barnes Brothers Farm, owned and operated by Chuck and his sons Rusty and Jason Barnes. Mike explained the different types of tobacco and how the tobacco is harvested. Students were able to watch the tobacco harvester as it precisely removed the leaves from the tobacco stalk. At the farm, the students also learned about how tobacco is cured and prepared for sale. 

Jason and Rusty were harvesting peanuts when the students were able to watch the peanut combine harvest the peanuts off the vine. AT student Thomas Davis said “One thing I really enjoyed learning about and seeing was the process of how peanuts are harvested using a digger and combine, which is something I had never seen before.”   
 
Mr. Parrish also took the group to Randy Everette’s farm, Old Hickory Farms, where they saw more tobacco curing and learned more about how tobacco bales are made. “During the trip, I learned about tobacco harvest and how detailed the process is.” said Megan Mallory, AT student. “It was also cool to see the difference in the soil on the East Coast vs Central Virginia and how crops grow in those conditions.”

At the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center, agronomist Dr. Hunter Frame explained the different types of cotton trials he conducts and how his research benefits farmers. Dr. David Langston, who studies plant pathology of vegetables and row crops, gave the students a brief overview of his lab, diseases, and nematodes that affect peanuts. 

While visiting Birdsong Peanut Company, Mark Simmons, Virginia/Carolinas Procurement Manager told the students about the trends in peanut production in Virginia. Over 28,000 acres of peanuts are planted annually in the Commonwealth, which is concentrated in eight counties. Mr. Simmons, a fellow College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alum, also shared Birdsong’s history. The company was founded in 1914 and is now one of the largest peanut companies in the country.  

Jenna Cain, an AT student on the trip said, “Being from the Tidewater area, my favorite part of the trip was going back home to some local places that I have driven by a hundred times but have never gotten the chance to stop at. My favorite place we visited was Birdsong Peanuts. I loved learning about the history behind the company and the family.” 

James Stephens, AT class of 2022, works with his family at Indika Farms and posed with AT alumni Travis Bailey and the group of students for a photo.  Fellow Hokie Billy Gwaltney gave a tour of his family’s Indika Farms peanut-buying station. The students learned how peanuts are graded by a Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services employee at the buying station.  

At the Commonwealth Cotton Gin in Suffolk, VA, Chris Alphin, AT alumni and general manager, and Johnny Parker, Cotton Agronomist, explained the history behind cotton acreage in Virginia while they showed the students how a modern cotton gin operates.  

James River Equipment Integrated Solutions Consultant, Marshall Puryear, met the students at Byrum Family Farms in Zuni, VA. Steel Bryum stopped combining his cotton to show how the equipment works.   

Thank you again to all those who shared their time and talents with our students. The effort means a lot to students like Thomas Davis, “Hearing from a professional that does it (farms) every day helps me build a lot of confidence that I can be successful in my farming career.”  
 
Special thanks to the donors of Giving Day who help support trips like these for our students! We would also like to thank the following sponsors: 

•  Franklin Dowless with Bayer Crop Science for sponsoring the dinner Thursday night 
•  Nansemond County Farm Bureau for sponsoring lunch on Friday 
•  Eric Drake with Simplot Grower Solutions for sponsoring refreshments for during the tours   
•  Caitlin Joyner with Virginia Peanut Growers Association for providing peanuts and swag bags