REGIONAL VIEW shenandoah valley


Program recognizes farms owned by families for centuries by Joan Tupponce


C


harles Garber is proud his family’s Shenandoah County


farm is part of the Virginia Century Farm program. “Our roots run deep here,” he says. Garber represents the ninth generation of his family to own Garber Farms, a 370- acre farm established around 1775.


The Garber farm joins a dis- tinguished group in the Virginia Century Farm program. Formed in 1997, the program is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through the Office of Farmland Preservation. To be eligible for the Virginia Century Farm designation, a farm must have been owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years, be lived on or farmed by a descendant of the original owner and gross more than $2,500 annually from the sale of farm products. “This is an honorary


designation to recognize FOR THE RECORD


Bridgewater College will use a $1 million gift from five Smith family members and the Smith- Midland Corp. for the expansion and renovation of the college’s library. The gift by Rodney Smith, his sons Ashley, Roderick, Matthew and Jeremy and the Smith-Midland Corp., also will result in naming the first-floor café in the building the Smith Family Learning Commons Café. (Augusta Free Press)


Machine and fabrication company Draftco Inc. plans to expand its manufacturing


Charles Garber represents the ninth generation of his family to own his 370-acre farm in Shenandoah County.


Sorrell


families that have owned farms for hun- dreds of years continuously,” says Andy Sor- rell, coordinator of the Office of


Farmland Preservation. Nearly 1,400 Virginia


farms have been designated as Virginia Century Farms since the program’s inception. More than 20 family farms in Vir- ginia are recognized as being more than 250 years old. The state’s oldest Vir-


ginia Century Farm, Sum-


operation in Augusta County. The company will spend $450,000 to improve its quality inspection room and buy new machines and welding and testing equipment. The investment is expected to create 16 jobs, according to Gov. T erry McAuliffe. Draftco was founded in 1965 and is based in Stuarts Draft. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


The Federal Energy Regula- tory Commission (FERC) has recently had two members confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in, giving that body a quorum of three members


10 OCTOBER 2017


mer Hill Farm in Hanover County, has been owned by the Newton and Page fami- lies since 1672. The program has three farms from the 1600s, Sorrell says. Garber’s ancestors, who


were German Dunkard Brethren, moved to the Shenandoah Valley during the Revolutionary War. “At the time, this area was largely uninhabited,” he says. Today the family raises


poultry, specifically small broilers used for fast-food restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and


necessary to approve projects and orders. Among the projects FERC must consider is the final application for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the 600-mile underground natural gas pipeline that would run from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina. The proposed pipeline route includes 55 miles in Augusta County. (The News Virginian)


Stable Craft Brewing is invest- ing half a million dollars to expand in Augusta County. The project will create 13 jobs. The brewery plans to add a bottling line and expand distribution


Popeyes. “We also have about 125 to 150 cows, and we crop around 300 acres of corn, beans and wheat,” Garber says.


The farm is also a dis-


tributor for cattle-handling equipment made in Iowa. “That’s been a good diversifi- cation,” Garber says. The Garbers believed


they would qualify for the Virginia Century Farm pro- gram when they heard about it. “We are proud our farm has been around so long. A little bit of recognition makes you feel good,” he says.


to reach more consumers in more places convenient to their travels. Stable Craft products currently are available in restau- rants, taverns and other dining establishments, Craig Nargi, the company’s owner, said in a statement. The company will purchase 88 percent of its agri- cultural products from Virginia farmers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


PEOPLE Jonathan Alger, president of James Madison University, has been appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Millennial Civic Engagement. (Augusta Free Press)


Michael Creech has been named director of sales for the recently created data center business at Waynesboro-based Lumos Networks Corp. Creech was a senior consultant at TierPoint in Charlotte, N.C. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


Dr. Philip O’Donnell, Shenan- doah University’s physician assistant studies program medical director, received the Physician Assistant Preceptor of the Year Award from the Virginia Academy of Physician Assistants. (News release)


Photo courtesy Charles Garber


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84