On Tuesday I headed out to Virginia State University, Virginia’s other land grant university along side Virginia Tech. Charley and I rode together and were the few first of many to arrive. We were served a light breakfast, listened to some opening remarks and then headed the different tables and exhibits to explore the farm.
We visited 10+ tents that provided us with lots of helpful information including loans for farms, how to help beginning farmers, farm insurance, and much more. We also visited their greenhouses, vineyards, and walked through where they grow many of their crops for research. In the pictures you’ll notice various vegetables and fruits being grown such as blueberries (which we got to taste, they were so sweet!), tomatoes, onions, cabbage, kale, etc.
They also have an aquaculture farm which is unique to VSU. I have only seen a very small aquaponics set-up before, so seeing their aquaculture farm was very neat! We saw one of the caretakers feeding the fish. He threw all the fish into a large ring which helps them monitor how much food the fish eat.
You’ll also see a picture of tall sticks. These sticks are for hops. The hops has not fully grown yet but will often reach tall heights. In order to prevent damage to the crop and other crops, the hops will be tied to the sticks so that they do not fall over. Beside the sticks you’ll also see some corn being grown.
Across from the corn is a field of goats. We saw some interesting coloring and patterns on the goats; they were so cute! I love goats, but unfortunately VT doesn’t have any for the students to work with.
We also watched a cooking demonstration that used many items that were grown on the farm. They made tilapia sautéed in a variety of vegetables along with a fruit salad.
Chesterfield VCE Internship 