| Agribusiness is Everybody's Business |
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 Dr. Dixie Dalton delivers the forum's keynote address More than 70 individuals, including several Halifax County High School equestrian and agricultural students, attended the forum. Dr. Dixie Dalton, SVCC Associate Professor of Agribusiness, delivered the keynote address entitled, “You Say Agribusiness is Everybody’s Business. How is it Mine?” Dalton stated that while farm production is at the heart of agribusiness, agribusiness actually includes everything between the producer and consumer. “Agribusiness is the largest industry in the United States accounting for 20% of economic output and 20% of employment. In Virginia agribusiness accounts for an estimated $55 billion in annual economic output,” Dalton said. Dalton was raised on a hog and tobacco farm in Lunenburg County, and from a very young age was given her own allotment of tobacco to raise. She used the money from selling her tobacco to save for her college education at Virginia Tech. Dr. Dalton has spent the past 16 years as a professor at Virginia Tech before being given the opportunity to start SVCC’s new Agribusiness Associate’s degree program. “We’re in the heart of agricultural country, but there was not one community college course in agriculture in a 10 county area.” Dr. Dalton changed that when the first agribusiness courses at SVCC were offered in the fall semester. She encouraged forum attendees, especially the high school students, to think broadly about agriculture, “As long as people eat, need clothes, and build houses, agriculture is not declining,” she said. The second forum session was led by Dr. Charles Stallard, retired faculty, Director of Research, and Assistant Dean at Old Dominion University. Dr. Stallard’s presentation, “Change: Challenges and Opportunities” looked at the factors affecting global food production and the opportunities change presents for local farmers. Among the global challenges Dr. Stallard highlighted were water shortages, population growth, and the decline of the availability of farmland. “Rural communities have been neglected by philanthropy and government. We have to chart our own course, but we need leadership and foresight,” he stated. Dr. Stallard pointed to niche markets like medicinal herb production and smaller farms as areas of opportunities for local farmers. The forum ended with a panel discussion with Jason Fisher, Virginia Extension Agent, Dr. Martha Walker, Virginia Tech Community Viability Specialist, Dr. Dixie Dalton, and local farmers Ned Strange, Denise Hudson, and Sharon Burkholder. The panel, facilitated by SVHEC Institutional Effectiveness Specialist Catherine Stevens, discussed the role of agribusiness in economic development and the need for opportunities for youth to participate in agribusiness experiences and see there are opportunities to get jobs and stay within the region. The panel answered several questions from the audience.  Forum attendees were impressed with the forum and with the information presented. Alan and Leslie Keck, owners of Soleil Farms in Halifax raise meat goats and currently ship them to customers. They would like to discover a local market for their meat goats. “We attended because we have a small farm and we’re still learning about farming. We’re out to find out as much as we can about agribusiness,” Alan Keck stated.
For more information about the SVHEC’s agribusiness initiative, or to give your ideas and suggestions about the educational needs for agribusiness, contact Amy Cole at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 434-572-5441, and toll free 1-800-283-0098.
Click here to view more photos from the forum Click here to learn more about SVCC's Agribusiness Certificate & Associate's degree program |