SVHEC to Host Forum on Agribusiness
On Friday, April 29th, Southside Community College, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) will be hosting a public forum entitled, “Agribusiness is Everybody’s Business.” Speakers will present topics related to local agribusiness concerns, and a panel discussion will focus on the resources needed to grow the local agribusiness community.
“Our goal in holding this forum is to raise awareness of the agribusiness opportunities already being provided through the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Southside Community College already, and to address the need for more agribusiness ventures in our region,” said Amy Cole SVHEC Director of Student Services & Partner Relations. Cole is working with regional partners to make agriculture and agribusiness programs available at the SVHEC.
The forum is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in agribusiness and the future of agriculture is encouraged to attend. “We want wide community participation because we need you to tell us what educational programs, workshops, and training programs related to agriculture you would like to see offered at the SVHEC,” she continued.
Scheduled speakers include Dr. Dixie Dalton, Southside Community College Associate Professor of Agribusiness, and Dr. Charles Stallard, President of the Southern Virginia Botanical Gardens. Dr. Dalton will give a keynote address on how agribusiness affects everyone and is truly everyone’s business. Dr. Dalton spent the last 17 years in teaching and extension office positions with Virginia Tech. Dr. Stallard’s talk entitled, “Global Changes Impacting Us Locally,” will focus on trends in agriculture. He will address current and projected food needs in the United States, how many people will be providing the nation’s food supply, and related data-driven trends. Dr. Stallard is a veteran educator with more than 19 years experience as faculty/ Director of Research and Assistant Dean at Old Dominion University.
“Dr. Dixie Dalton and Dr. Charles Stallard will discuss agriculture, agritourism and agribusiness and have spent a large part of their lives working to help the agricultural community, and training students to better utilize their land. They have travelled nationally and internationally to speak on a variety of topics in agriculture. They bring a wealth of knowledge to the forum, and we’re lucky to have them as resources in our region," Cole said.
In addition to the speakers, there will be a panel discussion with panelists Mr. Taylor Clarke, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Jason Fisher with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Dr. Dixie Dalton, Associate Professor of Agribusiness for Southside Community College, Ned Strange, local farm owner, Sharon Burkholder, local farm owner, Denise Hudson, local farm owner, and Dr. Charles Stallard, President, Southern Virginia Botanical Gardens, Inc. The panel will discuss agriculture and agribusiness ventures in Southside Virginia and answer questions from the audience. Farm owners will speak to their successes and pitfalls along the way to establishing successful farms in Southern Virginia.
“Agribusiness is Everybody’s Business” be held from 2:00pm-4:30pm in the SVHEC’s new Innovation Center located on the SVHEC campus at 820 Bruce Street. There is no cost to attend the forum, but registration is required for planning purposes. Seating is limited to the first 80 registrants.To register contact Amy Cole at amycole@svhed.org or call 572-5441 or toll free 1-800-283-0098 ext 5441.
(c) 2011. Southside Virginia Community College. All rights reserved.
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