How it Works
Experiential seminars facilitate collaborative participant engagement.
How would you benefit from two years of leadership development with experts in the agricultural industry?
- Have you been across Virginia, the United States, or taken an international trip to learn about the future of agriculture?
- How are you addressing the current trends in agriculture?
- Are you interested in advancing your sector of agriculture and understanding its equation for success within the industry?
- Are you interested in enhancing your skills and knowledge of Virginia’s agriculture? Are you willing to foster relationships with community leaders and peers in the industry?
If so, VALOR is for you! What better way to form relationships with partners in the agricultural industry and learn from first hand experiences about trends and issues in agriculture?
The program consists of twelve experiential seminars over 24 months:
- Eight Virginia Regional: Valley, Central, Southwest, Southside, Eastern Shore/Tidewater, Chesapeake Bay, Blacksburg orientation, and Roanoke graduation.
- Two capitol seminars in Richmond and Washington, DC/Northern Virginia focusing on political advocacy and legislation.
- One U.S. Regional seminar.
- One International seminar.
“Being a VALOR fellow firmly established my commitment to represent Agriculture and fully equipped me to be ready and willing to respond whenever opportunities arise. My two VALOR years provided unmatched experiences, built valuable relationships, and developed new confidence and skills that continue to serve me well in all of life’s challenges and opportunities. My VALOR experience inspired me to not just participate in Virginia Agriculture, but to step up into leadership roles serving as President of the Board of Agriculture, and as the Agriculture representative on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Additionally, my VALOR experience gave me the confidence to represent the Virginia cotton industry nationally on the Cotton Board and more recently to serve as a Suffolk city council member, making sure Agriculture maintains its strong presence in our community.” - Shelly Barlow, Class II