Sustainable Ag 2012

The second RRRC Living Lands Planning Workshop, focusing on Fostering Sustainable Agriculture for Economic Development, was held on April 19, 2012 at the Daniel Technology Center at Germanna Community College in Culpeper, Virginia.
Sustainable agriculture does not only include organic farming or environmentally friendly farming practices. The USDA defines sustainable agriculture using the "3 Pillars of Sustainability:"
- Profit over the long term
- Stewardship of our nation's land, air and water
- Quality of life for farmers, ranchers and their communities
While sustainable agriculture is a broad topic, the primary goal of this workshop was to provide local government staff, officials, and community organizations with information and tools to foster sustainable agriculture in the region. Participants discussed planning tools to preserve local farms and promote local food, and heard case studies from successful producers, community organizations and local governments. The workshop also provided a forum for the agricultural community to discuss the obstacles to sustainable agriculture in the region, as well as to provide suggestions on how communities could support solutions to address these issues.
Workshop materials, including speaker presentations, may be accessed below.
Workshop Agenda
Speaker Bios
This Workshop was sponsored by
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |

Document Center
The Document Center provides easy access to public documents. Click on one of the categories below to see related documents or use the search function.
Categories always sorted by seq (sub-categories sorted within each category)
Documents sorted by SEQ in Ascending Order within category
Documents sorted by SEQ in Ascending Order within category
Presentations11 documents
- Kenner Love: Sustainable Agriculture Overview
- Tina Weaver: Agricultural Case Study - Papa Weaver's Pork
- Ken Smith: Agricultural Case Study - Moo Thru Ice Cream
- Diana Boeke: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
- Adrianna Vargo: Local Food Hubs
- Sue Ellen Johnson: Farm to Table Overview
- Beverly Polk: Shenandoah County Farm to School Program
- Kevin Schmidt: Farmland Preservation Tools
- Betty Mitchell: Highland County Case Study
- Eric Benfeldt: Virginia Farm to Table Plan
- Eric Benfeldt: Shenandoah Valley Food Assessment Case Study