Growing in Grayson

Today was another day spent in Grayson County. Grayson is a place with gorgeous landscapes and mountains, the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and friendly people. There are many livestock producers as well as large Christmas tree growers. It is also becoming a more agriculturally diverse area with more and more small growers, including many organic producers.

The Independence Farmers Market in Independence, VA is a great place to check out some of the agriculture in the area. The market began in 2009, and features local, naturally raised meats, local and heirloom vegetables, baked goods, herbs, and arts and crafts. The market even offers special events throughout the season, from a kids day to a chili cook-off.

Today I visited the market with Suzanne. We visited most of the stands and talked to several of the growers. The market manager, Michelle Pridgen, works with Suzanne frequently through Extension. Suzanne and I have visited her farm several times helping her out with soil tests, disease identification and other needs. Michelle also sells her products at the market. I enjoyed seeing all the market had to offer. There was even a barbecue stand selling barbecue for lunch. I got a bumper sticker advertising buying locally grown produce.

After a fun-filled morning at the market, we visited with some more growers. One grower is working on setting up a trellis system for his berries. He is currently growing red raspberries, blackberries, and elderberries, but has plans to put in blueberries soon! His hopes are that next year his plants will be more established and more successful. I'm sure that Extension will continue to work with him in the future.

We also went to the Matthews State Forest again. The old apple orchard there has a bad infestation of Glomerella. Suzanne wanted to talk with one of the managers there to let them know what to use to try to take care of that problem. While we were there, we were able to take a tour of the old Judge Matthew's house! The house was fascinating to see. There are plans to hopefully renovate the house and use it for office spaces and a conference center.

I always enjoy getting to visit Grayson County. For a county so close to my own county of Carroll, there are still so many differences. It is also always a day full of beautiful sight-seeing!

If you would like to learn more about the Independence Farmers Market, check out their website, http://independencefarmersmarket.org/. There you can read updates, learn about the vendors and how to become one, and even find resources and upcoming events.