In a world where people are becoming further and further disconnected from the farm it’s now more important than ever to educate not only our children but our communities about agriculture.
We took it upon ourselves to put together a presentation based on our farms journey throughout the ages from 1900 to present day. As of February 1st we have made appointments to visit with 5 different middle and high schools reaching over 3 counties and 11 different classrooms. Our class visit will not only tell our story, but discuss options like college, classes needed for farming, definitions of the farming industry and hit on a few SOL items as well.
Beaver Dam Farm started off as one of many tomato canneries in Botetourt County from 1900 to 1916. From 1916 to 1927 the farm ran a small beef cattle operation before entering the dairy industry in 1927. The dairy heard consisted of 30 registered Guernsey heifers, cows and calves. The farm shipped an average of 100 gallons of milk daily to Garst Brothers Dairy in Roanoke, Va. At that time the main crops grown were alfalfa and small grains. The farm continued to milk and raise crops over the years. The heard grew to between 105 and 120 Holsteins that were milked twice a day. There was a 2,700 gallon milk tank that was emptied every other day. With dairy cows, comes calves that need to be bottle fed. At any given time you could find 20-25 new babies needing a bottle twice a day. The farm raised soybeans, sorghum, corn and currently has a successful straw and hay operation as well. In September of 2019 as costs associated with the dairy industry continued to rise, Beaver Dam Farm decided to close down the dairy and move to an all beef heard. Since 2019 the farm runs beef cattle and has grown to supply hay for local horse facilities and other farmers in the area.
In 2016 Beaver Dam Farm Sunflowers was formed along with the Sunflower Festival. The idea behind the very popular event is to help provide support to the farm. Since its beginning in 2016 the sunflower festival draws in crowds from all over the US to see the breathtaking fields and bask in the sweet delights of the 90+ handmade craft and food vendors that set up on the weekends. We provide 3 special field trip days for preschoolers, senior citizens and special needs kids and adults so everyone has time needed to enjoy the views. We host multiple events in the evenings including sunset dinners in the flowers and our ever popular goat yoga! We try and give back to the community with our high school scholarships and community scholarships.
During our presentation we will mention all of these items but also speak on the important classes needed like Math, Science and Business to name a few and how each relates and is important to farming. Reach out to schedule your visit today, we look forward to speaking with your class!
