Mr. Jefferson comes home
By Jon Busdeker on Aug. 17, 2007
Thomas Jefferson, played by Colonial Williamsburg’s Bill Barker, will greet visitors for Bedford County’s Farm Day at Poplar Forest on Saturday.
The free event celebrates the farming tradition in Bedford, past and present.
Future Farmers of America will exhibit beef cattle, sheep and goats. The Virginia Beef Council will showcase samples of beef products.
Farm animals and llamas from Little Doc’s Veterinary Care will also be on hand.
Jefferson was a farmer who invented agriculture equipment. He once said “agriculture is our wisest pursuit.”
Bedford County supervisors have taken those words to heart.
This year, they formed a 12-member agricultural economic development advisory board to lead the local farming industry.
That new board has already made recommendations to the supervisors on issues such as biosolids and educational grants.
For Saturday’s event at Poplar Forest, “farm stations” will give visitors details about Jefferson’s production of tobacco, wheat, flax, corn, fruit and sheep.
The Bedford Area Master Gardeners will answer questions and discuss Jefferson’s plants.
The Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation will also be on hand to talk about the future of the county’s land.
Tours will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, call (434) 525-1806 or visit http://www.poplarforest.org.
By Justin Faulconer
/385-5556
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