Smart Farm local TV story. Landcare Incubator 2009 article. CollegiateTimes story February 09. Virginia Tech continues to innovate in agriculture more than two centuries after its creation. One of the university's current projects is the formulation of the Catawba Sustainability Center 40 minutes north of Blacksburg. The center, which has been in the works for about a year, aims to be an example for landowners of the benefits of sustainable farming and the promotion of environmental stewardship in the community. "One of the things that struck me," said Christy Gabbard of Tech's Conservation Management Institute, "is that we talk about sustainability in each of our disciplines, but there's not really a place to showcase sustainability across disciplines. " Gabbard is the head of planning for the center. Although it is still in the early stages of planning, one concrete project for the center is the growth of warm-season grasses, which are a form of bio-energy offering numerous environmental benefits, including improved water quality and reduced carbon emissions.
Student projects video. Growers Academy video. Virginia Tech Spotlight on Growers Academy. Flowers, anyone? How about some steaks from locally raised, grass-fed beef? Or bunches of organically grown herbs? All of these products may be in more plentiful supply in southwest Virginia thanks to VT EarthWorks, a new business-acceleration program for agriculture businesses.
Who benefits from the VT EarthWorks intensive-learning series called the Growers Academy? Those with a dream of providing flowers, organic herbs and vegetables, and other agricultural products to the region. The course helps people break into small-scale farming. As many of them know, it’s one thing to yearn to sell your backyard or family farm’s largesse to local stores and restaurants. Christy Gabbard, director of VT Earthworks, says participants in the Growers Academy benefit from coaching and advice from the university's professors and graduate students. VT EarthWorks planted the seeds of its Growers Academy early in 2010 with eight weeks of classes that took place in classrooms and in fields. Catawba home page. The Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center is an experiential showcase on 377 acres in the Catawba Valley. With research plus demonstration projects from multiple Virginia Tech colleges, the center is creating a positive model for a sustainable world.
HISTORY: The Catawba Sustainability Center is situated in the Upper James River Basin in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Historically, the Catawba Sustainability Center was a dairy employing nearby residents to provide meat and dairy products to the staff and patients at the Catawba Sanitarium, now known as the Catawba Hospital. In 1988, the hospital transferred 377 acres of its land holdings to Virginia Tech. FUNDING: The Catawba Sustainability Center represents an investment of almost $1 million in funding annually. PARTNERS: Virginia Tech's Catawba Sustainability Center works to advance collaboration with the community and the region by engaging with a broadly diverse group of partners and advisors. Photo gallery Planting Day.