VALOR cultivates farm leaders

In Virginia, agriculture is the leading private industry. So, it goes without saying that it's also an incredibly varied one.

Many Virginians grew up on generational farms, becoming experts in what they do by living it. Agriculture is deeply tied to place, so how can producers grow their horizons beyond what they’ve been exposed to?

That’s the question that Senior Extension Specialist Megan Seibel aimed to answer when she founded the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program.

Now in its 13th year, VALOR has been around long enough that its success stories are employed throughout the industry, influencing agriculture through politics, research, and leadership.

Launched in 2012 and housed within the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, VALOR was inspired by agricultural leadership programs at land grant universities in other states. However, these programs were differently focused and heavily customized to their regions. 

“At the time I can remember somebody at the state level asking why we needed an agriculture-specific leadership program,” Seibel said. “There are people who don't realize the need for agriculture in their lives. You can’t contribute positively to your community until your physiological needs are met, and at the end of the day, there’s one industry that does that.”

Seibel was given the go-ahead by CALS to build the program from the ground up. She ultimately devised a two-year experience combining leadership qualities such as communication and problem solving with knowledge of local and global agricultural practices. The program first focuses on regional experiences, taking participants on the road to a series of seminars and hands-on exercises, followed by a domestic trip to another state, and culminating in a group trip abroad. 

While fellows pay a fee to participate, it accounts for only a portion of VALOR’s necessary funding. For the rest, the program relies on private gifts and endowments from longtime supporters like Farm Credit of the Virginias – VALOR’s flagship donor since its first cohort. Additional funding comes from endowments established by stakeholders and generous alumni like Dwight Houff ’61, and Kern ’75 and Chanda Houff. Many others contribute to each class through financial gifts, in-kind donations, and by opening their homes, farms, and businesses for use by the program. 

Now on its seventh cohort, the program has 69 graduates and an impressive reputation for growing well-rounded leaders. 

Paula Craun ’11, an alumna of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, grew up on her family’s generational dairy farm in Bridgewater, Virginia, before graduating and becoming an agricultural credit analyst at a local bank. She first heard about VALOR through a family member. 

“My participation in the program really helped me be more self-aware of how I think and lead and how to identify that in other people,” Craun said. “I would definitely recommend the program to others involved in agriculture. The time commitment can be difficult for full-time farmers, but VALOR is a great learning experience.”

By the end of the experience, Craun had decided to leave the bank to work on her family’s farm, where she’s been working full time ever since. She now has two cousins who are VALOR alumni, and her husband, Clay Greene, graduated with class six just last year.

Craun’s experience is not uncommon. Thirty-five percent of VALOR alumni changed jobs during or after the program as a result of what they learned.

After moving to Virginia for a position at the American Farm Bureau, VALOR alumnus Austin Large joined the program to beef up his agricultural knowledge. Today, he serves as the organization’s senior director of membership and organization development. 

“Our in-state seminars took us to every corner of Virginia,” said Large, who graduated from VALOR last year. "Not only is it breathtakingly beautiful, but it’s also unlike anything I’d ever experienced growing up.”

Large’s cohort then journeyed to Kentucky, where they learned about the state’s famous horse industry, row crops, and how flooding affects rural regions. However, it was the group’s capstone trip that left the greatest impact on him. 

These global perspective trips have taken VALOR students all over the world, visiting beautiful and unique locales like Argentina, Vietnam, and in Large’s case, Kenya. 

“It was a fascinating exploration of the economic and social issues of agriculture,” he said. “We visited a large farming cooperative with nine farms making canola oil, where they all maintain profitability rather than being in direct competition with each other. It was a great example of what can happen when you partner to fill needs.”

Josh Stephens ’06, ’09, general manager of Rockingham Petroleum and chairman of the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors, was in the second VALOR class. As a former Virginia FFA president and graduate of Virginia Tech’s Agricultural Technology program, he was already a leader. But VALOR gave him the chance to sharpen his skills in the board room and public service.

“One of the sessions that had the biggest impact on me was one we did in Chatham about board dynamics – the importance of dealing with different folks and understanding them,” he said. “I’d always thought about going into local politics, and what I gained from the program gave me that extra confidence.”

VALOR is now recruiting for its 2026 class. What is it that makes this program that has had 17 percent of its graduates go on to serve in elected positions so successful? There’s one explanation that the fellows seem to agree on.

“This program, since its inception, has been very fortunate to have Megan Seibel at the head of it,” Stephens said. “She does a wonderful job."

Learn more and apply to join VALOR’s eighth class at https://www.valor.alce.vt.edu/.