AG MONTH

May is Virginia Agriculture Month, and as part of the celebration, Governor Timothy M. Kaine visited Chippokes, which is a working farm, state park, and museum. When he arrived, he told the assembled crowd that he was there for two reasons, first, because it was Virginia Agriculture Month. He reminded the group that agriculture/forestry is Virginia's largest industry, with nothing else running a close second. His second reason, he said, was to experience one of the few Virginia State Parks he had not already visited. The Governor toured the Farm and Forestry Museum and the farm itself, then met with a group of kindergarten students from Newsome Elementary School in Newport News, who greeted him with shouts of "Happy Ag Month." Afterwards, the Governor toured College Run Farms, just two miles up the road from Chippokes. There he picked fresh strawberries and enjoyed a dish of their strawberry ice cream. The Governor pronounced both the best he'd ever tasted.

Mac Berryman, who farms the land at Chippokes Plantation, shows Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine some of the antique farming equipment on display at the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum.

Governor Kaine and Robert S. Bloxom, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, admire a Farmll tractor in the Chippokes collection.

At College Run Farms in Surry County, Governor Kaine picks fresh strawberries with farm owner Steve Berryman. Steve is a sixth-generation farmer and the son of Mac Berryman, who farms the land at Chippokes.

At the strawberry patch, the Governor and Violet Taylor show their juicy hands. Violet, who is from Williamsburg, also exhibits a strawberry-stained face.

J. Carlton Courter, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Paul Rogers, Jr., a Surry County farmer and member of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; and Governor Kaine caught a quiet moment to discuss the state of Virginia agriculture today.

For biosecurity reasons, many farms restrict visitors, but these sites encourage the public to come and spend the day.