Need a break from the silliness and downright rudeness that gets passed off as presidential politics these days? Join us for a movie and some popcorn.
The LOW Democratic Club’s next meeting on May 19 will feature a screening of the Nov. 6, 2005, episode of the Emmy Award-winning series “The West Wing,” written by Lawrence O’Donnell Jr.
The show simulates a live presidential debate between fictional Democratic candidate Matthew Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) and fictional Republican candidate Arnold Vinick (played by Alan Alda). During the hour-long debate, the two candidates cover a variety of topics, including immigration reform, job creation and health insurance reform
Take special note: The May 19 meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Community Center meeting room rather than the club’s regular meeting place at the Woods Center.
“Agriculture is a very large industry in Orange County,” Agricultural Extension Agent Steve Hopkins told the LOW Democratic Club at its meeting on April 21. “And it’s getting bigger.”
Mr. Hopkins and Kaci Daniel, 4-H Extension agent, gave club members an overview of local agriculture and described the wide variety of services that the Cooperative Extension Service provides to farmers, gardeners, homemakers and young people.
Extension Agents Steve Hopkins and Kaci Daniel
In terms of sales, Orange has the seventh largest agricultural economy of Virginia’s 100 counties.
The largest agricultural enterprise in the county is the nursery and greenouse industry, Mr. Hopkins said. Two large nursery operations — Battlefield Farms and American Color — helped nurseries overtake cattle raising as the top agricultural enterprise locally.
Total farms in the county are up 9 percent in the past five years, while the acreage devoted to farming is up 4 percent. Receipts from crops increased an impressive 163 percent during that period.
Ms. Daniel reminded her audience that farmers are not the only citizens who benefit from Extension Service programs. She cited education programs on nutrition, health, fitness, personal finance, food preservation, consumer skills, restaurant food safety, landscaping and youth development, including the ever popular 4-H Clubs.
The Extension Service’s programs in Virginia are based at the Commonwealth’s two land-grant universities, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and Virginia State University in Petersburg.
Kaci Daniel, a representative of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, will speak to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club on April 21 on the work of the Extension Service in Orange County.
The presentation will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Woods Center meeting room. Guests are welcome.
Agriculture continues to be a significant part of Orange County’s economy and way of life. Ranked by sales, Orange is the seventh largest agricultural county in Virginia. The county is home to more than 400 active farms averaging 243 acres each, according to the Orange County Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Daniel will provide an overview of the programs that Extension offers and will suggest ways that citizens can take advantage of educational opportunities the agency provides in its four main areas of emphasis: agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer services and family nutrition.
Ms. Daniel has served as the 4-H Extension agent in Orange County since 2001. She is a native of Madison County who grew up in the 4-H program. She received her bachelor’s degree in dairy science and her master’s degree in career and technical education from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
She is a member of the National and Virginia Associations of Extension 4-H Agents and a volunteer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia and the Madison County Fair.
Ms. Daniel’s Extension work in Orange focuses on youth development in clubs, camps, and school program settings as well as volunteer development and support for more than 400 volunteers. She has conducted interdisciplinary programs with Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Family Nutrition Program.
