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Grown Here at Home
Updated: Jun. 22, 2020 at 9:34 AM EDT
Now’s the time when many of us are sprucing up our yards for the summer months ahead. Before you start planting, there are a couple things you need to keep in mind.
Updated: Jun. 15, 2020 at 9:11 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Whether you're an avid gardener or a beginner, some things you have to keep an eye on are disease and pests.
Updated: Jun. 8, 2020 at 9:50 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
From living life in California to becoming farmers in Virginia. There’s quite the story of how My Shepherd’s Farm came to be.
Updated: Jun. 1, 2020 at 9:59 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
In talking with farmers, this time period we’re going through has shown many people they want to get back to the old way of doing things.
Updated: May. 18, 2020 at 5:42 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
A farm in Rural Retreat is getting a lot of attention these days because one particular animal there is always stealing the show.
Updated: May. 11, 2020 at 5:02 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
It’s now that time of the season when you can take the plants you’ve been growing inside and transplant them into the ground.
Updated: May. 4, 2020 at 5:27 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Navigating through this season of our lives has its own challenges, but we are resilient, and so are our local farmers.
Updated: Apr. 27, 2020 at 7:23 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
To ensure a craft isn't lost, passing it down to the next generation is a must. Although restorative forestry has made a resurgence, keeping this skill alive requires the next generation to take the reins so to speak.
Updated: Apr. 20, 2020 at 5:57 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Traditional methods – even those dating back to the Middle Ages – may be the best way to handle some of our modern day dilemmas, even when it comes to caring for our forests. Within the past several years there’s been a resurgence of horse logging.
Updated: Apr. 14, 2020 at 9:46 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Draft breed horses are known for their size, strong bodies, and great working capabilities. Back in February, Neesey Payne took a trip to Ridgewind Farms in Floyd to learn how these horses are being used in restorative forestry. And while there, she learned a great deal about the history of these horses.
Local Radar
Updated: Apr. 6, 2020 at 10:05 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Farmers do a lot to provide for our hometowns. Mark Woods of Woods Farms in Franklin County gives some insight into the farm life.
Updated: Mar. 30, 2020 at 10:39 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Sometimes you’ve got to pause, re-assess and breathe new life into a thing. That’s what’s happening with the Giving Garden in Salem.
Updated: Mar. 16, 2020 at 7:47 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
If you're planning on growing produce this year, now's the time to start seeding those winter crops. Fields Edge Farm in Floyd will be turning into a classroom this year. They'll be holding workshops to help you grow your best garden yet.
Updated: Mar. 2, 2020 at 6:26 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
The Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to Roanoke in a couple weeks. Hollins University will be hosting them during their stay.
Updated: Feb. 17, 2020 at 9:57 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Making fruits and vegetables affordable and accessible year-round for those with low income is what the Virginia Fresh Match program is all about. It started in 2015, and it continues to grow.
Updated: Feb. 10, 2020 at 9:26 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
With the first growing season of hemp over, it wasn't just researchers who had a lot to learn, it was farmers, too. A farmer in Montgomery County shares his experience with the crop.
Updated: Feb. 3, 2020 at 10:14 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
The 2018 Farm Bill, removed hemp from being classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance, and reclassified it as an agricultural commodity. With the passing of that bill, Virginia became one of the states that made it legal to grow hemp. Here's a look at where the research stands.
Updated: Jan. 27, 2020 at 9:57 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Virginia Western Community College is making some upgrades to a campus staple.
Updated: Jan. 17, 2020 at 6:32 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
The second annual Woods and Wildlife Conference is happening Saturday, February 15, at Hollins University.
Updated: Jan. 13, 2020 at 11:00 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
It's not just poinsettias that will make your home look beautiful this time of year. There are several plant options out there for you.
Updated: Dec. 30, 2019 at 10:08 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Neesey Payne takes a trip down memory lane to show where 2019 took us during our Grown Here at Home series.
Updated: Dec. 9, 2019 at 5:46 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
If you’re still on the hunt for a fresh Christmas tree, no need to worry, there are plenty of farmers here who have you covered, including Woods Farm in Franklin County.
Updated: Nov. 11, 2019 at 9:38 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Since 1928, the National FFA Organization has been preparing future generations of farmers. It’s happening in schools across our hometowns.
Updated: Nov. 4, 2019 at 5:54 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Virginia Tech is part of the SmartFarm Innovation Network. There are over 120 locations across Virginia. They all work together to provide resources and strategies for farmers, producers, and communities to use.
Updated: Oct. 28, 2019 at 5:32 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Several schools in our hometowns received grants from Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom. One school in Botetourt County is using the money to expand on what’s already a good thing.
Updated: Oct. 21, 2019 at 11:55 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
The apple butter at Woods Farm in Franklin County is one of their top sellers.You can eat it at any time, but it’s this time of year when they make it.
Updated: Oct. 7, 2019 at 9:39 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Over the past few years the hard cider industry has really taken off. There’s even research happening right now at Virginia Tech focused on the drink.
Updated: Sep. 30, 2019 at 6:20 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Farmers are always looking for creative ways to meet their customers where they are. Woods Farm is doing just that for the residents at Friendship Retirement Community in Roanoke.
Updated: Aug. 26, 2019 at 5:40 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Every year, several produce recalls happen all over the country because of foodborne illnesses. There are measures farmers can take to cut down on the risk of this happening.
Updated: Aug. 12, 2019 at 9:03 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
The people at Beaver Dam Farm in Botetourt County are busy preparing for their annual Sunflower Festival. They’re planning to have acres of sunflowers ready for you to enjoy, but they’ll have some new things, too.
Updated: Jul. 26, 2019 at 2:08 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Antique farming methods aren't just a thing of the past. One farm in Bedford County only uses old farming equipment -- some of it dating back to the 1930s.
Updated: Jul. 16, 2019 at 2:20 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Planting seeds beyond the ones that are sown in the ground. That's what a group from Church Alive International in Roanoke did as they went out to be a blessing on their Serve Day at Morningside Park.
Updated: Jul. 1, 2019 at 10:38 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Mark Woods, the owner of Woods Farm, says the weather this year has been great for growing peaches. The heat and humidity help the peaches to grow and make them sweet.
Updated: Jun. 24, 2019 at 5:38 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Students at Lord Botetourt High School who are involved in the FFA and one of the ag classes there, explain why it’s so important for these types of programs to be in schools.
Updated: Jun. 10, 2019 at 10:03 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
At Lord Botetourt High School the animals at the livestock facility are loved equally, but there is clearly one who always steals the show.
Updated: Jun. 4, 2019 at 6:45 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
A question Neesey Payne always gets is, "What is your buddy Mark Woods up to? And since y'all asked, she thought she'd deliver.
Updated: May. 28, 2019 at 6:40 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Virginia Tech has a one-of-a-kind opportunity on campus. The Ag Tech program is a concentrated learning experience preparing students for careers in the ag and green industries.
Updated: May. 20, 2019 at 10:10 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
It's a big deal when someone with a high level of influence in the ag industry comes to visit your hometown. It means even more when that person has a pretty special connection to that place.
Updated: May. 6, 2019 at 6:37 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
It’s one thing to learn about agriculture in a book, it’s another thing to experience it first-hand. Students are doing just that at Lord Botetourt High School.
Updated: Apr. 29, 2019 at 10:29 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Still trying to figure out what to get Mom for Mother's Day? The greenhouse at Woods Farm in Franklin County is full of bright ideas.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2019 at 6:30 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
A farm-to-table restaurant is Roanoke is serving up southern food…but not in the way you might think.
Updated: Apr. 10, 2019 at 11:05 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Sometimes the most precious treasures are grown right in your own backyard, you've just gotta have eyes to see it. And in this woman's case, she's always able to spot the luckiest finds.
Updated: Apr. 2, 2019 at 7:33 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
The U.S. is a huge consumer of edamame and Virginia Tech is researching ways we can be a key player in producing the soy bean.
Updated: Mar. 28, 2019 at 5:41 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
We live in a region where agriculture is a big deal. And Virginia Western Community College wants to make sure it’s doing its best to equip the next generation of farmers with a new degree program.
Updated: Mar. 19, 2019 at 11:44 AM EDT
|By Neesey Payne
Agritourism is probably not something you hear talked about every day concerning the local economy, but it's very vital and making a huge impact.
Updated: Mar. 7, 2019 at 10:08 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Obis One has been working on some garlic collaborations in their test kitchen.
Updated: Feb. 25, 2019 at 10:42 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
Patrick and Lisa Lloyd are one fun couple. Neither of them ever thought they would be selling garlic together, but when life gives you garlic, in their case you start Obis One LLC.
Updated: Feb. 18, 2019 at 7:40 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
How do farm-to-table restaurants stay true to their mission when it's winter time, and there's not an abundance of produce? A Roanoke farm-to-table restaurant explains how they get creative in the winter months.
Updated: Jan. 29, 2019 at 7:43 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
The sunflower Festival in Botetourt County brings in lots of people every year. The sunflowers aren't just something pretty to look at.
They're an actual crop that’s harvested in the winter time.
Updated: Nov. 12, 2018 at 8:13 AM EST
|By Neesey Payne
The James River High School FFA made chapter history at the National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis.