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By DAPHNE HUTCHINSON
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Thomas Williams, the county extension agent, assessing the future of the local agriculture industry. Despite the pressures of development, higher taxes, and labor shortages, he sees potential in beef cattle, sheep, grapes for Virginia’s burgeoning wine business, and apples. But with the latter — traditionally the strongest element in Rappahannock’s farming picture — Mr. Williams, himself a life-long Rappahannock farmer and orchardist, also sees a critical need for improved marketing strategies if orchardists are to prosper.
Cattle
“I see good possibilities for beef cattle, especially for the farmer using rented land . . . Nationwide, the cattle numbers are down, and the beef prices that have been depressed for the last 10 or 12 years are now going up ... I see a definite place in Rappahannock County for the pure-bred cow' man who’s selling seed stock to the commercial man, and I see a definite place for the cow/calf man (who raises calves for sale to the feed lots). We’ve got land around here that produces good grass and good hay. But Rappahannock’s never beeh a grain county. The land's nVt level enough; we don’t get good production, bo we can’t raise the grain that’s needed to puslwi calf from 800 pounds to the 1,200 pound slaugnte*j<veight,” said the extension agent.
Sheep
“Sheep are another definite possibility. Sheep and cattle go well together grazing,” Mr. Williams continued, adding that the combination has not been tried more often in Rappahannock only because of the potential for losses to marauding dogs. But especially with growing consumer interest in lamb as a dinner table staple, this type of farming holds promise for the future, he said. “Consumers are looking more at salad bars and leaner meat like lamb.”
Wine grapes
The success of Virginia’s fledgling wine industry is proving that quality grapes for fine wines can be grown in the Piedmont region. And it’s not just to the product but also to the marketing strategies of the producers that Mr. Williams would have Rappahannock farmers look. The wineries are pooling resources to pro
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