Farm Grayson County VA

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

🍎🌽🍅 What a Farm to School Week in Grayson County!

Virginia Farm to School Week (October 5–9) was packed with local food, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of crunch. Here's a look at the week:

🚜 From the field to the salad bar – Our Culinary II students, who help prep all of the produce for our salad bar, took a field trip to Reyes Nature Farm in Independence. They toured the high tunnels, helped pick the cherry tomatoes and peppers served this week, and made traditional street corn (elote) with the farm's own sweet corn. 🌶️

🌽 Tuesday – Local corn on the cob, grown by Reyes Nature Farm.

🍝 Wednesday – Spaghetti sauce made with tomatoes from Fishel Organics in Mouth of Wilson. They were picked this summer, then blanched, peeled, and frozen so students could enjoy them this fall.

🍎 Thursday – The Crunch Heard 'Round the Commonwealth! Our students joined schools across Virginia in celebrating 10 years of the Crunch by biting into Virginia-grown Fuji apples from Leonard Orchards in Cana. A late frost took Grayson County's apple crop this year, so we're grateful to our neighbors in Carroll County.

🥗 Local produce on the salad bar Wednesday through Friday, picked and prepped with help from our Culinary II students.

🥣🍫 Taste tests! Students sampled our Harvest Soup, made with local zucchini and yellow squash, and our double chocolate zucchini brownies, then filled out surveys to help shape future school menus.

A huge thank you to our local farmers, our school nutrition team, our Culinary II students, Grayson County Virginia Cooperative Extension, the GATE Center Commercial Kitchen, and our amazing Farm to School volunteers for bringing fresh, local food from the farm to the tray. This is just the beginning!

04/10/2026

28/09/2026

Join Our Team! Apply today: https://www.applitrack.com/grayson/onlineapp/

Grayson County Public Schools is currently hiring part-time Food Service staff for the GCHS cafeteria, as well as substitutes in all areas.

Join our team at Grayson County Public Schools!

26/08/2026

Grayson Co CATE Center

🎉 BIG NEWS for Grayson County Farm to School! 🎉

We've been awarded a $38,595 Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Infrastructure Grant from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services!

This funding — combined with a local match from the Grayson County EDA — will equip the GATE Center's shared-use commercial kitchen with cold storage and food processing equipment. Here's what that means for our community:

🥫 Local produce like tomatoes and berries can be turned into value-added products — think spaghetti sauce and freezer pops — made right here and served in Grayson County schools.
🧊 New cold storage will let us receive and stage fresh, locally grown food for both school meals and kitchen processing.
🤝 The expanded space will also be available to other local food entrepreneurs using the GATE Center kitchen.

This is a huge step toward our goal of connecting Grayson County farms directly to Grayson County students — building on the salad bar program launching this year, minimally processed local produce making its way into school menu items, and the school gardens coming in 2027.

A huge thank-you to Governor Spanberger's office (Governor of Virginia), VDACS (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services), the Grayson County EDA (Grayson County, Virginia), Grayson County Public Schools, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and everyone who has supported this initiative so far. This is what's possible when a community invests in local food and local kids together.

Want to be part of what's next? We're always looking for farms to supply the program, volunteers for the kitchen and school gardens, and community support. Reach out anytime!

26/08/2026

Grayson County Public Schools, VA
Virginia Cooperative Extension

🎉 BIG NEWS for Grayson County Farm to School! 🎉

We've been awarded a $38,595 Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Infrastructure Grant from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services!

This funding — combined with a local match from the Grayson County EDA — will equip the GATE Center's shared-use commercial kitchen with cold storage and food processing equipment. Here's what that means for our community:

🥫 Local produce like tomatoes and berries can be turned into value-added products — think spaghetti sauce and freezer pops — made right here and served in Grayson County schools.
🧊 New cold storage will let us receive and stage fresh, locally grown food for both school meals and kitchen processing.
🤝 The expanded space will also be available to other local food entrepreneurs using the GATE Center kitchen.

This is a huge step toward our goal of connecting Grayson County farms directly to Grayson County students — building on the salad bar program launching this year, minimally processed local produce making its way into school menu items, and the school gardens coming in 2027.

A huge thank-you to Governor Spanberger's office (Governor of Virginia), VDACS (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services), the Grayson County EDA (Grayson County, Virginia), Grayson County Public Schools, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and everyone who has supported this initiative so far. This is what's possible when a community invests in local food and local kids together.

Want to be part of what's next? We're always looking for farms to supply the program, volunteers for the kitchen and school gardens, and community support. Reach out anytime!

25/08/2026

🎉 BIG NEWS for Grayson County Farm to School! 🎉

We've been awarded a $38,595 Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Infrastructure Grant from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services!

This funding — combined with a local match from the Grayson County EDA — will equip the GATE Center's shared-use commercial kitchen with cold storage and food processing equipment. Here's what that means for our community:

🥫 Local produce like tomatoes and berries can be turned into value-added products — think spaghetti sauce and freezer pops — made right here and served in Grayson County schools.
🧊 New cold storage will let us receive and stage fresh, locally grown food for both school meals and kitchen processing.
🤝 The expanded space will also be available to other local food entrepreneurs using the GATE Center kitchen.

This is a huge step toward our goal of connecting Grayson County farms directly to Grayson County students — building on the salad bar program launching this year, minimally processed local produce making its way into school menu items, and the school gardens coming in 2027.

A huge thank-you to Governor Spanberger's office (Governor of Virginia), VDACS (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services), the Grayson County EDA (Grayson County, Virginia), Grayson County Public Schools, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and everyone who has supported this initiative so far. This is what's possible when a community invests in local food and local kids together.

Want to be part of what's next? We're always looking for farms to supply the program, volunteers for the kitchen and school gardens, and community support. Reach out anytime!

13/08/2026

Coming up on Tuesday, August 11th - join us for two for hands-on learning experiences with VA Cooperative Extension Agents at Chilhowie Public Library! No experience is necessary and all supplies are provided.

🥕Pressure Canning | 1-4pm | Cost $10 per person
OR
🍇Water Bath Canning | 5:30 - 7:30pm | Cost $10 per person

🌀Registration is required and spaces are limited.
➡Call 276-646-3404 to reserve a spot.

13/08/2026

Soil to Shelf: Turning Farm Assets into Food & Beverage Brands 🌱🥫

Join regional partners on Thursday, August 27, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon for a practical, one-day workshop designed for farmers, agricultural producers, and early-stage food and beverage entrepreneurs.

The workshop will help attendees understand the path from farm assets and product ideas to licensed, market-ready food and beverage businesses. Sessions will cover production, business planning, licensing, food safety, grants, loans, workforce, processing, distribution, and retail readiness.

The day will include short presentations, local business examples, and an interactive resource marketplace where attendees can ask specific questions and connect directly with support organizations.

🔗Link to Register:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=MXUOitwgp0m4jraIQMpBaMATIVEBvV5AkJ0BKEQUlCdUNVBFSU1PT1k3UlE3UTVCQk5MSUVaVldOWS4u&route=shorturl

13/07/2026

Don't miss the Food Preservation Conference being held in Wytheville on Saturday, August 1st! Register by July 24th. https://pears.io/events/vce/4675/