Farming Exhibit at Alexander Black House

Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation (BM&CF) announces Virginia is for Farmers: Agriculture in Southwest Virginia, Then and Now on exhibit from July 8 – August 18, in the Alexander Black House main galleries, 204 Draper Road SW, Blacksburg. Admission is free, hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm. Virginia is For Farmers reception will be on Saturday, August 6, from 11am – 1pm, and is open to the public.

Virginia is for Farmers: Agriculture in Southwest Virginia, Then and Now explores pre-settler agriculture in southwestern Virginia, Blacksburg area farms in the 18th and 19th Centuries, the birth of the Future Farmers of America at Virginia Tech in the early 20th Century, and brings us to our present day local farmers’ market and Blacksburg’s neighborhood gardens. The exhibit will include agricultural tools from the late-19th and early 20th century, adapted farm tools for farmers with disabilities, Future Farmers of America and Virginia historical items, maps, photos, and interviews.

“There are few things in life as important as the food we eat, yet we often take for granted where our food comes from. Virginia is for Farmers: Agriculture in Southwest Virginia pays homage to the rich agricultural history of our region while also offering a glimpse into what the future of farming might look like,” says the museum’s executive director Kate Skelly.