“That is the reason agriculture has continued to grow; it adapts.”

During his lecture, Lohr, a former state delegate who owns Lohrs Farm in his hometown of Broadway, encouraged about 70 EMU students to help shape the future of what he says is an evolving agriculture industry.

“I think there are so many things out there that we have not scratched the surface of. … Just remember that the human brain is powerful,” he said. “It all starts with being able to think outside the way things are normally done.”

Pros And Cons

Corn mazes and other agritourism initiatives are ways the face of agriculture is evolving, Lohr said.

In the last decade, he said, the push to “buy fresh, buy local” also has changed the farming landscape. That trend can be seen in the growing number of farmers markets in Virginia, which has doubled in just the past five years, Lohr said.

In the future, he said, the nation will continue to see an increasing number of farmers markets and roadside produce stands.

“There is a real yearning for a lot of people to say, ‘I want to know where my food is coming from,'” Lohr said.

While most American farming operations remain small – about 1.7 million of the 2.1 million farms in the United States have annual sales of less than $250,000, according to a 2009 Environmental Protection Agency report – the largest 100,000 account for three-quarters the nation’s food supply.

Food production percentages aside, Lohr weighed in on the pros and cons of both kinds of operations.

“Agriculture is such a diverse industry and I think a lot of people have a one-sided image,” he said.

National food suppliers, he said, create jobs and give the general public access to a cheap and consistent food source, while smaller operations generate higher-quality products and can more easily control the spread of diseases among livestock.

“One size doesn’t fit everyone; they both play a very important role,” Lohr said.

Agriculture in Virginia, accounting for an economic impact of $55 billion per year, is the state’s largest industry, Lohr said. The commonwealth has more than 47,000 farms and the industry provides more than 357,000 jobs, he said.

EMU elementary education major Jeremy Heizer, 21, who grew up on a farm, says even he took something away from Lohr‘s talk.

“I live on a farm, so I was interested in seeing what he had to say,” Heizer said. “I learned some things I didn’t know about farming.”

Lecture Series

Lohr‘s hour-long talk kicked off the Suter Seminar Series at EMU, a yearlong slate of events at which academics and industry professionals are invited to discuss topics in science, sustainability and health. Other lecture topics for this year include water sanitation, post-traumatic stress disorder and medicinal and edible plants.

EMU has offered the series for about 10 years, according to Roman Miller, a professor of biology and one of the series’ faculty coordinators.

“These are like little windows into the world of science,” Miller said.

“The events聽make use of different media formats鈥攎usic, film and guest presentations鈥攊n covering sustainable topics,” said Lantz-Trissel.

The events focus on the social, economic and environmental impact of human activity, with the hope of generating discussion at EMU and in the broader Harrisonburg area, said Lantz-Trissel.

“The work of聽building resilient, sustainable communities聽requires head, heart and hands… I hope these events inspire our hearts to do the work with our hands,” said Lantz-Trissel.

Events

Monday, September 12, 2011, 4 p.m. – Suter Science Center, Room 104

Seminar on “Sustainable and Organic Farming in Virginia,” Matt Lohr, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Matt Lohr will address the importance of agriculture to Virginia, the state鈥檚 largest industry. While acknowledging the benefits of traditional agriculture, he will speak of the growing trend of buying local and track its surge in popularity in the last 10 years. The session will end with information on the complexity of today鈥檚 agriculture systems and the ways different systems interconnect.

Commissioner Lohr serves as Virginia鈥檚 14th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He was appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell in 2010.

Wednesday, September聽14, Undergraduate Chapel聽 and Evening Concert

, a singer songwriter, will deliver urban folkstory songs on searching for community and shared meaning. Chaplin, a mother, educator and activist, has a lifelong involvement in “WhyHunger,” an organization that champions innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. Chaplin is also active in the local and sustainable food movement.

Monday, September 26, 2011, 4 p.m. – Suter Science Center, Room 104

Seminar on “The Capacity Factor Approach to Water & Sanitation Services in Developing Communities,” with Garrick Louis, PhD, associate professor of systems engineering, University of Virginia.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011, time and place to be announced

Seminar on “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip,” an award-winning film celebrating the American spirit in the face of adversity. This film is a docu-comedy profiling individuals, groups, businesses who are tackling environmental issues and threats.聽Director Mark Dixon will be on campus during the day to speak in classes and moderate a question- and-answer session after the evening film showing.聽A is available for this film.

Monday, October 17, 2011, 4 p.m. – Suter Science Center, Room 104

Seminar on 鈥�25x 鈥�25鈥濃�� 鈥淎n Impending Global Oil Crisis and America’s Renewable Energy Goal (25% renewable energy by the year 2025),鈥� with Christopher Bachmann, PhD, College of Integrated Sciences & Technology, JMU.

Monday, November 7, 2011, 4 p.m. – Suter Science Center, Room 104

Seminar discussing “A Shenandoah Valley of 10,000 Smokes,” with Tony Hartshorn, PhD, department of geology and environmental science, JMU.

Friday, November 18, 2011, 4 p.m. – Suter Science Center, Room 106

Seminar on “Bushmeat Hunting, Palm Oil, and Primate Conservation in Cameroon,” with Joshua Linder, PhD, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, JMU.

Thursday, December 1, 2011, 8 p.m. – Common Grounds Coffeehouse

Rev. Jim Ball speaks from his newest book, “Global Warming & The Risen Lord.” This book moves beyond the old debates about climate change to a new conversation filled with inspirational stories and sobering scientific research. Rev. Ball illustrates that global warming is one of the major challenges of our time, but one that can be overcome by following the Risen Lord. Rev. Ball will be speaking in undergraduate chapel on Dec. 2.