Army Grit Gives Veteran Extra Incentive to Grow A Specialty Crop
United States Army Veteran Rob Davis knows a good idea when he stumbles across it.
Davis and his wife, Anastasia, purchased a retirement home tucked away on 21 acres in Prince George County, Virginia and were trying to figure out what to do with the land. “I was thinking of raising bees. After doing some research that led me to understand you have to provide forage for them, that’s when I kind of stumbled into lavender. It was just meant to be,” said Davis, who became interested in farming in the fall of 2016.
Davis grew up in Pennsylvania, but aside from some gardening, he had no real farming experience. “I retired after 30 years in the military, and I never imagined agriculture as my next chapter in my life.”
Armed with lessons learned at Virginia State University (VSU), he and his wife opened in February 2019 Heavenly Hideaway Lavender Farm, where they grow lavender and buckwheat, and raise bees. “Actually the name of the farm hit me in church. … The heavenly part was because we’ve always said this is our little slice of heaven,” he said. The hideaway part is because it’s tucked off the main road, and it’s become a hideaway for family and friends who like to visit.
As a new and beginning farmer, Davis, who has a master’s degree in strategic planning that he earned in the army, knew he had a lot to learn. Lavender is a Mediterranean plant that likes hot, dry climates. “It’s biggest enemy is wet roots, and it will get root rot really quickly,” he said.
The more he learned about lavender, the more interested he became, but not everyone shared his enthusiasm. He told a few people initially that he was going to grow a specialty crop, and they asked what? When he said lavender, “They were like, it won’t work, and ‘I’m like watch me, I’ll prove you wrong in a year or two.’ ” Their lack of faith, “just made me committed.”
Talking to Davis, you can hear his passion and perseverance… grit as it’s called in the army. He would need that grit to overcome a battle Davis didn’t see coming.
Before he could get the farm operation off the ground, he was diagnosed in July 2016 with Stage 4 cancer. “It came out of no where,” but Davis had a lot of fight in him, and began treatment — surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
“When you do chemo no one let’s you know you’re going to be sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day.” Davis made good use of that time and didn’t put his plans on hold while undergoing treatment. “I was already interested in beekeeping, and that’s where I started reading in the chair about lavender.” The cancer treatment made him “pause in life,” and became the catalyst for his continued research in beekeeping and discovery of lavender, which set off a spark that drew him even more to agriculture. “The silver lining to the cancer was that I reassessed my life goals and found my new purpose in life. I found agriculture…or it found me.”
But the battle was far from over. “I went from a pretty strong vibrant person to losing 60 pounds or more, and it really impacts you. I was in pretty bad shape, and I knew that if I could make it to the spring and get outside that I would survive, and that was my whole motivation because I draw my energy from being outside and working with my hands.”
His treatment ended that November. Thinking about agriculture is what kept him through the winter, and when spring arrived, he was on a mission. Davis began researching information through the USDA. He also visited his local Prince George County Extension Office, which referred him to VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP). The program, part of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, educates and empowers small, limited-resource, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers to own, operate and sustain farms and ranches.
He met with Vernon Heath, SFOP agriculture management agent, who teaches a class for new and beginning farmers, and from there things really took off, Davis said. He enrolled in more classes through the SFOP. “It was just incredible. I learned about soil management, how to patiently plan your operation and about the different USDA agencies and what they have to offer.”
The biggest and most important lesson he may have learned was patience. In the military, they ingrain in you “be bold and go big.” But he learned from Heath and two other SFOP agents Heath introduced him to, Susan Cheek, who specializes in flowers, and Tammy Holler, who specializes in soil management, that big is not the best approach for a new farmer.
Often new and beginning farmers are pushed into production too quickly, Heath said. He emphasizes that farmers should spend 18 months planning before planting. “Production should be the last thing you do,” he said. “The most important thing you do is marketing.” New farmers need to establish markets for where they will sell their goods before thinking about production because, if they don’t have a place to sell their products, they won’t be in business long.
Heath spent about 18 months teaching Davis the business of farming, helping him understand the importance of a business plan, recordkeeping and financial management and developing a resource list to get assistance, if needed. Heath also connected Davis to VSU Extension specialist Dr. Theresa Nartea, who specializes in marketing and agribusiness, and SFOP agent Tony Edwards, who works with military veterans interested in farming.
Davis said Heath and Edwards stood with him every step of the way on his journey, and Nartea helped his wife with branding and developing a logo for the business. Heath also recommended that Davis visit two other lavender farms and take a tour of their operations.
A team approach was very important in helping Davis start his business, Heath said. “Farming is no different from a large business downtown. If you have a business selling stock, you just don’t go out there and start selling. You have to have details and learn the business first.”
Working with VSU has changed Davis’ approach. Now he’s building his operation in phases. “Over time, we’ve been setting everything up, and Vernon, Tammy and Susan have always had great advice on taking (steps) incrementally and not overdo it on your first try … and I’m so glad I listened because I learned so much,” Davis said.
That lesson came in handy last year when he planted a test crop of lavender with five different varieties. Four of the varieties grew well, but he lost 50 percent of one variety. Although he’s not sure why, he did learn which varieties will grow best. “What they thought would be hardest to grow, grew the best.” Overall, about 90 percent of his plants thrived.
Davis admits he’s still learning. “You just take advantage of opportunities when they come up. If something doesn’t work out, you try to figure out what went wrong and what went right, how you can make the most of it or learn (from it) and keep moving forward.”
Planting the test crop helped him learn a lot about taking care of lavender.
“It’s a pretty interesting crop with some incredible business opportunities,” he said. Lavender plants have aromatic flowers that are used in potpourri, perfumes and oils, and can be used in the culinary arts to flavor foods.
After dreaming for five years, he recently purchased a tractor, which will make it easier for him to plant two acres of lavender this year. Once his crops are established, Davis hopes to market products to local nurseries, restaurants and specialty stores that carry organic foods and essential oils. He’s still discovering and developing markets and was recently contacted by a restaurant in Washington, DC, looking to buy buckwheat.
Davis said that Heath taught him to keep his business plan flexible, take advantage of emerging markets and to always diversify operations so that if something unexpected happens in one area of the business, like drought or too much rain, you can absorb the loss in another area.
Davis is grateful for the education and connections he’s made at and through VSU. “They’ve made an incredible impression on me. I couldn’t have done anything without them,” he said. “It’s impacted my whole family.” His three sons, Yanni, Alexander and Michael are developing interests in agriculture. “What VSU has given me is kind of passing through everybody.”
Davis has been cancer-free for two years. Farming has given him a new lease on life. “It’s really a big healing thing and a passion,” he said. “Every day I love life and just love going out and doing it.”
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