A Family Farm's Smart Strategy for Success

Steve Hopkins is a farmer from Virginia who has been working on his family's farm for almost 30 years. He is the sixth generation to run Riverview Farms, which is located near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Steve and his wife, Cristi, have been working hard to make the farm bigger and more diverse. This way, their two sons, Blake and Garrett, can work on the farm full-time. The Hopkins family has about 300 cows. They take care of the calves for 45 days after they are born. This helps the calves get used to eating dry food before they are sold. Steve says that they try to add value to everything they raise on the farm. Blake, Steve's older son, went to college in Kansas. He came back to the farm and started feeding bulls. He also sells the farm's bulls. Garrett, the younger son, went to Virginia Tech. He manages the farm's turkey houses and crop operations. The turkey houses use special technology to control the environment. This helps the turkeys grow better. The Hopkins family grows corn, grass, and sorghum. They use cow manure and turkey litter as fertilizer. This saves them money. They also plant cover crops on every acre and use a method called no-till farming. This helps keep the soil healthy. Steve was named Virginia's Farmer of the Year. He says that he never thought he would win. He is proud to have his name nominated and to win. He also started the Central Virginia Cattlemen Association in 1998. Steve has been working as an Extension agent for 29 years. He has helped many farmers in Virginia. He says that Extension programs are very important. They provide unbiased information to farmers.