Virginia Farm Bureau's Real Virginia and City of Hampton Round Robin – August 21, 2025
Virginia Farm Bureau's Real Virginia and City of Hampton Round Robin – August 21, 2025
This program, aired on August 21, 2025, is a compilation of segments from the Virginia Farm Bureau's 'Real Virginia' and the City of Hampton's 'Round Robin' talk shows. It covers a wide range of topics including invasive blue catfish, gardening, farm child care, cooking, community health, history, and local business innovation. No formal votes or decisions were taken; the broadcast is informational and educational.
Blue Catfish Invasive Species
- Fishermen Chris Von Hott and Christopher Whitmire described catching 3,000–4,000 pounds of catfish daily on the Pomunke River. They expressed concern (a position) that blue catfish are drastically reducing crab, eel, and other native species.
- A Virginia Tech presentation noted blue catfish now represent 75% of the biomass in the James, Rappahannock, and York Rivers. They can grow to over 100 pounds and live about 10 years.
- Watermen and the host highlighted that the fish are safe to eat – white, firm, sweet meat – and encouraged restaurants and consumers to help manage the population by ordering blue catfish.
- A processing shortage was noted due to the USDA inspection transition.
Drip Irrigation Demonstration
- Ed Olson (Virginia Cooperative Extension) and Jim Hankins (Falkier Education Farm) demonstrated a garden drip irrigation kit. They explained that drip irrigation uses 4–6 PSI, waters plant bases, reduces disease, and is more efficient than sprinklers or soaker hoses.
Grain Salad Recipe
- Chef Tammy Brawley from the Green Kitchen showed how to make a summer grain salad using red rice, orzo, lemon-olive oil dressing, green onions, shredded carrots, cucumber, and kalamata olives.
Farm Child Care Solutions
- Reporter Elijah Griles visited Gathering Springs Farm in Hampton. Owners Pamela Jones and Sarah Obahovich described their integrated child care model, where child care staff are paid farm team members. They highlighted the challenges of balancing parenting and farm work, and the value of a supportive network of farm moms.
- Ashley Van Pelt joined the farm in 2025, citing the network of mom farmers as a gift.
State Fair Thank-Yous
- Multiple fairgoers expressed gratitude to Virginia farmers for their hard work and local produce, milk, and meat.
Grill Sergeant Cooking Segment
- Army Sergeant First Class Brad Turner and Staff Sergeant Martina Warren demonstrated making turkey meatloaf (with ground turkey for lower fat) and beef stew with rice. They emphasized hand-washing and food safety.
Perils for Pedestrians – Vicksburg Bridge
- The episode focused on the Old Vicksburg Bridge (1926–1998 auto traffic). Herman Smith (superintendent, Warren County Bridge Commission) described the bridge’s history and the commission's efforts to open it for pedestrians and bicyclists. The railroad (Meridian Speedway LLC) opposes full-time pedestrian access due to safety concerns.
- Buddy Dees (Friends of the Vicksburg Bridge) detailed the advocacy group’s push for recreational use, referencing the successful Harahan Bridge in Memphis as a model.
- Linda Fondren (community health advocate) emphasized the bridge’s potential to boost physical activity, tourism, and community pride in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Kecoughtan High School Alumni Features
- Howard White (Nike Jordan brand VP) shared his journey from Kecoughtan High School (1969 graduate) to success, stressing education, hard work, and the power of speaking to others.
- Corinne Clinch (2010 Phoebus High graduate, CEO of Vorus Inc.) described her startup that uses nanotechnology for simple water filters for disaster relief. The company won South by Southwest and Collision Conference.
- Christina Parrish (2004 Phoebus graduate, program director at Girls Inc. of DC) spoke about how Hampton City Schools’ diversity prepared her to connect with people from different backgrounds.
Round Robin: Advanced Aircraft Company
- Host Robin McCormick interviewed Bill Fredericks, founder of Advanced Aircraft Company in Hampton. The company is developing the 'Hammer' hybrid-electric multi-rotor drone (3+ hours flight time vs. typical 20 minutes). Fredericks discussed his background at NASA Langley, the licensing process, and the importance of persistence and resources like the Peninsula Technology Incubator. He predicted that in 10 years, drones will be commonly seen performing tasks like inspecting power lines.
Round Robin: History of Phoebus
- Author Tim Receiver (new resident of Phoebus) discussed his book on Phoebus history. He highlighted the town’s unique racial dynamics, including integrated police forces and African American town council members in 1901, as well as the era of 83 saloons per 1,500 people around 1898. He touched on prohibition, organized crime rumors, and the 1898 soldier riots.
Round Robin: First Africans in Virginia
- Beth Austin and Lucy Cochran from the Hampton History Museum discussed the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in 1619 at Point Comfort (Hampton). They explained the White Lion and Treasurer ships, the piracy context, and that while the exact landing site is debated, Hampton makes a strong case. They noted the Africans were likely from the Kingdom of Ndongo in Angola, a urbanized society, and that their arrival marked the beginning of institutional slavery in the U.S. The museum uses this history to foster community conversation.
Fusion Fitness Chair Exercise
- Host Taishana Felix and her father Tony led a chair-based workout suitable for all levels, focusing on cardio, leg strength, and stretching.
Meeting Transcript
Used by the Virginia Farm Bureau. For nearly a century, Farm Bureau has been a friend of the farm for all Virginians. Visit our website at VAFB.com. Hello everyone and welcome to Real Virginia, a show about Virginia agriculture and the people who produce the wonderful local products we enjoy. Brought to you by the Virginia Farm Bureau. Here's what's coming up on this week's show. Blue catfish are eating oysters, crabs, and other marine life at an alarming pace. Chef Tammy shows us how to use grains instead of lettuce for a delicious summer salad. And we look at the creative solutions farm parents are finding for child care. Virginia. Welcome back to Real Virginia, everyone. We're coming to you this week from Amory Seafood in Hampton, Virginia, one of many marinas where watermen head out to fish Virginia's waters. But the blue catfish is eating up many of the crabs, oysters, and other seafood that Virginians have come to enjoy. Catfishing begins in the early morning darkness on the Pomunke River in New Kent County for fishermen Chris Von Hott and Christopher Whitmire. They get on the water at 3 a.m. and work until midday, hoping to catch three to four thousand pounds of catfish before heading back to shore. By daybreak, the fish are definitely still biting. But these watermen and many others are concerned that the catfish are eating up the other species in these rivers that lead to the Chesapeake Bay, making those other fish, oysters, crabs, and clams more scarce. I mean, from the crabber's point of point of view, it's drastically reduced the amount of crabs. I mean, same with the shed, American shed, and the eels. I mean, used to be plenty of eels in this river, and not so many anymore. Wild blue catfish were stocked in the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s and 80s as a trophy fish for recreational fishermen. Over the past 15 years, the blue catfish has thrived to the point that they've eaten into the population of many other species in Virginia waters. I mean, they go all the way down to the Chesapeake Bay, down toward, you know, like Gloucester. People have been catching them down there in Gill nets. I know down in Buckaroe on Buckaroe Beach, they've been catching them on fishing poles. Catfish are able to go into salt water, but they eventually need to be back in freshwater, such as the Pomunky River, which leads to the York River, which leads to the Chesapeake Bay. The bay itself is an estuary where fresh water from the rivers mixes with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. We're kind of on the precipice of what I would say is a catastrophic event in our seafood economy because of the blue catfish. They're literally consuming literally anything they can get into their mouth, and they're doing it very effectively. So while it has become this massive ecological and socioeconomic concern, they also happen to taste really good. And there lies the silver lining in the blue catfish problem. They have more flavor than what most people think catfish taste like. A lot of people receive the word catfish as being a bottom feeder. It doesn't have that good sweet, firm white meat like the wild blue catfish does, and his perception that you got to get over that hurdle and put it in your mouth and try it. It was a great product, white, firm, sweet meat, high in protein and low in fat. Many Virginia restaurants also have started offering blue catfish on their menus. Scrimpshack is one here from DC, down in North Carolina. It's 13 to 15 of those, and they put it on as a seasonal item last year and this year. And they have the same thing, just introducing it to the public and what it is and perceived it's just not catfish. Despite the blue catfish's voracious appetite, not everyone believes they're bad for Virginia's seafood industry. Boat companies, fuel companies, gear companies, distribution companies, trucking companies, packaging coming as food service, retail, and restaurants. The inspection process for blue catfish moved from the Food and Drug Administration to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And that has led to a shortage of processing facilities for these watermen to take the catfish that they catch. Van Hotton and his crew are able to fish in the fresh waters of the Pomonkey River, but he would like to bring in more than just catfish. American shed, American eel, your uh rockfish, strip and bass. All those fish do come up here to spawn. And, well, as soon as they have your little babies, I mean, you got your vacuum clean of going around eating them. I mean, it needs to be removed out of here.
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