//njwebnews.com/fp/fp5_032001.html Powhatan (VA) farmer goes 'bananas' over farming By Courtnie Walton In a time when many people are “growing houses,” as Powhatan resident and farmer David Cave puts it, there are still some folks who prefer the country life. Many farmers, like Cave, work full-time jobs in addition to farming, but what they truly live for is too large to hold in both hands – like 200 acres or 50 head of cattle. They nurture their land and what it produces, and in turn, are sustained by its bounty. It’s a cycle of life and nature often forgotten in a busy world, but is easy to capture again with a ride in Cave’s pickup truck as he checks on his land, cattle, and new conservation practices. Remembering the farming way of life is what Agriculture Week, March 18-24, is all about. Ag Week has been an annual event for some time, according to Keith Burgess, District Manager for the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). “It’s a national week designed to promote agriculture,” Burgess explained. “The Virginia Department of Agriculture promotes the week … [to emphasize] the importance of agriculture in Virginia.” The Monacan SWCD awarded Cave the Outstanding Cooperator Award for the Best Management Practices (BMPs) that he has installed on his farm. Cave, a beef, tobacco and sweet potato producer, and his wife, Margie, said they began to implement the BMPs two years ago in order to keep their cattle out of the pond for the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Act. The Cave’s pond runs into Rocky Ford Creek, which then feeds into the Appomattox River and ends up in Lake Chesdin. “We set a septic tank close to the pond so water could run in it, put a pump in the tank, and ran lines to the watering trough for the cattle,” Cave explained. “We [fenced] the pond off so the cattle can’t get in the water stream.” Both David and Margie are amazed at how quickly the cows learned how to use the system, which consists of a watering trough with four openings. In each opening sits a large red ball, and by pushing the ball with their noses, the cows are able to drink. “It’s a real nice system,” Margie Cave said. “It makes it easier because cows push the balls down – like a commode float – and drink. You don’t have to teach them to do that.” Another conservation practice the Caves have utilized for two years is a rotational grazing system. By dividing their 60-acre pasture into six lots, they are able to rotate their cattle among the lots, which simplifies chores for the Caves. The couple hopes to eventually have 12 lots. “We’re trying to make farming easier,” Cave explained. “We control the grazing, as the cows eat one lot at a time, alternating [between lots]. If the cows can cut [the hay], we don’t have to.” “We don’t plow as much land now,” Margie Cave added. “That keeps the run-off from the water.” “When the whole farm is fixed like this, with the pastures stockpiled and rotated so the cows do all the work, all I’ll have to do is open the gates,” David Cave said. “We want to hold onto the land for the children,” he added. Margie Cave recalled that growing up on a farm meant that “there was always something to do. On the farm, you don’t get bored.” Now the Caves are passing their love of farming down to their grand- vhildren. One of their granddaughters, who is old enough to really get involved, enjoys the animals and the work, Margie Cave said. “Dave loves his animals, and he loves his land,” Margie Cave explained. “He takes a lot of pride in it.” Farming and family seem to go hand-in-hand, as the couple’s grand- children visit the farm on special occasions, such as Christmas dinner. “All the kids choose their Christmas dinner,” Margie Cave explained. “M&Ms, cookies, goldfish [crackers] – whatever they want.” The cows, an Angus mix, are also part of the family, and as such, are not left out when David Cave gives sweets to his grandchildren. “They love bananas,” said David Cave. “I used to feed them cookies.”