He always wanted to become a farmer. While other kids his age were playing and having fun, he would be taking care of his chickens and learning as much as possible about livestock, a subject that fascinates him like no other. And here he is, more than a decade down the road making his dream of working on a farm come true. Meet Alex Bates, the new Farm Manager of Rapidan River Farm, in Charlottesville and a proud young farmer who believes that agriculture and farming is a solid job with a solid career prospect.

“We wanted to help with the project and honor Melanie’s memory the best we could. For forty years now, the Lucketts Ruritan Club has been following the National Ruritan organization’s motto of Fellowship, Goodwill and Community Service in and around Lucketts. It is in that spirit that the Club has partnered with the New Ag School in the Robert Brose Project."

Doug Fabbioli is concerned about the future of the rural economy, as urban sprawl expands from metropolitan areas into farm fields and pastureland. The Virginia winery owner decided to be part of the solution and founded The New AG School, the school's mission is raising the next generation of farmers.

How best to protect the area’s thousands of acres of farmland from development has been a decades-long debate in Loudoun County, often battled out in board rooms and late-night committee meetings. Now, the men and women who lead some of the county’s most successful rural businesses say that part of the solution is found in raising up the next generation of farmers.