Farm-fresh and proud

Gloomy skies and cold rain didn’t put a damper on Monday’s award ceremony at Croftburn Farm.

Inside a cozy white cottage on the spacious 1,000-acre property, Gary Lee, Culpeper Chamber of Commerce chairman, presented Laura Ann Stevenson Campbell and her family with the 2010 Agribusiness of the Year award for their family beef and sheep operation.

“On behalf of the chamber, we’d like to present you as a representative of Croftburn Farm our 23rd award,” Lee said. “You’ve got a lot to be very proud of, and I’m very proud to present this to you.”
Monday also marked the first day of National Ag Week.

“Thus, it is fitting to recognize the excellence, achievement and a dedication to community service demonstrated by Laura Campbell and her family at Croftburn Farm,” said Jim Charapich, president and CEO of Culpeper Chamber of Commerce.

“We treasure and consider the agriculture community as a vital part of Culpeper. There are many farms in Culpeper deserving of this award. It is with great pleasure that we are able to honor one of the finest in our community.”

Surrounded by her two daughters, Meg and Desy, Laura Campbell accepted the silver-engraved plate.

“It’s better than a plaque on a wall. It’s useful,” said the 85-year-old New York native. “I’m very delighted.”

Desy Campbell even suggested serving brownies on the shiny new hardware.

The family farm is located on Route 3, just east of town. The Campbells have farmed in the Culpeper area since the 1920s and in the present location since 1954.

Today, the family operation comprises three generations: Laura Campbell, her two daughters (Meg and Desy) and grandson Andrew.

The Campbells raise and sell all-natural, grain-finished, grass-fed pastured beef and lamb to individuals, families, restaurants, wineries, butcher shops and specialty shops.

Two of Croftburn Farm’s largest customers are Culpeper Regional Hospital and the Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton. According to Meg Campbell, the family also sells a lot of its product in Fredericksburg.

Laura Campbell, a World War II veteran who served in the Women’s Land Army, took over the family farm in 1977 after the unexpected death of her husband, Bruce.

Between 1943 and 1947, the United States established a federal organization that recruited and trained women to work on farms left untended as men were being drafted during World War II.

Therefore, farming has always been dear to the entire Campbell family.

Every chance she gets, Meg Campbell encourages the people she meets to support local businesses through the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” movement started by the Piedmont Environmental Council.

“If you buy this, there are no hormones. There are no antibiotics,” she said. “And if you invest locally, the dollars stay here.”