Coastal Virginia’s farming legacy makes for a heck of a weekend excursion
By Ernie Smith / Photo above: Photo By Cecilia Bullis
You probably knew about the peanuts. Maybe the cotton gins. But were you aware of the ostriches and alpacas?
In Suffolk, Southampton, and Isle of Wight, agriculture rules the roost—and not just in chicken form. While the beach is right there, there are plenty of reasons to go a little to the west and check out the farm life near the North Carolina border.
Virginia regulations have long allowed for farms to dabble in tourism. In 2014, the market shifted somewhat when the state opened a path for farmers to launch their own small-scale breweries, distilleries, and wineries.
That attracted new types of farmers such as Greg Bullis. The longtime homebrewer, once associated with Smithfield’s Wharf Hill Brewery, purchased a farm in Zuni with his wife, Christine, with the goal of eventually building a brewery of his own. But they had to get the farm right first, and a bad tomato crop suggested that livestock might be the ticket.
“We wanted something that would eat the spent grain from the brewery,” said Bullis, who was wary of the ecological effects of cattle.
Eventually, he stumbled upon a surprising idea in a book by an astrophysicist: Why not ostriches?
Kampe Bullis Ostrich Farm
And with that, the Kampe Bullis Ostrich Farm—at 6107 Windsor Blvd., Zuni—was born. In the years since that fateful decision, seeded with the help of another ostrich farm in South Carolina, the farm has grown significantly. At current count, the farm has 13 1-year-old ostriches, another half-dozen breeders, and another half-dozen just-hatched ostriches.
Part of what’s driving the growth? An interest in ostrich meat among those who can’t eat mammal-based meat. It’s a niche interest, but health concerns are driving it, particularly alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne illness that can cause a long-term allergy to pork, beef, or other mammal-based meats. Also popular: The eggs, which are massive—reportedly equal to two dozen chicken eggs, per Atlas Obscura.
The region does have a growing legacy of interesting livestock, with multiple alpaca farms hiding throughout the region. But Kampe Bullis, whose name is a twist on a military training facility in Texas that works in Christine’s maiden name, has bigger ambitions.
Bullis is currently on the next step of his plan, putting the finishing touches on an onsite brewery that is expected to be open this summer. The combination of ostriches and brews creates a one-of-a-kind business model that he sees extending into food trucks, with ostrich-shell light fixtures at the bar. Shop offerings include ostrich-fat soaps and knives with ostrich-bone handles, and an ostrich egg stout is on tap.
“No one has ever accused me of being boring,” Bullis said.
Photo courtesy of Southampton Agriculture & Forestry Museum
Southampton Agriculture & Forestry Museum
The agricultural tourism opportunities in the region aren’t just limited to novel breweries or alpaca farms. Sometimes they offer ways to get in touch with the past. Over the past 30 years, The Southampton Agriculture & Forestry Museum—at 26315 Heritage Lane, Courtland—has given locals an up-close look at vintage farm equipment such as plows and working gristmills. Bill Wolfe, who has worked with the museum for two decades, said the museum, made up of multiple distinct buildings, aims to help locals understand the ingenuity of the past.
“People today have forgotten how much of a joy it was to live back then,” Wolfe said. “People don’t have those close ties anymore.”
Most of the museum’s facilities are vintage and often lean into how clever old-school farmers once were in the days before heavy machinery, with Wolfe highlighting the development of seed-spacing wheels as a key example.
“When you go to the museum, you see how smart people were,” he said. “A lot of it might have been out of necessity.”
Commonwealth Gin
While some farms are built to bring in potential tourists, others are working farms that might occasionally make room for the public. A good example of this is Commonwealth Gin—at 25165 Buckhorn Drive, Windsor—a working cotton gin born in the industry’s local comeback in the 1990s. Most of the year, the gin processes cotton by the truckload. The organization says that each fall, it does a harvest that’s opened to the public.
That’s often the case when it comes to agritourism: Based on the season, many farms are open to visitors, but they are also working farms, rather than just destinations. If you’re looking to make a weekend excursion into farm country, be prepared to call ahead or check Facebook if you want to make a pit stop.
With all that in mind, read on for a few additional places worth checking out.
PHOTO BY Cecilia Bullis
Goose Hill Farm
If this Franklin farm had to pick a favorite season, it would definitely be the fall, when it offers both a pumpkin patch and a corn maze, the latter elaborately designed each year by Jason Cobb. While a working farm, it regularly welcomes tourists, offering a weekly farmer’s market and U-pick strawberries and blueberries. And if you want to remember your visit forever, Goose Hill also doubles as a wedding venue. 22173 Sedley Road, Franklin; farmer’s market open Saturdays 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; goosehillfarmva.com.
Darden’s Country Store
This Smithfield landmark, founded in the 1950s, is famed for its smokehouse, its farm-to-table ham sandwiches, and its fall pumpkin harvests. With an attached 600-acre farm that’s packed with livestock, it’s a favorite of local school field trips. 16249 Bowling Green Road, Smithfield; open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. M-F, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday; dardenscountrystore.com.
Evans Farms
Located just off U.S. 58, this farm is close enough to downtown Suffolk that it makes for a quick visit. Throughout most of the year, a small farmer’s market with the latest crops (such as corn, tomatoes, and butter beans) is easily accessible. The highlights are the seasonal features—strawberry picking in the spring, pumpkins in the fall, and Christmas trees around December. 1901 Wilroy Road, Suffolk; open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; facebook.com/EvansFarms1901.
Planters Peanut Center
When Amadeo Obici convinced Birdsong Peanuts to open a peanut processing plant in Suffolk more than a century ago, he helped turn Planters into a legume juggernaut. That legacy is still visible in Suffolk, even if Planters itself moved away decades ago. (Birdsong still has a factory in town, however, about a mile away from this local landmark.) The Peanut Center, packed with treats, is a historic marker for an iconic industry. 308 W Washington St., Suffolk; open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; facebook.com/Planters.Peanut.Center.
