Holding an oregano seedling and soil, Calvin Riggleman is a Marine, served in Iraq, and now he serves his community farm fresh organic produce, and food products made by his Bigg Riggs Farm team, on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, in Hampshire County, West Virginia.
Mr. Riggleman grew up on the family farm but it was his buddies in Iraq who helped him figure out how to make it a going concern -- transforming it from an orchard with roadside sales to a multidimensional farm with a value added food processing to make a wide range of condiment products such as apple butters, jams, sauces, and drink mixes, to name small selection of products for sales online, in community supported agriculture (CSA) operations, farmer’s markets and contracts with Whole Foods and others. Riggleman follows a family tradition, of farming in this area, that extends back to 1775 (the same year the USMC was born) and eight generations. The nearby, original family farm has been owned and operated for five generations. He has owned this farm for a few years and has several employees. Bigg Riggs Farm sells under the Homegrown for Heroes label. He is standing in front of the barn he displays and lights the U.S. national flag, for people to see from the U.S. 50 roadway. Farmers such as Mr. Riggleman may be eligible for support and services from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). New and beginning farmers are encouraged to contact the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in their county. USDA Service Centers are designed to be a single location where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies. The following web site will provide the address of a USDA Service Center and other Agency offices serving your area along with information on how to contact them.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Original public domain image from Flickr