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Cumberland County officials came armed with a list of needs and questions. Now over the next several months, they hope to get some answers. The county’s economic development authority (EDA) met with Summit Design and Engineering on Tuesday, March 18, to start establishing parameters and putting the building blocks together of what will eventually be the county’s long-term economic development plan. 

Back in January, the county received multiple grants from the Tobacco Commission and the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, totaling a combined $40,000, to help with the project. Cumberland supervisors have ordered the EDA to focus on companies and concepts that keep the county rural, rather than try and turn it urban. 

“Summit had a proposal that seemed to really align with what the New Business Task Force was looking for,” Cumberland Administrator Derek Stamey said, explaining why the county hired the firm. “What we’re looking to do is identify ways to enhance our economic development while maintaining our agricultural roots.” 

More specifically, the goal is to look at logistics, transportation, processing and identifying gaps of service, places where Cumberland could recruit new businesses to fill the void. Basically, what makes sense in Cumberland County? Beyond farms, what about production? Marketing? What other areas of agriculture make sense to recruit to specific areas of the county? Or possibly there are some already here. What’s the best way to help them grow and develop? 

“We want to make sure the effort that we’re spending is targeted toward the plan that is going to have the most impact, that’s going to help get other grants, that’s going to help specific projects,” said Summit Planning Department Manager Ann Darby. “Sometimes (without focus), you get a plan that’s a big laundry list that you don’t know how to implement.” 

What challenges are facing Cumberland County? 

County EDA members were asked to outline the main issues Cumberland is facing, so Summit can research and come up with possible solutions. 

Supervisor and EDA member John Newman said the biggest challenge is figuring out how to harmonize small family farms with inevitable growth. 

“Without the growth, we won’t survive and with too much growth or the wrong growth, it’ll just ride right over the small farms,” Newman said. “I know a lot of counties have struggled with this. How do we get the two working together? We’ve got a lot of farmers that are maturing in their life and they’re ready to move on, their children are not ready to take over the farm. They want to survive, they want the land to survive and they want it to be here for future generations.”

Specifically, Newman suggested that Summit look into what agriculture options exist for a farm between 50 to 200 acres, where the farmer can make enough money to survive off of. Also, if these options exist, what is stopping Cumberland farmers from taking advantage of them now? Is it simply they don’t know the options exist? 

When Tyson closed its plant in Glen Allen in 2023, that hurt a lot of Cumberland farmers, EDA members said. And while a Poultry Co-Op has launched since then, it’s not a total replacement. 

Broiler chickens are raised specifically for meat and that’s what the plant processed. This operation is different in that it’s focusing on eggs instead. The farmers collect eggs from their chickens, then deliver to the Co-Op. In turn, the Co-Op sells the eggs to its contracted partner. 

“Where do you market it? How do we marry the farmer to the buyer?” Newman said. “Tyson did all that for them. They grew the chickens (and) Tyson picked them up. (Tyson) did all the marketing.” 

Good ideas, no help on execution

EDA members said the county has reached out to Virginia Tech before and the school brought in some good ideas, but couldn’t help the farmers implement any of them. As the Tech people left, farmers started asking how to get started. 

“If I grow shrimp in my chicken house, who do I sell it to?” Newman said. “And that’s not what Virginia Tech does. They don’t take it to the next step.” 

He suggested working to set up a database, letting farmers know how to connect with buyers. EDA members also said it would be great if Cumberland farmers could sell direct to Walmart. That suggestion was greeted with a pointed fact. 

“I think Walmart’s known for putting small producers out of business,” Darby said. 

What about the state parks, neighborhoods? 

Newman also asked Summit officials to talk with the Virginia Department of Forestry. Despite having thousands of acres of state forest here, an estimated 14,400, Newman said they don’t really respond to county questions. 

“We hear very little from them about how we can join together and help promote the county,” Newman said. “I’ve got some feedback from the equestrian community that some of the trails they used to ride have been shut off. Now they ride straight through Route 60 and go to James River Park instead.” 

EDA members also pointed out that Cumberland is made up of three main communities, the area around the Courthouse, Cartersville and the Farmville area of Cumberland. And the three areas don’t always communicate well with each other. 

“The people in Farmville may never cross a Cartersville person in their daily life,” EDA member John Seal said. “It’s just two completely different life experiences. “

When it comes to the village centers in each of these areas, Newman said, there’s been a dozen, if not more, conversations with developers. 

“To say it politely, some of them just don’t want to take the risk to be the first to come here,” Newman said. “Others I think are concerned about the county and the feedback they get. What can we do to brand ourselves to make us attractive to developers to come in and build senior age restricted housing?”  

Darby said the key is getting the first domino to fall. Once the first developer or first business comes, then others tend to follow. 

What happens next for Cumberland County? 

Now Summit employees will start doing research, take inventory of everything brought up with the EDA and develop some steps and action items to move the project forward.