Preserving Barns Through ‘Growing Soup’

Virginia Barn Finalist for Restoration

Jennifer Merritt
Virginia Correspondent

AUGUSTA CO., Va. — Campbell’s Soup is sponsoring a campaign to preserve five barns this year as part of their “Help Grow Your Soup” promotion. Sally Shomo hopes her family’s barn is one of the five. The Shomo’s have been farming their Century Farm for five generations. Along with 26-year-old grandson, Bryan, 78-year-old Charles Shomo runs a 75 head cow / calf operation and backgrounds 400 steers a year at Rollinghills Farm. They also raise corn, soybeans, small grains and hay on the 350 acre farm. Charles’ son Scott and grandson Justin, both former FFA members, lend an extra hand on evenings and weekends.

The barn, near Staunton in Augusta County, was built in 1915. It is a bank barn with an attached shed added in 1951 for dairy cattle. Today the barn is used to feed cattle and house hay, grain, and straw.

Sally Shomo is Charles and Shirley Shomo’s daughter-in-law and was the impetus behind entering Rollinghills Farm’s barn.

“First I had to convince my in-laws to let them paint the barn red,” said Shomo.

She went on to take photos and submit the application to Campbell’s Soup.

The Rollinghills Farm barn was one of ten barns chosen from nine states including Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. Just Wait and See Farm in Union Bridge, Maryland, Providence Grove High School Farm in Climax, North Carolina, and the Neil B. McPhail Farm in Seneca, South Carolina were also chosen as part of the ten. Campbell’s will preserve five of the ten barns chosen by popular vote at their web site. Voting opened on October 1 and will continue through January 5, 2010. In addition to preserving the barns, Campbell’s will donate $1 for every vote up to 250,000 to the National FFA Organization. Voters can cast one vote per day for their favorite barn.

Shomo is the FFA advisor for Beverly Manor Middle School, an agriculture education instructor and the president of the National Association of Agriculture Educators. Along with her students, she has been rallying the community to vote, and she says the students are really excited about it.

“It’s been really neat to get the parents involved too,” said Shomo.

Students put together a “Help Paint Our Virginia Barn Red” brochure and hope to be doing a promotion with Wal-Mart and Kroger soon. Shomo has been encouraging her fellow agriculture educators in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and all over the nation to vote for the Virginia barn.

“We are spreading the news as much as we can,” said Shomo.

For now students are involved in getting out the vote, but if Rollinghills Farm’s barn is chosen they will get to help hands on with the painting and preservation. The barn painting process is a three day event. For Shomo, however, the benefit extends far beyond her own family’s barn.

“We hope to have our barn restored,” said Sally Shomo. “But if not, we’re still helping the National FFA.”

According to Campbell’s website, their motto is “Great soups come from great ingredients grown on great farms.” Campbell’s Soup says they are committed to sustainable farming because they care about the ingredients that go into their soup. The “Help Grow Your Soup” program is a way for the soup company to help preserve existing farms and support future generations of farmers.

To vote for the Rollinghills Farm Barn or any of the other barns, or for more information on the “Help Grow Your Soup” program visit http://www.helpgrowyoursoup.com/projects.aspx

Voting is open from October 1 through January 5, 2010. For every vote up to 250,000, Campbell’s will donate $1 to the National FFA. Participants can vote one time every day.