Purchased in 1819 from James Madison, Jett Farm is in the hands of 8th generation of Weavers. Tom and his wife Tina are grateful to share the farm with their adult children Matt, who farms with his father, and Sarah, a Greene County extension agent by day who also lends her creativity to Papa Weaver’s Pork.
While the farm has changed throughout the years, from raising dairy cows to cattle to hogs, in addition to rotating corn, soybeans, and small grains, and raising hay, the Weavers have maintained hogs as the heart of the operations as one of Virginia’s independent pork producers.
Creativity and innovation have been crucial to adapting with the times and keeping the bottom line. Long before the buy local movement, the Weavers recognized the value in supporting their community by making available high quality pork products.
In ’92 Papa Weaver’s Pork was hatched, serving customers as far north as DC, as far west as Roanoke, as far east as Richmond and even as far south as South Hill. Their customers have evolved from grocery stores to farmers markets to restaurants. In addition – they offer agritourism activities on the farm from pumpkin patches to corn mazes and even are looking to add berries to a new greenhouse operation!
The road has been less than perfect with bumps along the way; during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the Weavers had an opportunity yet again to reinvent their operation; when restaurants were forced to shut down for in-person dining, grocery shelves were empty and orders were shuttering, the Weavers started a website for direct marketing and posted to Facebook … what better time to know your local farmer and pork producer? Papa Weaver’s Pork has thrived, and Jett Farm continued on!
What’s important to the Weavers and their customers? They know the Weavers and trust that the WEavers CARE. The Weavers exemplify the WE CARE principles: food safety, animal well-being, people, public health, environment, and the community.
In addition to taking care of their animals, the Weavers incorporate nutrient management plans into their fields and hay pasture, rotate crops, and even applying manure and biosolids which would otherwise be left in a landfill.
While due to biosecurity concerns the Weavers are not able to let visitors to the farm tour the finishing or farrowing barn, they do receive a full tour of the rest of the operation. This is in the best interest of the hogs and their customers – to ensure the health of the hogs. Just as we humans had to hunker down during COVID-19, hog farmers are taking extra precautions to protect their swine in light of ASF – African Swine Fever. ASF has NOT yet come to the United States; however, the Virginia Pork Council is actively engaged in efforts via the National Pork Checkoff, National Pork Producers Council, US SHIP and working with our Virginia partner VDACS to ensure we are educating our pork producers and our customers – you – to prevent the spread and ensure healthy hogs.
