Bill Text: VA HJR324 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Brodie Farm.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ324ER) [HJR324 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR324-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Brodie Farm, a successful beef farm and bed and breakfast, has been an important part of the Spotsylvania County community for more than 100 years; and
WHEREAS, Brodie Farm was originally purchased in 1918 by E. T. "Ned" Hilldrup, who, with the help of a loan from the Federal Land Bank in Baltimore, acquired 101 acres, a farm house, a small barn, and a woodshed for a grand total of $100; and
WHEREAS, Brodie Farm started as a dairy farm and over time grew to become one of the largest dairy farms in Spotsylvania County; and
WHEREAS, Brodie Farm regularly evolved its practices to improve its efficiency and output and was notably the first dairy farm in the area to transition from a stanchion milking system to an automated milking parlor; and
WHEREAS, born and raised on Brodie Farm, Ned Hilldrup's son, E. Gordon Hilldrup, took over the family business and ultimately passed it on to his son, James "Jimmy" Hilldrup, who continues to run the farm to this day; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Hilldrup showed a keen interest in farming from a young age, raising replacement calves beginning at the age of six, purchasing his own cow at the age of nine, and owning half of Brodie Farm's cattle by the age of 20; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, Jimmy Hilldrup converted Brodie Farm from a dairy farm and beef farm to an all-beef farm, allowing him to devote himself fully to the task of raising exceptional Angus cattle; and
WHEREAS, today, Brodie Farm has over 200 head of Angus cattle, up to 60 hives of honeybees, and approximately 100 brown hens, while the Hilldrups have also operated a bed and breakfast since 2022 out of their renovated 1800s farmhouse, providing guests the opportunity to luxuriate in the farm's picturesque setting; and
WHEREAS, the success of Brodie Farm is the result of the hard work and dedication of the Hilldrup family, who have helped to make Spotsylvania County a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Brodie Farm for its century of service to the Spotsylvania community and beyond; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jimmy Hilldrup, owner of Brodie Farm, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the farm's contributions to Spotsylvania County and the Commonwealth.
