I went for a run at Valle Crucis Park yesterday and saw Charles Church and his gang planting broccoli in a field behind the Mast General Store. I wondered over and we talked a bit about the business of growing broccoli. Charles has always grown burley tobacco but wisely decided to make the shift towards growing different crops over the last couple of years. It has not been easy, nor has it been necessarily profitable for him. But, each spring he finds himself back at it again. Yesterday he planted about 10,000 broccoli plants in this field. I intend to visit him at the Farmer's Market in about 6 weeks to sample some of his product. By the way, the dude on the tractor is not Charles. It is Ray.