Charleston W.Va. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) signed a five-year, first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to expand joint activities supporting the agencies’ shared goal of cleaner water and sustainable farms. EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio and West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt signed the agreement at the West Virginia …

Charleston W.Va. — The Winter Blues Farmers’ Market will be returning to the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center Saturday, Feb. 22 from 1-5 p.m. The market will feature local food products and is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and the WVU Extension Small Farm Center and is held in conjunction with the West Virginia Small Farm …

Charleston W.Va. — Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt is asking the West Virginia Legislature to pass a bill to rename and expand the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s (WVDA) Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program. House Bill 4693 would rename the program to the “Veterans and Heroes to Agriculture Program,” as well as authorize the scope of the program to …

In December, I had the opportunity to speak to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works on an important issue facing our country, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This disease is discussed scarcely and understood even less, so you may have not heard of it. CWD is a contagious neurological disease that affects cervids, elk, deer and moose. …

Charleston W.Va. — The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has confirmed the presence of Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype in three West Virginia counties. The WVDA is working with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s diagnostic laboratory at Virginia Tech to determine the extent of the disease across the region and understand its impact on the livestock industry. Additional surveillance …