CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The USDA West Virginia Farm Service Agency (FSA) is asking farmers and producers across the state to report any damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that swept through West Virginia Tuesday, August 31 and Wednesday, September 1. Some areas of the state received a minimal amount of rain, others like Terra Alta and Tunnelton, in Preston …
West Virginia Women in Ag to Be Honored at the State Fair
FAIRLEA, W.Va. – West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt announced the recipients of this year’s West Virginia Women in Agriculture Award. The four recipients were chosen based on their passion for agriculture and desire to mentor up and coming female farmers. Commissioner Leonhardt will host a reception at the State Fair of West Virginia 11:30 am, Sunday, August 15 …
Op-Ed: West Virginia Must Support the State Fair
Last June, West Virginia and the nation were facing a growing pandemic which threatened to bring our daily lives to a screeching halt. In light of public safety, many event organizers decided to cancel their gatherings including the hundreds of fairs and festivals hosted around the state. Despite getting approval from the Governor, the State Fair and its board followed …
Op-Ed: WVDA Helping to Protect Pets like Babydog
Everyone has had the opportunity to get to know West Virginia’s unofficial pandemic mascot, Babydog. The one-year-old English bulldog has loaned her cuteness to the Governor as part of his campaign to convince folks to get vaccinated against COVID. This marketing tool works because it pulls at the heart strings of something we are all too familiar with, a beloved …
Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt Congratulates First All-Female FFA Officer Team
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Commissioner Kent Leonhardt released the following statement after the election of the state’s first all-female FFA state officer team: “Congratulations to these young women who have made history in West Virginia. They should be proud that they are a part of a growing trend in agriculture as more and more women head up farms in the United …
WVDA, WVU Announce Pilot Project to Improve WV Beef Cattle
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has announced a pilot project to help increase value of West Virginia cattle by improving cattle vigor prior to entering production channels. The project will examine available preconditioning methods, enhancing overall herd health, the use of electronic identification tags and utilizing a unified approach with producer engagement. The project is …