CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has received confirmation for the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a backyard flock in Kanawha County. A field investigation with sampling followed by testing at WVDA’s Animal Health NAHLN lab in Moorefield provided suspect laboratory findings. The owner contacted WVDA Animal Health after rapid onset of illness …
Commissioner of Agriculture to Visit State FFA Chapters During National FFA Week Feb. 17-24
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Each year, FFA Chapters nationwide come together to celebrate National FFA Week, a time dedicated to showing the essence of FFA and its profound influence on members’ lives, and to highlight the importance of agriculture education in our classrooms. National FFA week runs from Feb. 17-24, 2024. In West Virginia, Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt will visit …
West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio Leaders Gather for Agriculture Roundtable
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt and West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) staff recently held an Agriculture Roundtable with Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, Ohio Director of Agriculture Brian Baldridge, along with other agriculture industry partners, to increase and improve communication among the states and to discuss shared industry issues. The three agency heads met in …
WVDA Proposes 16,000-plus acres be treated for Invasive Spongy Moth Pest
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA), in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, has proposed the treatment of 9,679 acres in Wirt and northern Roane Counties and 6,960 acres on the Mingo-McDowell County line to slow the spread of spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth). Spongy Moth is an invasive pest that feeds on hundreds of North American plant species …
WVDA Announces $184,000 in USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Funding
Charleston, W.Va. – Three West Virginia agriculture programs will share in more than $184,250 in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grants for Fiscal Year 2023. These grants will help the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the State and support crop growers through marketing, education, and research. …
Spotted Lanternfly Detected in Grant and Hardy Counties
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Grant and Hardy Counties have now been added to the list of West Virginia counties where the invasive pest, spotted lanternfly (SLF), has been detected. The United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has confirmed the findings. Grant and Hardy mark the ninth and tenth counties in West Virginia where spotted lanternfly have …