Leonhardt Urges Farmers to Prepare for Possible Storms

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – As the remnants of Hurricane Laura batter the southern U.S. on Thursday, West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic are expecting high winds and heavy rain to hit sometime this weekend. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt want to remind farmers and landowners to be proactive in preparing for possible storms that …

West Virginia Department of Agriculture Launches New, Consumer-Focused Website

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) launched a new, consumer-focused website on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. The new site has been streamlined to give users easier access to licenses, forms and applications, as well as a constituent service portal to contact the Department and Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt. The redesign of the website was handled …

Emergency Food Assistance Available to Pantries

Charleston W.Va. — West Virginia is to receive an additional $24 million worth of food commodities in 2020 through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and CARES Act. These items will be distributed by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and the state’s two food banks, Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway and Facing Hunger in Huntington, to approved food …

Diversification Still Needed in West Virginia

West Virginia is once again facing uncertain economic times as COVID-19 threatens our everyday lives and major projects, such as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project shutdown. Both serve as stark reminders of how suspectable economies focused on singular industrial giants are to an economic crisis. State economies based on resilient industries, such as agriculture, are more stable during emergencies because …

Updated Response Regarding Unsolicited Foreign Seeds

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA)released the following update regarding unsolicited foreign seeds: “The WVDA is working in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to properly track, as well as intake unsolicited seeds from China. As we continue to gather more information, we are asking those who have received …