The Farm Bureau Agriculture and Forestry Day at the West Virginia State Legislature will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2014. Representatives from state and federal agencies, as well as those from West Virginia's forest and agriculture industries, will staff exhibits throughout the Capitol. The Symposium was created in 1986 in honor of Alonzo Beecher Brooks, West Virginia's first forester. For information on events and tickets to the reception, contact the WVFA at 304-372-1955.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and the West Virginia Soil Conservation Agency (WVSCA) hosted "Agriculture and Soil Conservation Day" at the West Virginia Legislature on Wednesday, January 21. More than 50 representatives from various agricultural groups set up informative displays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the main capitol building.
Farmers learned from agriculture, business, and production experts during the Farm Opportunities Day Conference's two unique training sessions on Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, in Glenville, West Virginia. The Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices (GHP/GAP) certification training class took place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24 in the Glenville State College's Waco Center on the Mineral Road Campus. It provided training to improve safety in production and quality of marketed produce.
The Farm Opportunities Day conference on Saturday helped farmers to maximize their business potential for small farms through trusted training from state and local experts. The training opportunity took place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Mollohan Community Center.
Participants attended one of four course tracks designed to cater to their training needs. The tracks included livestock, vegetables and fruits, farm business management, and marketing.
In addition to the training, participants had the opportunity to network with nearly 20 businesses, organizations, and outreach institutions during a structured resource fair.
The conference was hosted by WVU Extension Service, Glenville State College, the WVU Extension Small Farm Center, and the West Virginia Small Business Development Center. Connecting the people of West Virginia to the University's resources and programs is the primary goal of WVU Extension Service and its 55 offices throughout the state. Local experts, like WVU Extension agents and specialists, work to help improve the lifestyles and well-being of youths, workforces, communities, farms, and businesses through trusted research in the counties in which they serve.
AgrAbility staff continues to maintain contact with West Virginia farmers. Examples of that continuing practice include training planned for farmers in Cabell County, West Virginia. Farmers and other consumers in the area will receive development and training in use of computer programs to track livestock sales, livestock purchases, farm expenses, and feed expenses.
WV farmers with disabilities have recently been provided with various solutions by WV AgrAbility Assistive Technology specialists including:
Submitted by Amanda Fulk