Charlleston, W.VA – Top person with the Agriculture Department of the state believes that the future of farming in West Virginia is bright.
Agriculture Commissioner Kent Lyonhart said that this year, the future farmers of America have the highest enrollment which has been in the mountainous state so far.
Kent Leonehart
He said, “We have a record number of students enrolled at the FFA in West Virginia,” he said that Metronavs Flagship Station 580-WCHS in Charleston on Thursday.
According to Leonhardt, agriculture and farming have been growing in many ways in recent years. The Commissioner said that he has worked to embrace the State Agriculture Department and cultivate that development. He said that although many of those FFA students will find out the world of agriculture, they will not become farmers. However, apart from running tractors, there are many ways to work in agricultural industries.
“Mountantop beverages in Morgantown are making milk processing milk and producing 300 jobs. Farmers’ markets have tripled and we are working with non-profit organizations such as Food and Farm Alliance and Farm Market Association. You have found research, you have found chemists, you have got microbiology, you have got economic growth and you have got agriculture-penetration, ”he explained.
Along with those expansion areas of agriculture, the state education system has focused a new focus on the AG economy to train more people for this.
“Parkersburg, WVU, West Virginia State and Potomac State are trying to develop all AG programs. This only reflects enthusiasm for agriculture in the western Virginia state, ”he said.
Save West Virginia farm from potentially bad foreign actors on Leonhardt’s radar. He is emphasizing the law that will potentially block the sale of agricultural land to some foreign operators in the state. He admitted that this is a complex issue and is uncertain if he could pass.
“Fortunately for West Virginia, I have checked and we have no one at this time, but we want to be careful with it. This is a very complex issue. You do not want to overcome a person’s rights to remove the rights of property, but we also want to ensure that we protect agriculture, ”he said.
Lyonhardt compared the situation of Chinese efforts to purchase a large scale of natural gas production in West Virginia a few years ago, some he protested.