News Release 8-7-2001 |
|
|
AGRICULTURE EXPERTS TO FIELD QUESTIONS AT STATE FAIR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) exhibit at this year’s State Fair will feature a new attraction aimed at anyone with questions about agriculture or the WVDA. “In order to better serve visitors to the State Fair, we are creating an ‘Ask the Expert’ booth,” said WVDA Communications Division Director Bill Bissett. “A lot of the inquiries we receive are general questions about the WVDA and agriculture in the state. Each day of the Fair, we will have one of our staff members at the booth to answer questions.” Scheduled to attend are specialists from WVDA’s Plant Industries Division, Marketing and Development Division and Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Division. An expert will be at the booth each day of the Fair from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Gus R. Douglass Annex. Although there will only be one expert on hand each day, visitors need not worry about questions that are not part of the expert’s background. Those questions will be recorded and answered following the Fair, said Bissett. WVDA experts will be: Saturday, Aug. 11 — George Clutter is the state’s new apiarist (beekeeper). His job duties in the Plant Industries Division include helping beekeepers throughout the state keep their hives healthy and productive. A Webster County native, he was trained in law enforcement at Fairmont State and Glenville State College. He still lives in Webster County, where he continues a long family tradition of beekeeping. Sunday, Aug. 12 — Tracy Fitzsimmons, a five-year employee of the WVDA, is a livestock marketing specialist. Her duties include helping producers market their sheep, swine and horses, working with breed organizations and assisting livestock graders. She earned an AA degree in pre-veterinary medicine from Potomac State College, and graduated from WVU with a degree in animal and veterinary sciences. She has experience with cow/calf operations, and entered many animal shows while in the Future Farmers of America. Monday, Aug. 13 — Berry Crutchfield, a seven-year employee of the WVDA, oversees the Plant Industries Division’s pest identification lab, which maintains preserved specimens of the state’s insects. A Charleston native, he earned degrees in forestry and biology at Glenville State College, a masters in entomology from the University of Tennessee, and a doctorate in entomology at the University of Kentucky in 1994. Tuesday, Aug. 14 — Dwayne O’Dell, a 23-year employee of the WVDA is assistant director of the Marketing and Development Division, which assists West Virginia agribusinesses develop and distribute their products. He earned a degree in agriculture education in 1978 and a master’s degree in agriculture education in 1982. He trained two state winning livestock judging teams at Buckhannon-Upshur High School and has written 15 technical papers on various aspects of marketing and agriculture. Wednesday, Aug. 15 — Gary Gibson, a 29-year employee of the WVDA, is assistant director of Plant Industries Division. A large portion of his job duties are to oversee the agricultural pest survey program, which monitors the numbers and locations of insects that pose dangers to the state’s forests and crops. A Preston County native, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Fairmont State College in 1972. Thursday, Aug. 16 — Sherry Hutchinson, a 21-year employee of the WVDA, is a forest entomologist in Plant Industries Division, and is involved primarily in surveying forests for injurious pests. A Kanawha County native, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Marshall University, and master’s degree in forest protection from Duke University. Friday, Aug. 17 — Tom Clark, a three-year employee of the WVDA, is a horticulture marketing specialist in the Marketing and Development Division, and is involved in helping to promote “West Virginia Grown” products and farmers’ markets, among other duties. A Charleston native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from WVU in 1997. Saturday, Aug. 18 — Chuck Dransfield, a seven-year employee of the WVDA, is a compliance officer in the Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Division, which works to ensure that agricultural products are safe and properly labeled. A native of Monroe County, he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from WVU in 1981.
|
|
|
|
|
©2001, 2002 West Virginia Department of Agriculture, All Rights Reserved |
|
|
Contact the Webmaster
|
|
|
|