8-11-05 |
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GRANT COUNTY POULTRY FARM WINS ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD
Cottage Hill Farm in Grant County has been named the 2005 West Virginia Poultry Association Environmental Stewardship Award Winner. The award was presented to farm operators W. C. "Sonny" Taylor and Carol Taylor at the Poultry Festival President's Banquet July 29. This is the first time the West Virginia Poultry Association has given such an award. "I've known Sonny for years through his work as chairman of the State Conservation Committee," said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. "He and his family are true stewards of their land, with a firm belief in preserving it for future generations." The Taylors raise poultry for Pilgrim's Pride and manage about 350 cows and calves. They have six poultry houses on their 1,000-acre farm. Pilgrim's Pride also recognized Cottage Hill Farm in 2001 as an environmental excellence award winner. Some of the management practices the Taylors employ include watering troughs, litter shed and a compost bin. They also practice rotational grazing and grow hay between crop rows on sloped cropland. Dale Walker President of the WVPA said, "The poultry industry has faced increased scrutiny in the last few years over misconceptions about the affects the poultry industry in West Virginia has on the environment. The Poultry Association wanted to present an award this year to let folks know that farmers are concerned about the environment and are working to protect and preserve it for future generations." Judges from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA), WVU Extension Service and West Virginia Conservation Agency visited four farms nominated by their respective integrators. Besides Cottage Hill Farm, nominees for 2005 included: Branson Farm (Virginia Poultry Growers' Co-op), Jack and Elizabeth Foltz (Cargill), and Arthur and Jo Ellen Halterman (Pilgrim's Pride Breeders). The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
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