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News Release
8-14-09
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FRONT AND CENTER AT STATE FAIR OF WEST VIRGINIA
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will have a wide variety of activities and story possibilities during the State Fair of West Virginia. For more information, contact WVDA Communications Officer Buddy Davidson at 304-541-5932, or call the WVDA office at the Fairgrounds at 304-647-7620.
WVDA Country Store – daily at the Gus R. Douglass Annex Building
This year, WVDA is offering a 10 percent discount coupon on its webpage for Country Store purchases of $25 or more (excluding West Virginia wines). Visit www.wvagriculture.org and click on the “Eat Local Challenge” link to download the coupon.
Each year, the Country Store provides an excellent opportunity for consumers to discover West Virginia Grown products through daily samplings. New agribusinesses also have an inexpensive means to reach a large number of potential new customers.
New producers being featured at the Country Store this year are 2008 State Fair Recipe Challenge Participant Kathy Hamrick and her Good Golly Miss Molly Appalachian Salsa, Pocahontas Spring Water, Sweet Springs Water, Maggie’s Salsa, Morgantown Cookie Company, Mountain Diamond Longhorn’s new beef jerky and Custard Stand Bowl Chili.
Lewisburg Farmers’ Market Tour – downtown beside the Lewisburg Post Office, Saturday, August 15, 9 a.m.
Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass will join Lewisburg Farmers’ Market Manager Bonnie Brooks to talk with vendors, many of whom are past recipients of Specialty Crop Grants, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the WVDA.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant program encourages cooperative efforts to integrate technology at the farm level, improve marketing and promotion of locally grown specialty crops, and increase production efficiency through research projects. Over the last two years, the Lewisburg Farmers’ Market and local vendors have received a total of eight grants. For more information about the market, contact Pam West at 304-497-3840.
Specialty Crop Check presentation ceremony – West Virginia Building, Tuesday, August 18, 10:45 a.m.
Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass will present nearly $100,000 in grants to a wide variety of research and marketing improvement projects as part of the USDA’s Specialty Crop Grant Program, administered in West Virginia by the WVDA.
Over the past three years, WVDA has distributed approximately $270,000 in funding to 85 projects throughout the state through a competitive grant award program.
The grant program encourages cooperative efforts to integrate technology at the farm level, improve marketing and promotion of locally grown specialty crops, and increase production efficiency through research projects. The types of eligible projects are intentionally open-ended to encourage creative projects.
Previous projects have included the development of a farmers’ market in Wood County, youth garden projects, the creation of a curriculum exploring local foods and their source, and developing a source of queen bees for one of the state’s fastest growing agribusiness enterprises.
West Virginia Recipe Challenge – West Virginia Building, Sunday, August 16, noon.
Food entrepreneurs from across the state will converge at the State Fair of West Virginia on Sunday, August 16, for the third annual West Virginia Recipe Challenge.
Entrants will compete for over $10,000 in goods and services and a chance to have their product launched in the marketplace. Prizes include recipe refinement, packaging design, label development, nutritional panel creation, technical assistance, production time in a commercial kitchen, product marketing and more.
The West Virginia Recipe Challenge is a collaboration of West Virginia State University Extension Service, the State Fair of West Virginia, Opening Soon Inc., Tamarack, and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. Contact Mary Legg at 304-619-8111 for details.
New equine health certification requirements, contact WVDA State Veterinarian Gary Kinder at
304-546-9560
Any equines (horses, donkeys, mules, etc.) being shown or sold within West Virginia must have had a negative Coggins test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) within the past 12 months, according to new state rules that become effective July 1, 2009. However, fairs, festivals and equine shows will be granted a 90-day grace period before enforcement of Coggins rules becomes mandatory to avoid eliminating youth from this summer’s competitions.
A previous rule allowed West Virginia equine owners to use negative Coggins tests up to two years old to certify the health of their animals.
A 2005 study conducted by the West Virginia University Extension Service estimated the economic impact of the industry to be nearly $510 million and the total number of equines at nearly 57,000.
Once an animal is infected with EIA, it must be euthanized, or subject to a lifelong quarantine where it cannot come into contact with other equines, said WVDA State Veterinarian Dr. Gary Kinder.
Rabies in southern West Virginia, contact WVDA State Veterinarian Gary Kinder at 304-546-9560
Rabies is an ongoing threat to the health of humans, pets and livestock. Greenbrier County has had an inordinately high number of wildlife rabies cases this year, so the risk is especially high this year.
Area residents are urged to vaccinate their dogs and cats against the disease every two years, as required by state law, to prevent the possibility of pets carrying the deadly disease from wildlife to unsuspecting humans. Vaccination of livestock, especially high-value animals, is also recommended.
People should also avoid wild animals that are behaving erratically and that do not exhibit the natural fear of humans. Questions or reports of suspicious animals should be directed to the local Health Department.
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.
“The Basis of All Wealth is Agriculture.”
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