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West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass will present Specialty Crop Grant awards to 11 West Virginia recipients at the State Fair of West Virginia in the West Virginia Building Tuesday, August 18, at 10:45 a.m.

“These grants are an important means of improving the competiveness of West Virginia’s small family farms,” said Commissioner Douglass. “This infusion of dollars will be used to fund a wide variety of research and marketing improvement projects that will pay dividends to West Virginia in the coming years.”

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 Specialty Crops Grant Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

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. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, herbs, horticulture goods, nursery stock and value-added products. The types of eligible projects are intentionally open-ended to encourage creative projects.

Grant recipients tentatively scheduled to take part in the State Fair ceremony are:

1. West Virginia Queen Producers, “Local Queen Bee Production”

The project will build on the success of the organizations’ first year where more than 20 West Virginia beekeepers received training and equipment to raise local queen bees for sale. This project will expand that effort by providing additional equipment, training and subsidies to these local producers to provide local queens to all registered beekeepers in West Virginia.

2. Amma Farmers’ Market, “Strengthening Market Access and Development of Specialty Crops through the Promotional Support of the Amma Farmers’ Market”

Promotional support for the Market will be provided to increase market awareness and consumption of specialty crops through advertising, promotion and expansion of the Market resources in this economically distressed region with limited access to locally grown produce. In addition to promotional resources, the project will include the purchase of a Market scale for vendor use and increased profitability and product diversity.

3. Fayette County Farmers’ Market (FCFM),“Fayette County Farmers’ Market -- Marketing Campaign 2009”

The Market will focus its market campaign on outreach to untapped consumer groups in the county who are at risk for malnutrition and poor food access. The group will create incentives for individuals to attend the markets through a recipe book and ride-share program, as well as heavily promote a new market location.

4. Monroe Farm Market, “Monroe Farm Market - Expanding Marketing and Distribution through an Existing Online Farmers’ Market”

The project will develop marketing materials to advertise the Market and provide website enhancements to expand sales volume via e-commerce channels.

5. Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia, “Marketing the State’s Agricultural Products to West Virginia and the World”

This award will be used to increase functionality and provide enhancements for easier consumer access to this established website which provides chef/farmer and farmer/consumer connections.

6. West Virginia State University in collaboration with The State Fair of West Virginia and West Virginia Department of Agriculture, “2009 State Fair Recipe Challenge”

Funds will be used to support this successful event at the State Fair of West Virginia aimed at identifying food-based entrepreneurs and food processing firms throughout the state using specialty crops as part of their value-added processing. Grant funds will be used for event supplies and a partial scholarship award to the new entrepreneur category winner to attend the FDA-required Better Process Control School necessary for production of any value-added acidified specialty crop.

7. ACE Adventure Resort, “Production of Heirloom Tomatoes on Reclaimed Mining Land and their Feasibility in a Seasonal Food Service Market”

The state’s largest recreational outfitter and campground is situated on the banks of the New River Gorge National River and the site of a former coal strip operation rendering very poor soil quality. In 2008, the resort purchased more than 5,200 pounds of tomatoes in three retail outlets/restaurants. Production in a high tunnel with raised beds and an innovative trellis system will research the viability of on-site production and the cost benefit in a food service setting.

8. New Appalachian Farm and Research Center, “Expanding the Farm and Food Economy: Creating a Model for West Virginia”

This project is a collaboration between the Natural Capital Investment Fund, the Upshur County Development Authority and New Appalachian Farm and Research Center to create a business model that will capture the economic leakage of agriculture in West Virginia by building a local food system. The project will create a processing facility that will help farms have an outlet for their crops through a system that allows them to have their product cleaned, graded, packaged, branded and distributed. The grant funds will be used to develop and educate the market about the locally developed brand.

9. Liberty High School, “Advanced Foods: Appalachian Food and Culture”

The Family and Consumer Sciences and Vocational Agriculture programs at Liberty High School will team up to present an advanced foods course focusing on Appalachian specialty crops and the growing, harvesting, and processing of these crops for consumption. Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to plant, nurture and harvest a fruit or vegetable, make informed decisions regarding quality and use, and demonstrate proper cooking and preparation techniques for specialty crops found in Appalachia.

10. West Farm (Shae West & Haleigh Wise, Seneca Trails 4-H Club), “Thyme for Kids”

“Thyme for Kids” is a youth project where Shae West and Haleigh Wise will learn how to grow and market a specialty crop (six varieties of culinary herbs). They will conduct this project as part of their 4-H program including budgeting, production, direct marketing, packaging and sales at the local farmers’ market. The project will be the focus of other 4-H activities including presentations as part of a self-determined 4-H project, involvement in state presentation competitions and leadership/mentoring roles with club members interested in pursuing similar specialty crop projects.

11. West Virginia Small Farms Center (Monongalia Co.), “Integrating West Virginia Specialty Crops into the Public School System through a Farm to School Demonstration Project”

This recipient will demonstrate a reproducible project that increases the use of local produce in W.Va. public school meal programs. The methodology includes creating a mentoring program that assists school cooks and provides public schools with methods of preparation and safety regulations. This project will assess economic and sociologic impacts from both the supplier and school perspectives.

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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