There has been a lot written in the Daily Mail Opinion page recently about West Virginia’s comeback.
Investment is up, tax revenue is up, jobs numbers are up and there’s a sense of optimism that had been missing for years.
While many detail the natural gas growth industry’s and coal’s comeback, there’s another industry — call it a home-grown one — that is also growing in West Virginia again: agriculture.
Literally.
Opportunities for West Virginia’s farmers are growing. Their productivity, efficiency and procedures are improving, and with a global trend toward organic gardening and farm-to-table freshness, West Virginia’s agribusinesses are seeing their best chance to thrive in years.
Granted, West Virginia will never be known nationwide as a farming state. It doesn’t have the wide open land of the Midwest states that are conducive to large, commercial farms.
But West Virginia’s mountain valleys have rich soil, and state farmers can focus on serving the local demand for fresh food, as well as growing niche products that the big farm producers aren’t interested in.
And with modern agricultural techniques like greenhouses and high tunnels, more produce can be grown during longer periods of the year without the need for acres and acres of land.
As for state support, agriculture is an area where state government is strongly stepping up to help.
“We have a new way of thinking about agriculture in the state,” Kent Leonhardt, West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture, told deputy commissioner for the Division of Culture and History Caryn Gresham for today’s Daily Mail WV feature. “Our goal at the Department of Agriculture is to work with business and government partners to encourage innovation and to find more ways to help farmers and future farmers find success. In years past, the department was perceived as being primarily regulatory, but over the last several years we are changing that.”
And agriculture, more than many, is one of those areas where the state can help itself. Production and distribution of many products is globally interrelated, but in agriculture, products can be grown, processed, transported, stored, sold and consumed all within our region.
And its an area where hard-working West Virginians can create their own jobs.
It’s also an area where all West Virginians can make a big impact. Every one buys food. West Virginians spend about $7 billion a year on food, but only a small percentage of that food is produced in the state.
West Virginia buyers can do their best to seek out and purchase West Virginia products.
Watch for the “West Virginia Grown” logo. Watch the grocery aisle for “I’m Local” banners. Sign up to attend a Farm-to-Table dinner. Purchase fresh meats and produce at the local farmers’ market. Patronize area restaurants that specialize in locally sourced food.
You’ve got to eat, and you’ve got to buy your food that you aren’t growing yourself, so if growing West Virginia’s economy is important to you, seek out and consume West Virginia farm products. Your farm neighbors — and the state’s economy — will thank you.
