Archived News

West Virginia University Extension will host the Health and Farm Vitality Forum to identify common issues and concerns among farmers in West Virginia and determine actionable solutions.

Despite a growing demand for locally sourced foods, West Virginia’s small farm community still faces plenty of ongoing and new challenges. To continue supporting our state’s producers, the West Virginia University Extension Small Farm Center will host its annual West Virginia Small Farm Conference on Feb. 21-24, at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

To better serve students while fulfilling its land-grant mission, West Virginia University is bringing together complementary programs within two restructured and renamed units, the WVU College of Creative Arts and Media and the WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement.

In a state with hardworking people who have a heritage of rugged determination and helping their neighbors at every opportunity, West Virginia University works to channel this mentality into its programs, creating innovative initiatives that deliver statewide results.

Registration is now open for a new weekend event for high school juniors and seniors who are interested in college, hosted by West Virginia University Extension. Let’s Go Weekend is a free, family-friendly college preparation event that will be held at WVU Jackson’s Mill on March 1-3.

It’s time to sign up for free seeds from the Grow This: West Virginia Garden Challenge. But the popular program is giving out more than seeds this year — it will also hand out prize money to improve West Virginia communities.  

It is no secret that West Virginia is a forested state and from funding allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act, the USDA Forest Service is making historic investments in boosting the nation’s tree cover in urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide. To properly maintain and care for our diverse landscape, the state needs highly skilled people who are prepared for urban and community forestry careers to improve and maintain the health of trees and green spaces.  

West Virginia and other rural states struggle with the challenge of outward migration of young adults. As communities across the state work to grow their economies, youth entrepreneurship can help drive this effort, especially in rural and under-resourced areas. 

Angie Brake of Rt. 18 Farm Market sets up a farmers market at Martin Elementary.

It’s no secret that youth are the future of industry, and West Virginia 4-H’ers and FFA members remind us of that every day. West Virginia University Extension and the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design are excited to offer more opportunities for those youths to bring their powerful ideas to life.