A great crowd showed up during the fifth annual Farm to Table Legislative Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 31, at the state Capitol.

 

Once again, the breakfast was a great opportunity for conservation district supervisors and WVCA staff to talk with state senators and delegates about what's happening in conservation across the state.

 

The largest turnout of guests in five years filled up the Gaston Caperton Training Center's main room in Building 7 of the state Capitol Complex.

 

 Featured speakers included West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt and Lukas Newcomer with Noble Farms, Inc., of Mineral County, the 2019 West Virginia Conservation Farm of the Year winner. Newcomer owns and operates Noble Farms, Inc. with his wife, Gabby.

 

Timothy VanReenen, the legislative liaison for the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts and a past association president, also spoke and served as a host for the breakfast. 

 

Generous donations of locally grown and produced foods have become a recurring feature of the breakfast. Many of the farmers who donated food have done so for several years running.  

 

Jim Withrow, the owner of V and J Farms and a Western Conservation District supervisor, again donated a whole hog, which produced sausage, ham and bacon for the breakfast. Patriot Meat Processing of Milton processed the breakfast meats.

 

Terry Hudson, the owner of Hudson Farms of Big Chimney and the Capitol Conservation District chairman, provided fresh eggs.
 

Rusty and Shannon Keller of Wayne County provided potatoes.

 

Orr’s Farm Market in Berkeley County provided apples and cider, and Jefferson FFA of Shenandoah Junction in Jefferson County provided apple butter. Also, Tygarts Valley Conservation District Supervisor Donnie Tenney with Appalachian Acres in Upshur County provided molasses.