FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2016

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Legislators will get to discuss conservation issues affecting West Virginia while dining on foods produced here in the Mountain State at next week’s inaugural Farm-to-Table Legislative Breakfast.

The West Virginia Conservation Agency (WVCA) and the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts (WVACD) are co-hosting the event, which will be held 7:30-9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Gaston Caperton Training Center at the state Capitol Complex.

Attendees will enjoy a meal of Kanawha County eggs, Jefferson County pork, and potatoes provided by the Agriculture Enhancement Program’s Potato Demonstration Project, among other items.

“We’re glad to showcase these farmers’ products to our elected leaders,” said Brian Farkas, WVCA executive director.

Cold Springs Farm will provide roughly 17-dozen eggs for the event. The farm, owned by Dave Fierbaugh, is located in the Sissonville area of Kanawha County.

Bob Gruber, owner of Gruber Farms in Jefferson County, has donated a whole hog that will provide ham, bacon and sausage for the event. Gruber, who also was a district supervisor for 13 years, produces pork, dairy, beef, wheat, barley, oats, soy beans and other foods on his 13,000-acre farm.

“He is one of the most diverse farmers that I know,” Jim Moore, president of the WVACD, said of Gruber.

The state’s Potato Demonstration Project is a venture of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA), the WVCA and the Guyan and Western Conservation districts. The aim of the three-year project is to get West Virginia farmers involved in the commercial potato industry, while encouraging environmentally friendly practices through technical assistance and financial incentives.

The breakfast is part of Agriculture Day at the state Capitol.

The WVCA is the state agency responsible for protecting and promoting the conservation of state’s land and water resources. The WVACD is a nonprofit organization that represents the goals of the state’s 14 conservation districts and the 114 elected conservation district supervisors.