Latest news with #KeithRichmond
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Recent rainfall and how it's affecting our farmers
SHADY SPRING, WV (WVNS) — After recent rainfall throughout southern West Virginia, farmers are cautiously hopeful that this year's hay season may be salvageable. Unsettled week with multiple chances for showers and storms continue The 2024 hay season really wasn't much of one. A poor first cutting and no hope of a second forced farmers to go out of state to buy hay to feed their livestock. While this year has seen a decent amount of rain, it's unfortunately not enough to get the soil back to the level of moisture it was before last year's drought. Keith Richmond, County Executive Director for the Raleigh County Farm Service Agency, said the first cutting at least will be small. 'One of the problems that we're seeing is that the grass is already heading out. The cool weather is really what's affected it. We've had sufficient rain, nothing like we need, but we've had enough to maintain. But the cool weather's held the grass back, it's heading out short and it looks like it's gonna be another first short cutting,' said Richmond. Richmond said we will need a lot more rainfall – steady, consistent, near weekly rainfall for farmers to have any hope of a second cutting in the fall. But he said unless things change, atmospherically speaking, we may fall back into the same drought patterns as last year. Richmond said farmers need to be prepared. 'We're just now hitting the D0 on the drought monitor. We have to hit D3 before we, before it kicks in for, like it did last year. But right now there's nothing available. We're just encouraging people to make sure they got their crop reports to us so we have that ready to go. And then just do your normal maintenance,' said Richmond. Richmond said the FSA programs that helped farmers last year will become available once the drought stage in the area reaches D3 or the Extreme Drought Stage. 80 bodies of water in WV stocked with trout He advised farmers to fertilize, put out lime, and keep an eye on their fields for any drastic changes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
It's National Agriculture Week!
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — It's all about Agriculture this week as the country celebrates National Ag Week. School officials respond to federal cuts on locally grown food programs According to the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, in 2022 agriculture products generated more than $900 million for the state's economy. While there are a few big producers in the state, like United Dairy and Perdue Chicken, most of the state's more than 22,000 farms are small productions. Even the average home grower can contribute to the state's agriculture economy. Keith Richmond, County Executive Director for the Raleigh County, said it's easy. 'If you're raising a garden, you got a little bit extra, take it to the farmer's market, set up alongside of the road and sell it. It's a way that provides a little bit of income, plus it's putting stuff right back into the local economy,' said Richmond. Farmer's markets in the area are always looking for suppliers, said Richmond, because the demand for homegrown produce and products made from them is very high. With the spotlight on West Virginia's agricultural heritage featured this week, look to your local farms and reach out in support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
