The West Virginia Department of Agriculture today announced the availability of education and training scholarships for veterans to attend the 2019 Appalachian Grazing Conference March 7–9 at the Marriott Hotel at Waterfront Place in Morgantown.
Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt said the department hopes to inspire many veterans to farm.
“It is our mission at the WVDA to inspire the next generation of farmers. Veterans are and must be a part of this effort," Leonhardt said.
"We hope these scholarships can spark someone’s interest in agriculture or may help someone attend that is looking to learn how to scale-up their existing operations.”
The conference is held every two years and offers informative presentations and demonstrations to farmers with cattle, goat, and sheep operations.
Participants will hear from America's leading speakers on strategies designed to increase their profits.
The conference is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Southwest Pennsylvania Project Grass, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, the West Virginia Conservation Agency, the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, and the West Virginia University Extension Service.
Leonhardt praised the collective knowledge of conference speakers.
“Scheduled speakers have a wealth a knowledge to share with those who plan on attending. These topic experts will speak on issues such as how to create management systems or best practices for organic certification. We hope our veterans can take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
The scholarships will cover the cost of all registration fees. Those eligible are veterans, active members of the military, Gold Star Family members and dependents of veterans. To apply, email contact information with a copy of your most recent DD-214 to vetstoag@wvda.us or contact by phone at 304-558-2210.
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