MOOREFIELD, W.Va. –The two-day Potomac Highlands Ag Innovation Showcase, hosted by Eastern Ag Innovation at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, featured agriculture career options as well as vendor information and demonstrations for area students and the general public.
The showcase, held on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15, included representatives, displays, and information from federal and state government agencies, agriculture-related vendors and employers, and various departments at Eastern.
Student activities Friday for students from Moorefield Middle School, Mineral County Technical Center, and Tucker County High School included an agricultural career fair, a showcase demonstration area, and tours of the college. The event also hosted the Agricultural Technology and Innovation Student Challenge competition, which was won by a team from Mineral County Technical Center. The student event closed with an address by Norman Bailey, chief of staff of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, who told students he was encouraged to see so many young people interested in agricultural endeavors.
Saturday’s public event also included many of the featured vendors, as well as sheep from the farm of Brad and Alexandria Smith that were used as part of a West Virginia University demonstration of the Te Pari Racewell sheep-handling system.
Participating vendors for the event included: Pilgrim’s, Eastern’s Career Services, Merck Animal Health, West Virginia’s Jumpstart Savings Program, Farm Credit Knowledge Center, Eastern’s Workforce Education Department, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, James River Equipment, Weese Farm – Veggies & Blooms, West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Eastern’s Makerspace, and WVU Extension and Animal Science Department’s Te Pari Sheep Handling System.
Food for both days was available from Meadowbrook Farms BBQ of Maysville.
“The Ag Innovation Showcase was a great opportunity to provide agriculturalists a setting of available resources, innovative equipment, and technologies to benefit their operations,” said Megan Webb, Ph.D., dean of advancement and continuing education at Eastern. “We look forward to continuing to offer this public event and celebration of agriculture in conjunction with our Youth Ag Innovation Showcase and the Potomac Highlands Ag Technology and Innovation Student Challenge next year.”
Eastern Ag Innovation is part of Eastern’s Workforce Education Department, and provides a range of agricultural workforce development, education, and training opportunities in the Potomac Highlands. To learn more about Eastern Ag Innovation, visit https://easternwv.edu/ag-innovation.
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