By Stephen Smoot
Under a hazy gray, Canadian smoke-filled sky adorned with an unusually pink Sun, the West Virginia Poultry Association gathered at Moorefield Middle School. There Board members, officers, state and local officials, and supporters enjoyed breakfast with West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt before the business of the day took their attention.
Pilgrims donated the food, which included scrambled eggs, sausage patties, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sliced garden fresh tomatoes, coffee, and juice.
WVPA President Ward Malcolm hosted and ran the meeting.
After Judy Hesse delivered the Treasurer’s Report, a West Virginia University Extension Service representative stepped in for Dr. Joe Moritz. Dr. Moritz had delivered the education presentation Wednesday night at Moorefield, but had to change plans Friday morning.
His report was delivered, however. It opened with how “the education dinners went well. There were about 50 people in each location.” He praised the Rightsell family, owners of Dean’s Gap Farms in Fort Seybert. They, along with the Poultry Festival queens, cooked the turkey dinner for the Tuesday night event at the South Fork Ruritan in Oak Flats.
“The big deal was Youth Day,” the report then stated, adding that 94 came to compete. “It’s really important to see these kids participating,” Dr. Moritz’s statement noted.
After more discussion of the success of Youth Day, covered elsewhere, Malcolm recognized Jason Dalryple who gave the environmental report. He discussed the possibility that action on PFAS plastics might force the need for some fields to find some alternatives in equipment, but said “I’m not sure overall how this will affect poultry.”
He then shared that concerns on farmers’ environmental practices turned into the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection get forwarded initially to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture so those experts can “deal with them at first.” Agriculture experts can better identify both issues and their solutions.
Also, he shared that most issues come not from established West Virginia farmers, but “newcomers” who lack knowledge and experience in farming.
After Dwayne O’Dell provided a public policy and legislative report, covered in another article, Malcolm discussed how social media had helped tremendously in getting word out about WVPA events, but that they would engage print and broadcast media more going forward.
Additionally the WVPA announced that among “several really good applications” that Elizabeth Williams and Lyla Shreve had earned the organizational scholarships for 2026.
The Lifetime Member award, officially announced at the President’s Dinner, will go to Jewell Plumley, a 2023 West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame inductee for her work in “advancing the field of veterinary medicine in” the state and also serving as “the first woman to be appointed State Veterinarian and Director of WVDA’s Animal Health Division” among many other achievements and accolades.
After the announcement of WVPA officers for the coming year, noted elsewhere, Daryl See reported on the success of the annual golf tournament at Valley View. He shared that the WVPA had pulled in more sponsors this year to cover the costs of food and other necessities while also freeing up more funds for organizational scholarships from the proceeds.
