Tag: West Virginia Department of Agriculture

W.Va. Sets Email for Reporting Invasive Species

West Virginia’s Department of Agriculture has established an email where the state’s residents can send pictures and descriptions of a suspected invasive pest, as well as their locations and any related damage to buildings or plants.

Department officials say landowners who email information to bugbusters@wvda.us will be notified if their tip raises concerns and someone from the agency will visit the site.

Agriculture authorities note two destructive insects, the Asian longhorned beetle and the spotted lanternfly, are on the watch list for invasive species in West Virginia.

The beetle was first found in Brooklyn in 1996 and has since been detected in several locations including Clermont County, Ohio.

The lanternfly was first discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, and detected in Delaware in November.

Both are native to Asia.

W.Va. Agricuture Department Opens Invasive Pest Hotline

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has opened an email hotline for the early detection of invasive pests.

Residents can send a picture of a suspected pest, a brief description of visible damage to buildings or plants and their location to bugbusters@wvda.us. Landowners will be notified if the tip raises concerns, and a site visit may be scheduled.

“Our plant industries division wants to be proactive in protecting our forests. We do not have the resources or the manpower to patrol every square mile in West Virginia,” Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt said in a news release. “We need help protecting one of West Virginia’s most valuable resources.” 

Two destructive insects, the Asian longhorned beetle and the spotted lanternfly, have been on the invasive pest watch list for some time in West Virginia.

The Asian longhorned beetle was first discovered in Brooklyn, NY in 1996. It has since been detected in several locations including Clermont County, OH in 2011. The spotted lanternfly was first discovered in Berks County, PA in 2014, but it also was detected in Delaware this past November. Both insects are native to Asia.

An Agriculture Department spokesman says in a news release landowners are encouraged to send good-quality pictures that clearly show any defining features to help staff accurately identify potential invasive pests.  

“The WVDA encourages landowners to send good quality pictures that clearly show any defining features. This will help our staff accurately identify potential invasive pests,” said WVDA Plant Industries Director Tim Brown.  

For questions about the new hotline or invasive pests in general, contact Susan Parker at 304-558-2212 or sparker@wvda.us.

West Virginians Asked to Watch for Spotted Lanternfly

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is asking residents to watch for the appearance of the spotted lanternfly, a destructive insect whose presence was confirmed last week in New Castle County, Delaware.

It was first detected in the U.S. in 2014 in Pennsylvania, where it has since been found in 13 counties.

According to agriculture officials, the spotted lanternfly is native to China, India and Vietnam.

It’s known to feed on more than 70 plant species and is considered a major problem in South Korea, where it was first introduced in 2006.

The adults are described as one-inch long and a half-inch wide at rest. The forewing is grey with black spots. The hind wings have contrasting patches of red and black with a white band.

If someone spots this pest, please contact WVDA Plant Industries at 304-558-2212 or sparker@wvda.us.

Department is Closing Crop Aggregation Facility

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture has decided to close the state’s first crop aggregation facility after determining that it was barely used and losing money.

The Herald-Dispatch reports the department’s new administration will not renew a lease for the Huntington Aggregation Center.

Department spokesman Cresent Gallagher says an audit of the department’s farm account found that the facility accounted for over $1 million of an over $2.8 million loss from the previous five years.

Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt has said he was unsure if the program was the best use of tax dollars.

Leonhardt’s predecessor, Walt Helmick, opened the center in 2016. At the time, he said the facility would help small farmers reach a larger customer base, and leverage existing agricultural resources to diversify the state’s economy.

W.Va. Ag Officials Say Flooding May Contaminate Hay

West Virginia officials are warning farmers about the possibility that their hay could be contaminated by recent flooding.

The state Agriculture Department said in a news release feeding contaminated hay to animals can be dangerous.

The agency said forages that are affected by flood waters become contaminated with soil, bacteria and debris. Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt recommends that farmers make sure they know where hay comes from before buying it.

The department said not to feed bales that aren’t sealed on both ends and said some individually plastic-wrapped baleage may be usable. Farmers should closely inspect bales for punctures or separation of plastic layers. If the plastic separates, discard the forage. If it remains intact until feeding, inspect for abnormal smells or colors and presence of molds or excess moisture.

State Reports Progress in Farm Nutrient Planning

West Virginia’s Department of Agriculture says plans have been written for managing fertilizer and other nutrients on 90,000 acres in the state’s eight-county Chesapeake Bay drainage region.

Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt says West Virginia is furthest along among the bay’s watershed states toward the goal, which helps restore land for productive use.

The plans document practices and strategies by livestock operations to address soil erosion, manure, disposal of other organic waste and fertilizer applications.

Excesses can contaminate groundwater.

According to the department, nutrient management plans were written for many poultry operations beginning in the mid-1990s, but a decision was made in 2010 to start over.

Leonhardt says the region’s farmers who implement plans in the voluntary program deserve recognition while other states have established regulatory programs with punishment for non-compliance.

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