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Prepared by the West Virginia
Agricultural Statistics Service, August
1998.
Submitted by
John F.
Baniecki Ph.D.
Extension Specialist-Plant Pathology/Entomology;
National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program
(NAPIAP) Representative
Dr.
M. Essam Dabaan
Program Specialist
West Virginia Pesticide Impact Assessment Program
Geographically, West Virginia is characterized by
rugged, hilly terrain and many small valleys. Although no
large areas of level land are found in any section of the
state, the most extensive areas of level to rolling land
are in the Shenandoah and lower Greenbrier valleys, with
fine bottom land found along the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers.
The most important aspect of West Virginia's climate
is its diversity, accentuated by temperature and
precipitation differences between mountain and valley
locations. Seasons are strongly contrasted and of nearly
equal length. Precipitation is ample and well
distributed. The average growing season is approximately
160 days.
Early agricultural development was confined to the
small valleys, along areas bordering rivers, and the
Eastern Panhandle. As lumber and mineral industries
developed, more hill land was brought into cultivation,
mostly in corn and small grains. Later, changes in
mineral industries caused decreases in rural population.
Associated with this decrease was a decline in crop area
cultivated and a shift to livestock farming. Hay began to
replace grain crops. There were about 10.7 million acres
of land in farms in the early 1900s, decreasing steadily
to 3.7 million in 1997. The number of farms was highest
in 1935 at over 104,000, and has since declined to around
20,000. The average farm size is 185 acres.
Poultry, meat animals, and dairy dominate the farm
economy in the Mountain State. Commercial broiler
production has shown a dramatic increase over the last
ten years with the value of production increasing from
$29.4 million in 1985, to $52.2 million in 1990 to $139.0
million in 1997. The relatively small field crop acreages
are mainly devoted to livestock feeds. Of the 637,000
acres harvested from principal field crops in 1997, 88
percent are hay, 10 percent corn, 1 percent wheat, and 1
percent oats. Based on 1997 cash receipts of over $393
million, the top ten commodities are: broilers, 35
percent; cattle and calves, 18 percent; dairy products, 9
percent; eggs, 6 percent; greenhouse and nursery, 4
percent; hay, 3 percent; apples, 3 percent; corn, 2
percent; and peaches, 1 percent.
Other livestock related commodities important to West
Virginia's economy are sheep and lambs and hogs. Apple
and peach orchards cover about 9,000 acres in the State.
Burley tobacco harvested, although only 1,800 acres,
ranks fifteenth in production.
    
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