MOST WV FARMS ARE FAMILY OWNED - 228 Break Half-Million In Sales

(02/06/2004)

While most farm products are produced by giant agri-corporations, more than 95 percent of the farms in West Virginia are owned by families or individuals. That is the highest percentage in the country, according to the findings of the 2002 Census of Agriculture conducted by the West Virginia Agriculture Statistics Service, which released some data this week. A complete report of the state's agriculture will be released in June. State Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass says that farming continues to be a stable and productive element of the state's economy. The average age of the West Virginia farmer is 56, about three years older than the national average. More West Virginia farms are breaking the $500,000 sales mark, increasing from 195 in 1997 to 228 in 2002.

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