CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The third annual West Virginia Department of Agriculture Veterans & Heroes to Agriculture Pitch Competition takes place from noon to 4 p.m. on March 15 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center, in Ripley, West Virginia. Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt urges the agriculture and business communities to come cheer on the seven finalists and get inspired by the work they’re doing to expand their agribusinesses.
The competition aims to help members develop business plans and award funding for capital investments. The finalists will share $60,000 in prize money.
To enter, Veterans & Heroes to Ag members completed an application explaining their operation and future ambitions for their business. From there, the seven finalists worked with a “pitch coach” from the WVU Launch Lab to improve their presentation. Contestants will deliver their pitch “Shark Tank” style March 15 in front of the judges in Cedar Lakes, explaining what their business is, how they plan to grow it, how much money they need and how they plan to use that funding.
This year’s finalists include a diverse group of farms and agricultural businesses working to expand their operations and offerings. Freedom Farm, led by Sky Gwinn in Fayette County, aims to grow its natural syrup operations by adding black walnut syrup production. 3B Farms, operated by Mark Stewart in Barbour County, plans to install fencing to expand its fruit production. Trillium Family Farm, run by Elizabeth Hernandez in Kanawha County, seeks to purchase a UTV with a snowplow to extend its agritourism season.
Harvest Trails Co., led by Coleman Erwin in Berkeley County, is looking to expand into a retail location for locally produced items. Mal’s Fresh Produce, founded by Mallory Moholt, plans to open a roadside produce stand in Fairmont. Grandma T’s Christmas Trees, owned by Allison Campbell in Jackson County, hopes to purchase a tiny cabin to offer on-farm agritourism stays. Finally, WV Honey Mountain Farm LLC, managed by Aaron Garrison in Taylor County, aims to expand its operations by providing high-quality genetic queen bees.
For more info, call 304-558-2210 or vetstoag@wvda.us.
