Justice Will Create Thousands of New Ag Jobs
Charleston, WV— Today, Jim Justice announced his ideas to increase agriculture jobs in West Virginia. Justice is the largest farmer east of the Mississippi River, and his West Virginia farms have won national corn growing competitions.
Based on his experience, Justice believes his plan can create thousands of new agriculture jobs over 4 years.
In 1978, Jim Justice grew his first crop of corn on 132 acres in Monroe County, WV, and today his company farms 50,000 acres in four states.
“We can create new agriculture jobs; we just need a governor who understands agriculture and can promote our state the right way,” said businessman Jim Justice. “I want grocery stores across the country to have a West Virginia produce section featuring “Almost Heaven” foods. There is so much more we can do to help local farmers; we have unreal potential.”
Jim’s Ideas To Increase Agriculture Jobs
As governor, Jim will increase agriculture jobs by:
● Identifying a Niche Crop For West Virginia. Why can’t West Virginia have the next Vidalia onion or Idaho potato? As governor, Jim wants to use his expertise as a farmer and work with our state universities and current marketers to identify a niche crop West Virginia can produce. A niche crop can command higher prices and be marketed to the most lucrative markets.
● Promoting “Almost Heaven” Agriculture Products. Jim wants to market West Virginia agriculture to the world as “Almost Heaven” products. It will be a marketing campaign that will make people think of West Virginia products as clean and pristine. It will help consumers distinguish our quality produce from the rest of the options at the store, and help change the state’s image. Jim want’s supermarkets across the globe to carry “Almost Heaven” products, and make it an international brand. Jim will support and work closely with the Commissioner of Agriculture on new ideas to promote West Virginia agriculture products.
● Establishing West Virginia as a Distribution Center. Jim wants to take advantage of West Virginia’s proximity to two-thirds of the U.S. population and make our state a distribution center for fresh agricultural products to the northeastern United States.
● Increasing Farming and Food Processing in West Virginia. Today, West Virginia consumes $7.3 billion in food every year, yet West Virginia grows and raises less than $1 billion in agriculture products. There is huge opportunity to farm and process our food right here in West Virginia. For example, there are roughly 100,000 acres of fertile land available in West Virginia for agriculture. Many parts of southern West Virginia already have the necessary infrastructure, such as rail, water, and electricity necessary for large scale agriculture operations. A feed mill and other large scale agriculture operations would be ideally situated in the southern part of our state. As governor, Jim will increase agriculture jobs throughout West Virginia.
● Utilizing Abandon Mine Lands. As governor, Jim will work to transform abandoned mines into farmable lands. He sees potential for expanding our hog and cattle farming in southern West Virginia. In addition, Jim wants to expand the aquaculture industry by helping fish farmers who want to use water from old coal mines. The water temperatures are ideal for raising fish.
● Growing Downstream Agriculture Jobs. Jim will work to generate new jobs connected to the processing, canning, and packing of West Virginia agriculture products. Our farmers shouldn’t have to waste time and money sending their products out of state before they can go to market. Jim believes it’s something that can be done more often right here in West Virginia.
● Expanding Farmers’ Markets. Less than a third of our state’s 100 or so farmers’ markets accept food stamps. Jim wants to boost farmers’ market sales by ensuring that every market can accept SNAP payments. Not only does it keep food-stamp dollars working in West Virginia by supporting our own farmers and rural communities, but it helps seniors and SNAP recipients get more fresh produce.
● Connecting Local Farmers With School Cafeterias. School districts are some of the largest food buyers in West Virginia. In 2013 and 2014, West Virginia schools purchased $650,000 worth of food from local farms. Jim wants to increase the number of schools buying from local farms by incentivizing schools across the state to buy fresh produce from West Virginia farmers. Not only does his partnership mean healthier lunches in our schools; it could also be a great learning opportunity for students and an economic boost for local farmers.