101 Places where you just gotta eat in West Virginia

The Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia and the Dept. of Tourism are asking the public to submit their favorite restaurant on wvfarm2u.org's survey 101 Places in West Virginia where you just gotta eat. Have you submitted your favorite restaurant here in Wild Wonderful WV?

On a technical note: I have received emails and calls from folks who were experiencing issues with the image verification at the bottom of the survey. This has been removed so anyone who may have experienced an issue can now complete the survey without any further problems.

On a side note: Happy SPRING!!! What are the signs of spring in your neck of the woods? My elderberry bushes are getting leaves, the daffodils are in bloom, and the red potatoes, peas and onions have been planted.

Small farms are gowing everywhere!

MUNCIE, Ind. - Rising consumer demand for locally grown, organic produce is fueling a surge in the number of small Indiana farms, boosting their numbers nearly 80 percent over five years, a new farm census report shows.

The number of Indiana farms under 10 acres soared from 5,436 in 2002 to 9,720 in 2007 -- a 79 percent increase -- said Greg Preston, director of the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service.

"It's skyrocketing. We are getting a lot of newer farmers coming in that are smaller -- going into direct marketing, specialty products, organics, locally grown, this type of stuff," Preston told The Star Press.

For the ag census, taken every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products are produced and sold.


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