WV Farm Bureau Magazine December 2013 | Page 10

Shelley Moore Capito tours Greenbrier Valley Farms Perk Farm Organic Dairy, Triple T Angus showcase West Virginia Agriculture Above, Capito and Perkins discuss milk output of Jersey cows West Virginia Farm Bureau joined forces with Farm Credit of the Virginias to host a tour of two farms in Greenbrier County for Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and her staffers on November 6th. The first stop was at Perk Farm Organic Dairy, just outside of Lewisburg. Rem and Mary Perkins run the 1200-acre operation, the only one of its kind in West Virginia. 700 Jersey cows produce milk that is sold in stores under the Stonyfield Farms and Organic Valley labels. Perkins explained the journey to convert from conventional dairy farming to organic - a process that took three years. Despite many initial skeptics, including Perkins’ own father, the farm is extremely successful today. The group then toured Triple T Angus - where Sam, Ben and Byron Tuckwiller explained the business of running their cow-calf operation and the pressures they face not only domestically, but globally. Capito and her group were shown a herd of cattle being readied for shipment the next day to a feedlot in Iowa - one of the methods Triple T utilizes to stay competitive. Triple T retains ownership of these cattle, so that they can get feedback on cattle performance, thus helping them to continually improve upon their business. Right, Sam and Byron Tuckwiller show Congresswoman Capito a herd of cattle scheduled to be shipped to an Iowa feedlot the following day. Tuckwillers use a variety of methods and technologies to stay profitable and ensure a quality product. 10 West Virginia Farm Bureau News