On Friday, April 30, 2021 the Appalachian Botanical Co. farm in Ashford, Boone County, was visited by 5 people representing the Agriculture and Natural Resources of the West Virginia State University Extension Services in Institute, WV.
The purpose of their visit was two-fold. First, they were there to make a video about ABCo to be shared at their annual Urban Agriculture Conference. In years past, the conference was a live event in Charleston, WV. Since COVID, it has transformed into a virtual event available online at: urbanagwv.com. There you will find videos that were to be presented at the conference. Expect ours to be posted there soon! We’ll let you know when it’s up there.
The second purpose of their visit was to provide maintenance for their weather center equipment that is installed here on the ABCo farm. The weather equipment monitors local temperature, wind direction and rainfall. Additional weather data such as atmospheric pressure and the extended forecast are provided via the internet and displayed on the LCD monitoring screen for users to access.
This program is part of the WV Weather Data Collection Project. Originally funded by the USDA Forest Service Northeast Climate Hub, it is scheduled to last at least three years. The purpose is to gather a robust set of data from different locations across West Virginia. Monitoring, documenting and comparing the data will give us insight into the different microclimates across West Virginia. WVSU Extension can start a dialogue with WV landowners to address any issues they may have with climate change. Currently there are 68 units being used by 55 counties. It turns out that ABCo was the first farm in Boone County to apply to get this equipment!
Here at the Appalachian Botanical Co, we feel pretty good about the work we’re doing for the environment and the local economy. Making a contribution to science via weather data acquisition and sharing is just another reason to make us smile at the end of the day.
MEET THE AUTHOR / CHAD FOREMAN is the Communications Manager at Appalachian Botanical Co. In his spare time Chad is a free lance photographer specializing in wedding, portrait, and adventure photography. He is also an avid outdoorsman who loves spending time in the mountains of West Virginia, especially kayaking and white water rafting in the New River Gorge.