INSTITUTE, W.Va. ― West Virginia State University is getting a grant to help fund agricultural research projects.
The Institute school says it has received a $40,000 grant through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Officials say the money will be used for projects relating to alternative growing methods for farmers and diversifying the crops produced in West Virginia.
Among the project is one to reintroduce pecans as a viable crop. Commercial pecan production was once popular in West Virginia but stalled in the 1940s.
The grant program encourages cooperative efforts to integrate technology at the farm level, improve marketing and promotion of locally grown specialty crops, and increase production efficiency.
