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JENNINGSTON -- A local farmer has been named one of three 2023 Women In Agriculture award recipients who will be honored at the State Fair of West Virginia.
Marsha Waybright, of Jenningston, in Tucker County, said she was shocked when she found out she was named as one of the award winners. Waybright's unique farm, Laurel Fork Farm, sits on 200 acres and is home to three businesses, including the Laurel River Club Bed and Breakfast, Laurel Fork Farm and the West Virginia School of Traditional Skills.
"I am really surprised I got it," Waybright told The Inter-Mountain. "It is quite an honor. I am not one to toot my horn and when they called me, I was very surprised and honored."
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture will honor the 2023 recipients during a reception at the State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 13.
"Today, women make up more than a third of the farmers in West Virginia, but women have been involved in agriculture in the Mountain State for centuries. As we try to replace the aging farmer, we will need more women to step up to lead operations," said Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt. "The women we are honoring this year have paved the way for females in the industry. Each have played a vital role in West Virginia agriculture."
Waybright said Laurel Fork Farm provides a unique way for people to experience a true working farm. She said visitors can stay in the bed and breakfast and participate in multiple activities. She said the bed and breakfast features home-cooked meals where everything served is farm-to-table. Those who stay at the bed and breakfast have the opportunity to participate in several activities and classes.
"We teach everything from birthing to butchering," she said. "We teach how to plant, make Kombucha and how to make bread. We focus on traditional skills."
Waybright said she and her family love to teach. All three of Waybright's children were home-schooled. Her son, Collin Waybright, a West Virginia master class falconer, teaches a birds of prey class. The farm also offers a Hawk Walk, where visitors are taken through the countryside with a licensed master class falconer, and the Raptor Experience, during months when the birds may be molting and are on break from flying. Both will allow a personal experience as the Laurel Fork Falconer will introduce visitors to a raptor and demonstrate what it's like to work with one of these magnificent birds.
Waybright said the bed and breakfast opened three years ago and has been a popular attraction. She said they have had visitors from 40 countries, and visitors have represented all but 10 states.
Waybright was a dairy goat farmer for 20 years, relying on her skills as a master artisan to make goat milk soap, which she sold in dozens of stores in West Virginia. She is also a master gardener and herbalist who applies that knowledge to local beautification projects, growing crops for her family, her three businesses and the public.
Laurel Mountain Farm was named Tucker County Conservation Farm of the Year in 2023. The farm will also be featured in the Summer 2023 issue of Golden Seal Magazine. Waybright was recently chosen by Meta, owner of Facebook, to represent small businesses at the U.S. Capital.
To learn more about the numerous classes and experiences available at Laurel Fork Farm, visit lrcbnb.com or find them on Facebook.
Other recipients of the 2023 Women In Agriculture award are Rachel Taylor and Frostmore Farm in Pocahontas County, and Cristy L. Jones with the USDA Farm Service Agency in Raleigh County.
Taylor became the co-owner of Frostmore Farms in 2009. The farms are split between Dunmore, where she operates a 257-acre maple operation, and a 40-acre farm in Arborvale that includes U-pick blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, pumpkin, and sunflower patches.
In 2013, Taylor and her husband, Adam, turned their hobby of making maple syrup into a business. She attended Cornell University Maple Camp, and they invested in new equipment. They have grown the business over the past decade into one of the most successful in the state.
She serves as the secretary of the West Virginia Maple Syrup Producers Association. Rachel and Adam Taylor also raise belted Galloway cattle, chickens, and utilize a high tunnel to grow produce.
Jones has spent her life involved in agriculture in one form or another. Both of her grandfathers were farmers. They instilled in her a love of farming and showed her the benefits of rural life. After high school, she took a temporary job with the USDA-Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service, the predecessor of the Farm Service Agency. Thirty-two years later, she's still in that position, serving the farmers and public in six counties of southern West Virginia.
She works with other agencies to develop plans that address concerns or problems individual farmers may have and ensures they understand the processes, requirements, and compliance issues. She enjoys meeting farmers and seeing their love of the land.