Alleghany Highlands Agricultural Center

---

Agricultural interests remain the heart and soul of the Alleghany Highlands region (Highland & Bath counties, Virginia; Pendleton & Pocahontas counties, West Virginia).   The envisioned Alleghany Highlands Ag Center—a meat processing/educational/ marketing facility—has the potential to be a prototype in centralizing and leveraging resources vital to revitalizing, sustaining, and maximizing agricultural interests.

Over the past four years with financial and technical assistance from the USDA and Appalachian Regional Commission, representatives from The Highland Center, Virginia Cooperative Extension, West Virginia Cooperative Extension, local Sheep and Cattle producer associations, and producers have documented the need for such a facility and its impact in adding profitability to local farm enterprises.

 Food & Livestock Planning, Inc. of Kansas City, MO conducted a feasibility study for the proposed venture. The firm’s conclusions showed sufficient animal numbers and producer interest to justify moving forward into market analysis. Subsequent analysis provided a business model, suggestions for site locations, facility design, and business structures.

 Following intensive scrutiny of the information, the committee concluded that the Ag Center project is viable for the region. The committee’s work is now moving forward into fine tuning a business plan, obtaining financing for the venture, and embarking on marketing efforts aimed at end-user consumers with strong buying ability.

The Ag Center will have a direct economic impact on our community:

• 4 -5 jobs created paying a livable wage
• $1 million infrastructure investment in local community
• Increased revenue of a large number of farms through sales on value-added markets rather than on a commodity market
• Giving sales to local businesses that support farm operations (feed & seed, fence supplies, extra labor to increase farm operations)
• Maintaining the pastoral look of the area, which attracts many tourists each year