Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 10.01 Agriculture
Presentation #1 Title
The Decline of the Dairy Industry in Mason County, West Virginia—1934-2014
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This paper presentation will focus on the decline of the Dairy Industry in Mason County West Virginia over the past 80 years. From what was once of strong industry, the slide down the mountain of dominance as a key dairy production county, the decline has been fast and remains in decline. Mason County is located at the confluence of two major rivers, the Kanawha and the Ohio. As a result, large areas of flat land ideal for farming are found along the rivers. The remainder of the county is primarily rolling hills, ideally suited for grazing land. Historically Mason County has been one of the top two Dairy Production counties in WV. Currently there are less than 10 dairy operations in existence in Mason County. Through research into economic and agricultural production data, this paper will document the decline in Mason County’s once rich dairy industry. Specific research focus will be on the loss of Dairy Farms, Milk Production Facilities and decline in dairy industry employment in Mason County, WV for the time period of research focus.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Sturgeon has been a life long resident of West Virginia. He has taught special education in the Mason County WV school system and been a college of education faculty at Shawnee State University and the University of Rio Grande. His research interests are local Mason County History and Appalachian Educational History.
The Decline of the Dairy Industry in Mason County, West Virginia—1934-2014
This paper presentation will focus on the decline of the Dairy Industry in Mason County West Virginia over the past 80 years. From what was once of strong industry, the slide down the mountain of dominance as a key dairy production county, the decline has been fast and remains in decline. Mason County is located at the confluence of two major rivers, the Kanawha and the Ohio. As a result, large areas of flat land ideal for farming are found along the rivers. The remainder of the county is primarily rolling hills, ideally suited for grazing land. Historically Mason County has been one of the top two Dairy Production counties in WV. Currently there are less than 10 dairy operations in existence in Mason County. Through research into economic and agricultural production data, this paper will document the decline in Mason County’s once rich dairy industry. Specific research focus will be on the loss of Dairy Farms, Milk Production Facilities and decline in dairy industry employment in Mason County, WV for the time period of research focus.
