Michelle D. Wilfong, of Dunmore, was recently appointed to the USDA National Sheep Industry Improvement Center by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
The mission of the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center is to improve the infrastructure of the U.S. sheep industry by strengthening and enhancing the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products.
The Center may use grants to provide funding for research on new products, technologies, or knowledge that will improve the efficiency, profitability, or quality of the sheep industry, and for the production and commercialization of new and innovative products or processes. The board consists of seven sheep producers and one program manager from throughout the United States.
Wilfong will be attending meetings such as the American Sheep Industry Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, in January.
She and her husband, Charles II, and son, CW, have 1,100 commercial ewes, 50 rams, 100 cow/calf pairs, 50 replacement heifers, and 190 yearling steers. They lamb in the spring and fall. This allows them to target a variety of markets depending on the season. They are involved in direct-to-consumer meat sales where they offer beef, lamb and pork. They are also involved in various agritourism activities. They operate CW’s Corn Maze in the fall and have a u-pick strawberry patch in early summer.
Michelle is excited about this incredible opportunity. She says that her passion is for agriculture and education. She hopes to meet other sheep producers throughout the United States and bring ideas back to their operation. She wants to help strengthen the sheep industry in West Virginia and get the WV Shepherd’s Federation reestablished.
