West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine: Federation History, Coverage and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine is the full-color print magazine that comes with membership in the West Virginia Farm Bureau, the Mountain State's largest farm organization. Published monthly from the federation's Buckhannon headquarters, with back issues online as interactive editions and PDFs, it carries farm policy, member news and the programs of an organization founded in 1918.
| Publisher | West Virginia Farm Bureau (WVFB) |
|---|---|
| Federation founded | 1918 |
| Frequency | Monthly, full-color print, included with membership |
| Members | More than 8,000 member families, per WVFB |
| Headquarters | 62 Farm Bureau Road, Buckhannon, West Virginia 26201 |
| Companion media | Leaderline and Legislative Action Report e-newsletters; Diggin' Deep podcast |
| Official website | WVFarm.org |
History of West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine
The West Virginia Farm Bureau Federation was created in 1918, about a decade after farm clubs and agricultural clubs began forming around the state. West Virginia was among the states that pushed for a national organization, and the American Farm Bureau Federation followed in 1919.
Early work centered on agricultural programs and lobbying for better roads and fair farmland taxation. The federation helped pass a cooperative marketing law in 1923 and founded the West Virginia Farm Bureau Service Company in 1925, which ran cooperative farm supply stores until they were sold to Southern States Cooperative in 1941.
The federation celebrated its centennial in Buckhannon in 2018. According to e-WV, the state encyclopedia, its membership has declined by about a third during the 21st century; the federation itself now reports more than 8,000 member families.
West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine Today
The magazine is part of a broader communications mix: the Legislative Action Report e-newsletter goes out weekly during the legislative session, Leaderline arrives the first week of each month, and vice president John Pitsenbarger hosts the Diggin' Deep podcast, with new episodes every few weeks.
The federation lobbies the Legislature on land use, property rights and regulation, and members set its positions through a grassroots policy development process that starts in the county Farm Bureaus.
What West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine Is Publishing Now
Policy and the Legislature
Coverage of Charleston and Washington on property rights, land use, taxes and regulation, plus Farm PAC candidate endorsements.
Livestock and farm programs
News from the WV Beef Industry program, the Mobile Agriculture Lab and Ag in the Classroom resources.
Members and leaders
Young Farmers and Ranchers, Women's Leadership, the Summer Ag Institute, Farming Heritage Award honorees and member benefits.
West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine Editors and Staff
The West Virginia Farm Bureau staff directory lists:
- Ron Williams - Director of Public Relations
- Charles Wilfong - President
- John Pitsenbarger - Vice President and Diggin' Deep podcast host
- Stephen Butler - Administrator
- Dwayne O'Dell - Director of Government Affairs
- Kevin Shaffer - WV Beef Industry Program Specialist
General questions go to contactus@wvfarm.org or 304-472-2080.
Who Reads West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine
Readers are Farm Bureau member families across West Virginia's hills and valleys, where farms tend to be smaller, family-run and built around cattle, hay, poultry and timber. A membership covers a spouse and children 23 and under, so the magazine reaches whole households.
Beef is a key enterprise in the state, which is why the federation employs a beef industry specialist. Nationally, cattle and calves were the largest animal product at $72.9 billion in 2021, according to USDA's Economic Research Service, and the 2022 Census of Agriculture found 95 percent of U.S. farms are family farms.
West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine readers farm hillsides steep enough that the cows grow one set of legs shorter, or so the old joke goes. For more where that came from, farm.FM serves farm satire and farm humor with mountain hospitality, plus ranch humor for the cow-calf folks on the ridges. Its farm jokes travel well from Buckhannon to the Greenbrier Valley.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- e-WV: West Virginia Farm Bureau - history and membership.
- West Virginia Farm Bureau: About Us - mission, membership and programs.
- My Buckhannon: WVFB centennial celebration - local coverage.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - cattle sector economics.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - West Virginia county farm data.
West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine FAQ
How often is West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine published?
Monthly, as a full-color print magazine included with membership.
When was the West Virginia Farm Bureau founded?
In 1918.
Where is West Virginia Farm Bureau based?
At 62 Farm Bureau Road in Buckhannon.
Who handles public relations for WVFB?
Ron Williams is director of public relations.
More than a century on, West Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine still carries the federation's work to farm homes across the Mountain State.