Former Research Farm Welcomed Back into State Family
An early piece of West Virginia State University (WVSU) history is once again part of the Yellow Jacket Nation. In 2019, the University and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) signed a land lease to support agricultural research at Lakin Farm in Mason County. Once under the control and management of State, the new agreement marks the first time the University will have a research presence on the farm in more than 60 years. “Having again a presence at Lakin Farm is truly a form of homecoming for WVSU," said Dr.
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Jose Ulises Toledo, assistant vice president for research. "The ongoing land lease agreement with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture is allowing our research scientists and students, engaged in agricultural research, to enrich their research activities and capabilities on the same land that former Yellow Jackets worked and studied on decades ago.� Re-establishing a research presence at Lakin Farm is the latest chapter in a story dating back to the 1940s.