Willow Bend Agricultural Innovation Center

03/07/2026

Another great day at Willow Bend, thanks to Greenbrier West FFA and Greenbrier East FFA for all their help getting us ready for the upcoming lambing season.

02/24/2026

2026 calving has started at Willow Bend

01/16/2026

We have two butcher lambs available for pickup at the farm, send us a message and we can help fill your freezer!

01/07/2026

The new year is off to a great start. The girls went into their winter feeding grounds yesterday. We cant wait to see what bale grazing will do towards improving this pasture. If you have tried bale grazing drop us a comment and let us know how it helped your operation.

04/08/2025

Had a great work day today with Greenbrier West FFA and James Monroe FFA. Kids gave the first round of vaccines for our spring lambs, set up new paddocks for the ewes, cleaned up around the farm, and we finally got the new sign put up. These youth did awesome work today and we were so happy to have them here today.

03/28/2025

What a great week here on the farm. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with all the FFA advisors and their youth from across region. We can’t wait to have them out again in a couple weeks for some more great educational opportunities.

02/27/2025

Wow, it has been a busy month here at Willow Bend. The snow has finally made its way from the pasture, and lambing season will be upon us soon. We recently hosted Mr. Hill and Mr. Boone's intro to ag class for a day of working ewes. The group vaccinated and did Famacha scoring on the flock. We are looking forward to having them back out when the lambs are on the ground. Farm manager Ty Judy, board member Bill Shiflet and education advisor Josh Peplowski made their way to Charleston last week as part of Agriculture Day at the State Capitol. We would like to thank, Delegates Campbell, Canterbury, and Cooper as well as Senators Deeds and Woodrum for taking the time to meet with us and hear our story. The work didn't end there, this Monday the girls got their spring cuts just in time for lambing season. Its been a great start to the year, and we cant wait to see how the season progresses.

02/24/2025

🚜 Calling All Farm Families! 🌾

Join us for two insightful days focused on farm stress, dairy economics, and cost-effective farming with Larry Tranel & Jeremy Daubert!

📅 March 5, 2025 – Lewisburg, WV
📍 WVU Building – State Fair of WV
⏰ 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Dinner Provided)
🎤 Topic: Farm Personalities & Stress Management

📅 March 6, 2025 – Union, WV
⏰ 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
🔹 Mid-Atlantic Millionaire Model Farms – Dr. Larry Tranel
🔹 Regional Dairy Economics – Jeremy Daubert
🔹 Producer Panel Discussions & Lunch
🔹 Cost-Effective Milking Systems – Dr. Larry Tranel

🍽️ Dinner & Lunch Provided!
📞 Register Today! Call Sonya at 304-772-3003 ext. 0 or sign up here: https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cumRDKD9bpCC1BI

Don’t miss this chance to improve your farm’s success & reduce stress! 🌟

01/09/2025

Cold would be an understatement this morning here at Willow Bend, no ice busting though thanks to Freeze Miser.

12/31/2024

We are ready to graze on into the new year here at Willow Bend. Want to give a special thanks to all those out there that made our first full year a great success. We can’t wait to see where this new year takes us with the opportunities that await. Happy New Year everyone.

12/24/2024