WVU-P Agriculture Director John Riggs holds up a check representing the donation the Riverhawk Farm will receive from Jay-Bee Oil & Gas Inc. at the Riverhawk Farm. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The West Virginia University at Parkersburg Foundation will receive a $200,000 donation over a four-year period from Jay-Bee Oil to support the Riverhawk Farm and grow agriculture throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley.

“We are deeply grateful for the generous donation to support Riverhawk Farm and our agriculture program at WVU Parkersburg,” Olivia Reeder, director of WVU at Parkersburg Foundation, said. “This contribution will play a crucial role in nurturing the growth of Riverhawk Farm, allowing us to continue providing valuable education to our students. We are committed to maximizing the impact of this donation and ensuring that Riverhawk Farm flourishes as a hub of agriculture excellence in our community.”

Jay-Bee Oil & Gas Inc. of Ritchie County has been operating in West Virginia since 1982. It is a family-owned business producing oil and gas.

“We are always looking for opportunities to expand our mission to do good work, be a steward to our environment and be a good neighbor in the community we live and work,” Deborah Broda-Morgan, president of Jay-Bee Oil, said. “We believe that agriculture is a great place to help the residents of West Virginia find new opportunities both economic and personal.”

WVU-P Agriculture Director John Riggs said the funding will be put toward agricultural infrastructure development and innovation at Riverhawk Farm.

Director of WVU at Parkersburg Foundation Olivia Reeder, left, and WVU-P Agriculture Director John Riggs, right, hold up a donation from Jay-Bee Oil & Gas Inc. that will be used to help grow the field of agriculture across the Mid-Ohio Valley. (Photo Provided)

“For example, a portion of the $200,000 will be used to develop a beekeeping and honey processing facility, the completion of this project is set for fall 2024,” he said. “We also will be utilizing funding to develop livestock facilities and offer scholarship opportunities to students.”

Riggs said this donation will help provide students with top tier educational opportunities through the Riverhawk Farm.

“As a higher education institution, it is imperative that we offer educational opportunities that are popular in current and future markets,” he said. “This donation will allow us to continue the expansion of agriculture offerings, this in turn creating more producers within the Mid-Ohio Valley. Through education, we can ensure that food security throughout West Virginia is not an issue in years to come by making locally grown healthy foods more accessible to West Virginia residents.”

Riggs said he is grateful for the support from Jay-Bee Oil.

“I cannot thank Debbie Broda-Morgan and Jonathan Morgan for all their help and support through this process, we are extremely blessed to have found a community driven partner like Jay-Bee,” he said. “We hope to continue this partnership for many years.”