In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, host Kimmi Devaney visits with West Virginia dairy producer Joe Shockey about opportunities to revitalize the dairy industry in Appalachia. West Virginia was one of the visible bright spots during our 2024 State of Dairy interviews with producers and industry leaders. Hear from Shockey about new dairy processing and other efforts to rebuild the state’s dairy industry.

Here’s a breakdown of the episode:

• [~1:00] About Shockey and his dairy farm in West Virginia
• [~2:05] The dairy landscape in West Virginia
• [~5:40] The impact of new processing capacity that came online in 2023
• [~10:00] New resources that are assisting in rebuilding West Virginia’s dairy industry
• [~13:40] Opportunities for dairies to relocate to West Virginia
• [~15:30] Other opportunities for rebuilding West Virginia’s dairy infrastructure
• [~17:05] West Virginia’s dairy regulations 
• [~18:05] Other points of optimism for West Virginia dairy producers
• [~20:40] Rapid-fire questions