WEST virginia legislature
2025 regular session
Introduced
House Bill 2725
By Delegates Hornby, W. Clark, Young, Funkhouser, and D. Smith
Introduced February 21, 2025; referred to the Committee on Government Organization
A BILL to amend and reenact ยง19-19-2 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to defining urban agriculture in this state.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
## ARTICLE 19. PRESERVATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION.
For the purposes of this article:
(a) "Agriculture" shall mean the production of food, fiber and woodland products, by means of cultivation, tillage of the soil and by the conduct of animal, livestock, dairy, apiary, equine or poultry husbandry, and the practice of forestry, silviculture, horticulture, harvesting of silviculture products, packing, shipping, milling, and marketing of agricultural products conducted by the proprietor of the agricultural operation, or any other legal plant or animal production and all farm practices, including urban agriculture as defined by this article and its sections or subsections.
(b) "Agricultural land" shall mean any amount of land and the improvements thereupon, used or usable in the production of food, fiber or woodland products of an annual value of $1,000 or more, by the conduct of the business of agriculture, as defined in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) "Agricultural operation" shall mean any facility utilized for agriculture.
(d) "Urban agriculture" shall mean any agricultural operation or practice within an urban or suburban area, on public land or private property within municipal boundaries, with the purpose of encouraging economic development, promoting better conservation practices, and providing improved access to fresh local food and agricultural products by encouraging urban agriculture.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to define urban agriculture in this state.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.