07/29/2026
Praying for things to work out for the best. Been there many times. Hard to believe 3’ of floodwater….
WVFB MEMBERS
The West Virginia Farm Bureau is undertaking a major recovery effort after catastrophic flooding severely damaged the home office in Buckhannon. Nearly three feet of water entered the building, destroying computers, furniture, vehicles, and essential equipment. In addition, two vehicles were totaled and several pieces of office equipment were lost.
Also housed in the building were the WV Cattlemen's Association and the West Virginia Beef Council. Unfortunately, the State Fair steak wagon, which was owned by these 2 organizations, was damaged and will not be available for the state fair.
As the building was not located in a flood zone, the organization had no flood insurance. Last night, the Board approved emergency cleanup and securing temporary office space while delaying any reconstruction decision until full estimates are available.
Cleanup is underway, including carpet removal, drywall cuts, and sanitization. Our staff have new laptops, and office calls are being routed through mobile devices. The one good bit of news is that all of our data and membership records were successfully recovered. We expect to be working out of temporary office space for the next 4–6 months.
We will continue providing updates as recovery work progresses. The challenges before us are real, but so is our legacy of resilience. A century of survival has taught us one truth above all others: “We Pull The Most When We Pull Together.” That is how we’ve survived every storm—and that is how we will overcome this one.
Steve Butler,
WV Farm Bureau Administrator