CHARLESTON — Farmers markets working in tandem with local growers hold the key to boosting West Virginia’s agriculture industry, but one hurdle needs to be crossed — foraging deer.

“This white-tailed deer thing is going to have to be fixed,” Tom McConnell, director of the small farms center at West Virginia University, told a legislative panel Wednesday.

Constantly, he said, farmers tell him that no matter what tack they employ, deer keep figuring a way to circumvent it and get into their crops.

“It just gets worse and worse,” he told the Agriculture and Agribusiness Committee.

A conflict has been growing across the state between farmers and the Division of Natural Resources over how to deal with deer that wipe out crops.

Deer hunting is a million-dollar industry in the state, but farmers are chagrined by the damage inflicted on their crops — a point not lost on Gary Rapking, a WVU Extension agent in Upshur County.

“The DNR boasts about the amount of money brought to the state by deer,” he told the panel.

“The farmers are feeding those deer. I like deer, in their place.”

Afterward, Rapking suggested farmers follow the trail blazed by livestock producers in getting watering troughs and fencing through federal agriculture assistance programs.

Programs are in development to protect crops by controlling deer, he pointed out.

“As far as controlling deer, that’s an issue that’s going to be legislative, I think,” he said.

Rapking said two types of fences are available and could be utilized if farmers could get assistance to keep costs down.

“Just as we use the cost-share program for various other farm entities — anything from building ponds to those types of things,” he said.

“My hope is as we get more and more producers into this type of business, they’ll utilize the cost-sharing through the federal program so they can actually develop a fence that is effective and efficient for controlling deer.”

A number of speakers, including Monroe County farmer Rachel Moran, touted the value of farmers markets as a way for local growers to earn money while supplying the demand for fresh products.

“They’re great things for a community,” said Brian Sparks, the WVU Extension agent for Nicholas and Fayette counties.

Sparks pointed to a growing popularity, noting the market in Fayette has expanded from one in the parking lot near the courthouse to locations in Oak Hill and Mount Hope as well.

Discussion focused on strawberries and other farm products being imported from California and Florida.

Again, McConnell said, the idea is to expand production in West Virginia because, ultimately, quality will win out.

“People like to eat tomatoes that taste like tomatoes,” he said.

“Then you eat one of those (imported) strawberries and you say, ‘I remember what a strawberry tastes like.’”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com