WVSU President Ericke S. Cage joins WV Secretary of State Kris Warner for “Just Three Questions!” to discuss bolstering the agriculture industry in West Virginia

Charleston, W.Va. – Ericke S. Cage, West Virginia State University’s (WVSU) 13th president, recently sat down with Secretary of State Kris Warner for an interview on the video program “Just Three Questions!”, focusing on business leaders and entrepreneurs. WVSU broke ground on a $50 million state-of-the-art agricultural laboratory last fall that will house space for WVSU and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

Cage said, "I believe adamantly that agriculture is the future of West Virginia. We know that food insecurity is not just a state issue, is not just a national issue. It is a global issue and we at West Virginia State—as a proud land-grant institution—focused on agricultural innovation, agricultural research, agriculture education and extension. We believe that we have a role to play in helping to solve the pressing challenges of global food insecurity."

"We'll also provide our students an opportunity to work right alongside the researchers at the West Virginia Department of Agriculture which will help to build a durable workforce pipeline for our agricultural sector. So we are very excited about the project," Cage added.

"I know my time at USDA Rural Development, we had the opportunity to come down and tour the campus and very impressive what you're doing. Look forward to seeing the completion of that project," Secretary Warner said. WVSU is targeting a 2028 completion date.

To learn more about the project and other ways WVSU is helping build the West Virginia workforce, click here to watch the full interview. The interview with President Cage and other recorded episodes of "Just Three Questions" can be found on the WVSOS YouTube channel​.