Kent Leonhardt and his wife of 28 years, Shirley, know what it takes to run a successful agriculture business in West Virginia. The Leonhardt Farm is located in the western end of Monongalia County in Fairview, West Virginia. Kent and Shirley purchased their first 205 acres of West Virginia farmland in 1982, while Kent was still on military active duty. The Leonhardts began developing and cultivating the farm in 1997, following Kent’s retirement from the Marine Corps. Today, the Leonhardts have 380 contiguous acres and two farm leases for hay production and additional grazing. They raise sheep, cattle and goats and sell hay when there is a surplus available. In addition, the Leonhardts have had a backyard flock of chickens and have also participated in the Morgantown farmer’s market, selling flowers, lettuce greens and tomatoes all locally grown on their farm.Kent received a formal education in the Science of Agriculture, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri. In addition, he is educated in a variety of issues pertinent to the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection. Kent’s undergraduate education had a concentration on both wildlife and agriculture and included courses in the following disciplines: Livestock and Meat Science, Soil Sciences, Plant Taxonomy, Entomology, Ichthyology or fisheries, Agricultural Economics, Biology and Chemistry.