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Kimmie Boito is crowned 2025 West Virginia Miss Agriculture USA

By Staff | Aug 15, 2024

Kimmie Boito is the 2025 West Virginia Miss Agriculture USA.

Kimmie Boito has been named 2025 West Virginia Miss Agriculture USA.

Miss Agriculture USA is a national nonprofit queen organization that was started in 2018 and is much more than just a pageant about agriculture, it’s about building confidence, promoting self-esteem, developing public speaking skills, shaping strong leaders, networking and forming lasting friendships and so much more. There are multiple options for women who support agriculture to be involved without needing to compete in the pageant. The Queen titles are eligible for Nationals, and are required to obtain sponsors for the National competition. There is also only one title per division, per state, However, for those wanting to just spread awareness, there is the AGvocate title. This title is virtually limitless. There is always a spot for an AGvocate at this organization

Kimmie had this to say about who she is as a person representing this title, “I am a Tyler County native, born and raised. I grew up in the deep ‘hollers’ down Indian Creek Road, went to Arthur I. Boreman Elementary School, and graduated from Tyler Consolidated High School in 2015. I live in Morgantown now, and work as a travel nurse, providing care to patients in many different facilities in West Virginia. Many people know me for being extremely passionate about nursing, but many do not know of my other passion: agriculture. For as long as I can remember, my family has always had some form of garden, sometimes smaller than most. I have also raised beef, chickens and turkeys. In high school, I worked in the greenhouse, where Bob Allen, my horticulture teacher, taught me most of my gardening knowledge that I still use to this day. I love canning and baking. There is so much satisfaction when I can go out to my small garden and make my own complete salad, no grocery store needed.”

“My platform is to educate my community that agriculture is for everyone. As I stated earlier, I live in Morgantown, and truth be told I do not have the space to do my “dream garden” right now and certainly not much more room for animals other than my two sweet cats Cass and Ruby, and dog Breeze. However, we have all seen the price of our groceries get higher and higher, while quality gets lower and lower. According to the USDA, food prices have increased 25% from 2019 to 2023. West Virginia is the fourth ‘hungriest’ state, with a food insecurity rate 34% higher than the national average of 10.4%. 14% of West Virginia is unsure where, when or how nutritionally complete their next meal will be. It is a common misconception that you need wide open spaces to have a garden, or even a few chickens. I am here telling you I live in a roughly 900 square foot apartment and I am growing beans, lettuce, microgreens, and I even have a second garden at my boyfriend Tyler’s house full of butternut squash, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. We don’t have a lot of space, but we still manage to bring in a decent harvest. We also try to buy local goods, because investing in local business invests back into the community,” says Kimmie.

A message she believes everyone should know is, “A message about agriculture I think everyone should know is that even if you don’t think you can start growing your own food, you can. You only fail when you give up. Every gardener or farmer can tell you their mistakes and they will also tell you what they learned. Believe me, I don’t have a blue ribbon winning product 100% of the time. I encourage everyone to start small, start something. Microgreens are crazy simple and

do not require a lot of room. I have all mine on a shelf in a room where I start seedlings for more transplants.”

If you want to be able to help support Kimmie you can do so by sponsoring her. Miss Agriculture USA Queens attend hundreds of events, educate all ages about agriculture, and travel thousands of miles across all different states as ambassadors for the Agriculture Industry. There are many different sponsorship opportunities available, and sponsorship is tax-exempt! Those unable to make a monetary gift can also donate gifts for the queens competing at Nationals! This organization, as well as the Queens and AGvocates, truly depends on the support of their community, whether it be Tyler County or West Virginia as a whole, to succeed.

Kimmie ended our interview with this final statement, “I would also love to work with my community, please reach out to me. Teachers, I would love to read along or even teach your students how to grow marigolds or other plants. I’ll also be visiting farmers markets so just keep an eye out for me!”