Jennifer "Tootie" Jones of Swift Level Farms in Lewisburg raises cattle for beef on the 150-acre farm. Jones said there is money to be made in farming but the state needs to put more effort into bringing more farming practices, such as "boutique" slaughterhouses, to the region.

About 25 head of cattle graze among Swift Level Farms' 150 acres. Tootie Jones markets the beef cuts as a product that is "thoughtfully and organically grass-fed in the mountain valleys of West Virginia."

Swift Level Farms slaughters cattle year-round and keeps about 25 head of cattle on the farm at a time.

Sheep graze on property adjacent to Swift Level Farms.

Jill Grace Young, who works for the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corp., pulls netting back from a bed of lettuce and vegetables in a high tunnel on a Monroe County farm.

Jill Grace Young with the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corp. looks at some herbs that are still growing in mid-November in a high tunnel on a farm in Monroe County.

Economic2 .. 8x5 ellis photo Beef cattle.