LOST RIVER, W.Va. — J. Michael Teets is a lifelong resident of Lost River in Hardy County who will bring a mix of business and government experience to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

The 56-year-old Teets and his son, Matthew, are partners in Teets Farms, a venture Mike started in 1973 with just 27 head of cattle. The operation now includes more than 1,000 head of cattle, raises more than 250,000 turkeys annually and plants 250 acres of corn, 250 acres of hay and 100 acres of alfalfa.

While expanding the family farm, Teets also served 14 years on the Hardy County Commission and helped organize the county’s Farm Preservation Board. While on the commission he worked with local, state and federal leaders to bring safe drinking water to rural areas of the county and develop business and industrial parks throughout the county. He is vice president of the Hardy County Rural Development Authority, a group he has been a member of for 16 years.

Teets and his wife, Joyce Godlove Teets, attend Believers Victory Center. They have two children, Dr. Tina Teets Walker, a veterinarian who owns and practices at Lost River Animal Hospital, and Matthew Teets, who works the farm with his father. Mike and Joyce also have three grandchildren.

Teets is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and a member of several professional organizations, including the West Virginia Poultry Association, West Virginia Cattleman’s Association, West Virginia Farm Bureau, American Shorthorn Association, American Angus Association and the AF&AM; No. 29 Lodge.

He graduated from Mathias High School in Hardy County and received an athletic scholarship in basketball, football and golf from Kemper Military Academy in Booneville, Mo. He graduated with honors from Kemper in business administration.