“Our farmers and ag workers do hard, important work. ... I am asking you to work with me to support them and invest more in our agriculture sector.”
Through these words at his first budget address, Gov. Josh Shapiro made it very clear that he understands the significant role of our farmers in Pennsylvania’s vitality. These words are matched by his proposals for investments that will grow and strengthen agriculture and the commonwealth through commonsense solutions.
In his budget proposal, the governor focused on the needs of all Pennsylvanians. He addressed food security for our most vulnerable. He called for providing universal free breakfast to every child in our public schools. He ensured we would partner with our education system to bring technical opportunities back to our students in schools and universities. He vowed to share the prosperity with our rural communities, expanding broadband to everyone, and reinvigorating our hometowns. And he put forth pragmatic economic investments in the industry.
I believe he will be a champion in these efforts because I’ve already seen it in action. Shortly after taking office, Gov. Shapiro visited with the Department of Agriculture and engaged directly with our team of veterinarians, scientists and professionals working to fight highly pathogenic avian influenza, which continues to impact our poultry producers, our $7.1 billion poultry industry, and our communities.
The governor asked the important question: “What can Pennsylvania do to help our farmers?” And he listened to us. Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that offers additional assistance to farmers and producers impacted by HPAI beyond the USDA funding. The additional $25 million proposed will help Pennsylvania farmers get back on their feet, and will provide $6 million to fund lab testing and capacity.
Helping farmers build their businesses and markets are key pieces of this proposed budget. USDA data show that the price premiums and consumer demand for organic products continue to rise, making way for a great opportunity for farmers and producers to grow their bottom lines. This budget creates the Center for Organic Excellence to help farmers during the three-year transition to organic, and supports the department’s food lab in testing products to uphold product integrity and increase consumer confidence.
The governor has proposed $2 million to reestablish the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which invests in new or expanding grocery stores and other fresh food retail outlets in communities throughout Pennsylvania. We have seen tremendous success in past iterations of this program, with businesses from urban farmers markets to rural meat processors able to add capacity.
This budget also funds the PA Farm Bill for a fifth time, continuing to grow opportunities and resources, removing barriers to participation in ag, and inspiring future generations of leaders, regardless of ZIP code. The PA Farm Bill also now has money earmarked to continue mental health resources and funds to support farmer-veterans with their business needs.
Workforce and education funding are also critical parts of this proposal, and critical to this industry’s ability to thrive. Through investments in the career and technical education system, apprenticeships, and other workforce initiatives, we will begin to address the skills gap and have more trained workers ready to lead this industry into the future.
Source: lancasterfarming.com
Categories: Pennsylvania, Government & Policy