Shapiro Wants $5M Boost for Pennsylvania Ag Budget

Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed raising Pennsylvania’s agriculture budget by $4.8 million, sustaining or growing key programs.

The $231 million agriculture proposal, unveiled March 7, includes funding increases for Penn State Extension, the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school and Ag Department general operations.

“We need to support farms and businesses that want to grow here, and we need to help our communities thrive,” said Shapiro, who took office in January.

The budget includes $7 million in cuts to animal health programs, which lawmakers are likely to question when they host Ag Secretary Russell Redding for budget hearings later this month.

Still, Shapiro is not neglecting the avian influenza outbreak slamming Pennsylvania. In his budget address, he said he wanted to duplicate the $25 million the state passed last year to help farmers and industry weather losses from the disease.

Shapiro also wants to create an Organic Center of Excellence to grow Pennsylvania’s $1 billion organic sector.

Among its tasks, the center would help farmers during the three-year transition to organic, when they must pay a premium for organic inputs but can’t charge organic prices for what they produce, said Cheryl Cook, a deputy ag secretary.

The center would also support the Ag Department’s food lab in testing products for residues of pesticides that aren’t allowed in organic production. This move would answer complaints about farmers cheating the system and increase confidence in Pennsylvania organic products, Cook said.

The Ag Department has no interest in forcing anyone to go organic, but it sees an opportunity for farmers to capture a burgeoning market.



Source:https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/news/shapiro-wants-5m-boost-for-pennsylvania-ag-budget/article_b3a169ac-bd47-11ed-bc6c-cf6fa77329fb.html