department-of-agriculture
‘Rooted in progress’: State officials announce 2023 Farm Show theme | Five for the Weekend
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the theme for the 107th Pennsylvania Farm Show, which will be held at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg from Jan. 7-14, will be "Rooted in Progress."
State officials encourage Pennsylvanians to buy local produce this fall | Five for the Weekend
Speaking from Harvest Valley Farms, a fourth-generation vegetable farm and on-farm market in Gibsonia, Allegheny County on Thursday, Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding encouraged Pennsylvanians to buy local and support local farmers this fall.
Wolf admin. touts $13M in tax credits available to Pa. farmers | Monday Morning Coffee
The credits can be used to offset the costs of sustainability and conservation projects such as no-till planting and precision ag equipment, waste storage facilities, conservation plans, and Nutrient Management Plans.
New state budget fully funds Pa. farm bill for a fourth time
The budget, which was signed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf last Friday, allocates $13.6 million for the 2022-23 fiscal year to the comprehensive set of programs known as the Pennsylvania Farm Bill.
Proposal to ‘modernize’ Pa. dog law, increase fees, gains support from Ag officials, advocates
State Sen. Elder Vogel, R-Beaver, who chairs the Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, said Thursday that his bill will “modernize” Pennsylvania’s dog law and “ensure it is being executed as it was intended.”
Pa. ranks 2nd among states for direct-to-consumer sales | Five for the Weekend
The USDA found that 6,200 Pennsylvania farms produce and sell food locally through direct marketing, which generated $600 million in revenue in 2020.
House Dems to hold hearing on Pa.’s hemp industry | Five for the Weekend
In 2021, the Pa. Agriculture Department reported that it issued 426 hemp growing permits.
Lancaster Co. agricultural conservation project ‘unique’ in its approach to meet Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction goals
Utilizing the state Conservation Excellence Grant, a part of the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Bill designed to support farmers developing on-farm conservation practices, the partnering organizations said they have been able to provide local farmers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with educational, financial and technical support for conservation best practices.
Ag officials urge residents to trap invasive Spotted Lanternflies | Five for the Weekend
That's the approach Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture officials highlighted this week on a visit to the the Indiana County Conservation District where state officials and researchers demonstrated how to use a circle trap to eliminate large numbers of spotted lanternflies without harming beneficial pollinators or small animals.
Chesapeake Bay federal funding bump could be used to boost restoration efforts in Pa., bay advocacy group says
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program and technical assistance for farmers enrolled in conservation programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), would see a $2.6 million bump from 2022 funding levels to $90.6 million in the 2023 fiscal year.
Pa. invests in pollinator research | Five for the Weekend
The grants, the department said in a statement, are a way to support pollinator research and the state's $132.5 billion agriculture industry.
11 more counties added to Spotted Lanternfly quarantine
The addition of Adams, Armstrong, Bedford, Centre, Fulton, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Snyder, Union, and Washington counties brings 45 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties into the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine.