department-of-agriculture
Pa. Farm Show Complex to welcome guests again starting in September
Starting this September, the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg will once again start playing host to large events, officials said Thursday. The looming return of such events as sports tournaments and agricultural shows and competitions marks the end of a 16-month, pandemic-inspired hiatus that saw the sprawling building transformed into a […]
Left out of state budget, Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will ‘maintain minimum services’ with Ag funds
The bureau had been the recipient of a $1.2 million supplemental transfer a year prior.
Trading one pest for another: Goodbye, cicadas; Begone, spotted lanternflies! | Five for the Weekend
Happy weekend, all. Just when you think the bug parade across Pennsylvania has ceased, (bye, Cicadas!) pests like the nymph stage Spotted Lanternflies (SLF), pictured above, make their appearance. I had the misfortunate of discovering SLFs at my home in Lebanon County this week, which means I spent most of the week plotting their demise. According to the […]
Pa. preserves 30 farms, more than 2,300 acres, to the tune of $5.1M
Since its creation, the program has preserved 5,329 farms and 552,702 acres of farmland in Pennsylvania.
With Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement on the brink, supporters say it’s time for a ‘yes vote’ on licensing fee increases
Lending his likeness to the cause Monday, was Levi Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s second dog, who was joined by his human, Second Lady Gisele Fetterman.
Capital-Star Q&A: Pa. Ag. Sect’y Russell Redding talks 2022 Farm Show return, COVID recovery, and the Chesapeake Bay
Bring on the milkshakes. 'Our goal is to have a 2022 Farm Show in person,' Pa.s top agriculture official says.
They’re ‘unsung heroes’: Pa. officials pay tribute to farm workers who kept food on the table during pandemic
The employer-sponsored mobile vaccination site at the mushroom farm is the result of a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Latino Connection and Highmark Blue Shield, which aims to reach the commonwealth’s diverse and underserved populations.
Facing grim climate projections, state officials call for multi-dimensional approach to addressing climate change
The Pennsylvania Climate Impacts Assessment is a report produced every three years by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as directed by the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act (Act 70) of 2008.
State lawmaker looks for ‘supplement’ to dwindling dog warden presence
Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, believes his bill is of growing importance as the state’s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement faces down a yet-to-be-fixed funding deficit.
State officials warn local law enforcement, shelters, will be affected by dog law funding deficit
In addition to the $1.2 million supplemental transfer of taxpayer funds to the bureau in the 2020-21 fiscal year, the department noted in a statement Thursday that taxpayers would continue to financially support the bureau’s efforts in more ways than one.
A different kind of quarantine: state officials track spotted lanternflies in 8 more counties
The eight newly quarantined counties run from the state’s eastern border to its southwestern border and include Cambria, Cameron, Franklin, Lackawanna Montour, Pike, Wayne and Westmoreland counties.
Pa. Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement ‘unable to fulfill its mission’ state officials say, citing lack of funding increases
During a briefing with reporters Wednesday, Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding repeated his August 2020 call for the Legislature to consider two bills that would end 24 years of idle funding by increasing dog license fees for an altered dog from $6.50 to $10 and lower the age of licensure from three months to eight weeks, the age at which many dogs move to their permanent homes.