department-of-agriculture
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.
‘It’s an ‘and’ discussion’: Agriculture boss Redding seeks compromise at budget hearing
Reflecting on the Department of Agriculture’s appearance before the committee with the Capital-Star, Redding said he was trying to move people away from a “one-dimensional” concept of agriculture.
Pa. one of three states piloting a mental health helpline for farmers, agriculture producers
Speaking to reporters Friday, Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and state Sen. Elder Vogel, R-Beaver, who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, announced the availability of a new pilot mental health helpline, known as the AgriStress HelpLine, for those in the commonwealth’s agriculture industry.
Despite proposed $3M transfer in Wolf’s budget, Dog Law Bureau would remain in deficit, Ag. Dept. says
The dog license fee in Pennsylvania, which has not increased in more than two decades, has left the bureau unable to perform its duties, funding only basic operations.
Dept. of Ag: Thousand Cankers Quarantine lifted after 8 yrs.
The disease, called Thousand Cankers, is caused by a fungus carried by Walnut Twig Beetles. When Walnut Twig Beetles burrow into the bark of walnut trees, it causes cankers to form that affects the distribution of nutrients and water throughout the tree, resulting in limb loss and eventually death.
USDA appoints Heidi Secord as Pa.’s Farm Service Agency exec
Heidi Secord, who will serve as the FSA state executive director for Pennsylvania, is a farmer-member of the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. She was appointed to that role by Gov. Tom Wolf.
Attendance low for Pa. Farm Show’s in-person return, Ag Dept. says | Five for the Weekend
Attendance this year was low compared to pre-pandemic years, with vendors, competitors and guests alike, choosing to forgo the crowds, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.