What are the biggest issues facing farmers? Here’s what PA leaders said at Ag Progress Days
Penn State’s Ag Progress Days is back this week and Pennsylvania leaders were out in full force Wednesday, touring exhibits and speaking with residents about the issues facing farmers and the agriculture industry.
A number of lawmakers — along with candidates running for office — visited the state’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition held at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Center in Rock Springs. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., was joined by Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Redding, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Xochitl Torres Small.
Dave McCormick, the Republican challenger to Casey’s Senate seat, also attended Ag Progress Days alongside U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, who chairs the House Committee on Agriculture. The pair were sporting green “Making Agriculture Great Again” hats that were passed out by the PA Ag Republicans booth.
Legislators, candidates and state officials spoke about the farm bill, infrastructure, broadband access and inflation as they mingled with residents and stopped for milkshakes.
The Centre Daily Times asked what they felt were the most pressing issues facing Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry today. Here’s a look at what they said.
U.S. Rep Glenn Thompson
Thompson’s $1.5 trillion farm bill was unveiled earlier this year but it has faced opposition. The bill includes additional farm safety net program funding and trade promotions for farmers but limits updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used as the basis for determining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, the anti-hunger program aimed at providing food for low-income citizens, according to Politico reporting.
“Our farmers are facing flood, facing wildfires out in California,” Thompson said. “The smoke chain is now hurting our vineyards again. Low commodity costs, high input costs. It’s just a laundry list, and it’s very, very difficult for the hard working farm families to provide us food, fiber and energy resources. They need this farm bill now.”
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding
Redding’s major concern is the lack of infrastructure in shipping and processing the food that farmers produce. Redding said the state’s three ports, in Philadelphia, Erie and Pittsburgh, are vital to the state’s agricultural industry.
“I always come back to infrastructure at the end of the day,” he said. “How do we process what it is we produce?”
Senator Bob Casey
Alongside infrastructure, Casey said a lack of access to high-speed internet has been a barrier to farmers who rely on GPS and newer technology to help improve efficiency.
“We’re on the cusp now making investments in high-speed internet that were never possible without the infrastructure bill, the American rescue legislation,” he said. “I think we’re just a little ways from a great breakthrough for farmers who need high-speed internet to plant their crops to get the yields that they need.”
Dave McCormick
McCormick, a Republican who is running against Casey for the Senate seat, said agriculture is vital to the nation’s economy but some farmers are struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s hard to make a good living as a farmer,” McCormick said. “So when prices go up, fuel prices particularly, it really hurts farmers. The second thing I hear over and over again is regulation, and too much regulation makes it difficult to make these businesses work.”
State Rep. Paul Takac
State Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, echoed Casey’s remarks about farmer’s access to technology, citing the $10 million Agricultural Innovation Program. The bill would offer grants to farmers and businesses to implement new technology.
“The biggest thing right now is asking how do we help farmers stay ahead of the curb,” Takac said.
Thursday is the last day of Ag Progress Days. Events run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and a full schedule can be found online.