HARRISBURG – Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced Pennsylvania’s recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill, a key piece of federal legislation which guides agriculture and nutrition programs for a period of five years.
“Pennsylvania relies on agriculture and its related industries, which employ one in seven of our state’s workers, contribute more than $45 billion to our economy and provide affordable, nutritious food,” said Rendell. “The Farm Bill is an opportunity to ensure that federal policy reflects the unique needs of Pennsylvania’s citizens and agricultural industry.”
Since 2005, Pennsylvania has conducted listening sessions with the state’s farmers, agricultural leaders, scholars and nutrition experts, discussing the Farm Bill and the challenges facing the industry. The Governor’s recommendations range from specialty and organic crop programs to risk management and biosecurity funding.
Highlights from the recommendations include:
-Improve dairy prices by making several policy changes to increase product demand and strengthen producer prices. The dairy sector represents 42 percent of Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry. Programs impacted include the Dairy Price Support Program, Federal Milk Marketing Orders, Dairy Export Incentive Program, and the Milk Income Loss Contract.
-Strengthen conservation on farms by increasing funding for environmental stewardship programs. While farmers are good stewards of the land, funding is often inadequate to meet the regulations on air, water and soil quality. Pennsylvania was the first state to enact nutrient management laws for farms in 1997, and is committed to agricultural and environmental stewardship. Programs impacted include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and Farmland Protection Program.
-Increase access to nutrition programs by making modifications and increasing funding for food programs. Hunger and food insecurity have been growing both nationally and in Pennsylvania, where 10 percent of households are at risk of hunger. Programs impacted include the Food Stamp Program, Emergency Food Assistance Program, Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
-Expand energy programs to meet future renewable energy needs. Developing technology and programs for renewable energy should be a focal point of the Farm Bill including ethanol, biodiesel, cellulosic, wind and solar energy. Programs impacted include the Renewable Energy Development Loan and Grant Program and the Biofuels Tax Credit Program.
-Enhance risk management protection by making improvements to the crop insurance programs that protect farmers when disaster strikes. Pennsylvania developed the only state-owned crop insurance product in the nation – AGR-Lite, which also is offered by 28 other states.
This weekend, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff will meet with other agricultural leaders at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 2007 Midyear Conference. Wolff will discuss the Farm Bill and federal dairy policy with USDA Secretary Mike Johanns and other NASDA members.
“The NASDA conference presents an excellent opportunity to discuss federal policies which affect our state and region,” said Wolff. “Agriculture is Pennsylvania’s top industry, so it is important that the Farm Bill is designed to protect our agricultural producers.”
