New Measures to Support Farmers Signed into Law

Editor's Note: The information in this article was provided by the office of Republican state Sen. Judy Ward and the office of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf.

A broad package of bills to support Pennsylvania agriculture and encourage new generations of farmers to continue the state's rich farming heritage were signed by Democratic Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf, including several measures introduced and supported by state Sen. Judy Ward (R-30th).

Ward sponsored Senate Bill 661, which would create four new programs to support the agriculture community – the Agricultural Business Development Center, Agriculture and Youth Development Grants (SB 660, Ward), the Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program, and the Commonwealth Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

"Agriculture is one of the most important industries in the state, and it helps drive our local economy. That is why we need to listen to the most serious concerns of farmers and take action where we can to help," Ward said. "Both of my bills will help promote Pennsylvania agricultural operations and promote agriculture for future generations of farmers. Along with the rest of the bills in the package, we have taken some extremely positive steps to help current and future generations of farmers."

According to the office of Gov. Wolf, The PA Farm Bill will make $23.1 million in "investments" into the agriculture industry to create or improve opportunities and resources, remove barriers to entry, and cultivate future generations of leaders within agriculture.

"The agricultural industry is the backbone of Pennsylvania's economy. The PA Farm Bill is bold, aggressive, and necessary to protect our farming heritage and inspire the next generation of Pennsylvania farmers," said Gov. Wolf. "Our commonwealth flourishes when Pennsylvanians have access to high-quality, locally sourced products – and when our farmers are competitive in a diverse range of markets. The historic investments made through the PA Farm Bill will improve the lives of all residents for years to come and create a pathway for a dynamic and prosperous farming economy in Pennsylvania."

"In my 20 years of public service, this is the largest investment I've ever seen made in Pennsylvania agriculture," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.

The PA Farm Bill

According to Gov. Wolf, the PA Farm Bill will:

Develop New Resources for Agriculture Business Development and Succession Planning

• SB 478 establishes a tax credit program for landowners to lease or sell farmland to future generations of farmers.

• Invests $2 million to create the Agriculture Business Development Center to support business planning, marketing, diversification, and transition planning services to Pennsylvania farmers.

• Creates a realty transfer tax exemption for any transfer of preserved farmland to a qualified beginning farmer.

• Provides for the construction and use of a residence for the landowner or an employee and provides for the subdivision of preserved farmlands.

Increase Opportunities for Pennsylvania's Agricultural Workforce

• Creates the PA Farm to School Grant Program, funded at $500,000, for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students to support increased nutrition and agriculture education.

• Re-establishes the Agriculture and Youth Development grant program with an investment of $500,000 to support workforce development initiatives for agriculture and youth organizations such as FFA and 4-H.

Remove Regulatory Burdens and Strengthen the State's Agricultural Business Climate

• SB 338 updates Pennsylvania's Vehicle Code to allow the transportation of farm equipment that exceeds the current width allowable by law, expanding the allowable width for use of implements of agriculture husbandry from 16 feet to 18 feet.

• Allocates $500,000 to the Agriculture Linked Investment Program to provide low-interest loans for conservation practices.

• Supports the Conservation Excellence Grant program with $2.5 million to fund best management practices in priority areas of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which includes Morrisons Cove.

• Expands Resource Enhancement and Protection Tax Credits by $3 million to raise the lifetime cap and increase availability.

• HB 1520 creates the Very Small Meat Processor Federal Inspection Reimbursement Grant Program to help these businesses comply with federal inspection standards.

Create More Processing Capabilities

• Expands Pennsylvania's Dairy Investment Program, funded at $5 million, to support innovation, value-added processing, marketing, and organic transitions in the dairy industry.

• Utilizes $500,000 to incentivize access to meat processing inspections for small farmers or butchers to reimburse costs for federal inspection compliance to access new markets.

• Invests $1 million to create the Center for Animal Agriculture Excellence, which will assist with expanding processing capacity, providing technical assistance and resources for food safety compliance and establishing hemp as an approved animal feed.

Increase Market Opportunities and Grow the Organic Sector

• Invests $500,000 to support a state-level Specialty Crop Block Grant program to invest in priority crops for Pennsylvania, such as hardwoods, hemp, and hops.

• Bolsters enrollment in the Homegrown by Heroes Program by providing an additional $1 million to the PA Preferred program.

• Improves agriculture infrastructure in urban areas by investing $500,000 in the Urban Agricultural Infrastructure Grant Program.

• Directs $1.6 million in funding to support PA Preferred and create the PA Preferred Organic Initiative to enhance the growth of the organic sector.

Protect Agriculture Infrastructure

• HB 1516 creates the Agriculture Rapid Response Disaster Readiness program to respond to diseases, pests, invasive species, declared disasters and other threats to the agriculture industry, continuing the fight against the Spotted Lanternfly. The Pennsylvania Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account is funded at $4 million to provide a quick response to the next agricultural disaster, whether animal health, plant health, or foodborne illness.