05/07/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced approval for $500,000 in funding to support 42 projects through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill’s Urban Agriculture Grant Program. The projects funded include everything from refrigeration equipment to agricultural infrastructure such as greenhouses, raised beds, irrigation, and tools to provide urban ag operations every opportunity to succeed as they work to feed and build their communities.
05/05/2021
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Dauphin County Treasurer Janis Creason and Executive Director Humane Society of Harrisburg Area and Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania President Amy Kaunas to detail a crisis impacting dogs in Pennsylvania kennels, the families who adopt them, and the strain placed on local government finances by underfunded dog license fees creating the crisis.
05/04/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and State Veterinarian Dr. Kevin Brightbill today discussed a variety of dangerous transmissible animal diseases that threaten Pennsylvania’s $34.6 billion animal agriculture industry. Should these diseases – which are currently present in other countries – arise anywhere in the United States, Pennsylvania would need to immediately declare a state of emergency to support the industry.<br>
04/30/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced the approval of nearly $400,000 in Farm to School Grants to fund 39 projects that will improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agricultural awareness opportunities for children pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
04/29/2021
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania's nation-leading mushroom industry stepped up to the plate to both feed America and keep their workers safe. Now, after a collaborative effort by the Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture and Health, the American Mushroom Institute, LCH Health and Community Services, and the Chester County Health Department, mushroom farmworkers are scheduled to receive the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
04/23/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announce that the state’s program that rescues surplus agricultural products from waste and redirects it to the charitable food system, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS), has officially exceeded more than 20 million pounds of food. That’s 20 million pounds of fresh, locally produced products put into the hands of those who need it most over the past five years.
04/22/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding warned today that the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement’s dog wardens’ relationship with the Pennsylvania SPCA network to address animal cruelty for dogs in kennels is at risk. State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski has championed a legislative solution – House Bill 526, which is awaiting further legislative support – to address the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement’s funding crisis.
04/21/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today called for proposals for research projects that will strengthen and grow Pennsylvania’s poultry, swine, lamb, sheep and goat farming industries. Funded by the 2020 PA Farm Bill, $445,000 is available for research projects to enhance biosecurity, diagnostic testing, veterinary telemedicine and other strategies to prevent, detect and manage animal diseases and protect the food supply.
04/19/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced today that after a successful Fall Food Fest this past November, the department has scheduled another opportunity for Pennsylvanians to get their PA Farm Show food fix at an outdoor Spring Food Fest in May.
04/16/2021
With all Pennsylvania adults now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today hosted a virtual discussion with Pennsylvania farmers who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine. They were joined by Dr. Mark Goedecker, regional medical director for WellSpan Health, who discussed the value of vaccinated Pennsylvanians sharing their story to boosting confidence and acceptance among others.
04/15/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced $300,000 in state matching funds awarded to 16 projects aimed at increasing consumer awareness of Pennsylvania agriculture products and market opportunities for agriculture producers.
04/15/2021
oday, Pennsylvania protected 2,370 acres on 26 farms in 16 counties through the state’s nation-leading Farmland Preservation Program. Since 1988, the program has purchased permanent conservation easements on 5,869 Pennsylvania farms, covering 596,827 acres, in 59 counties, ensuring they will remain farms in the future.
04/14/2021
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from April 5 – April 11, 2021. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants, including social distancing, masking and occupancy limits.
04/13/2021
The Department of Agriculture today hosted a Facebook Live event to directly address questions about the work of wardens and their connection to the enforcement of animal cruelty in Pennsylvania.
04/09/2021
Boiling Springs, PA - On a preserved farm in Cumberland County, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced the opening of the $1 million Farm Vitality Grant Program. One of the largest of the programs in Governor Tom Wolf’s Pennsylvania Farm Bill, the Farm Vitality Program aims to enhance the long-term health and vitality of Pennsylvania’s farms.
04/08/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding reminds the public that the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement provides a useful tool for consumers considering getting a puppy or boarding a dog.
04/07/2021
Gettysburg, PA - With all of Pennsylvania’s essential agriculture industry now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today visited with two vaccine providers in Adams County.
04/07/2021
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from March 29 – April 4, 2021. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants, including social distancing, masking and occupancy limits.
04/06/2021
Beef producers earned $252,950 for top-quality bulls at the 48th Pennsylvania Performance Tested Bull Sale, Friday, March 26, at the Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center in Pennsylvania Furnace, Centre County.
04/02/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the department has purchased an additional $12.9 million worth of U.S. Department of Agriculture Foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Pennsylvania to provide critical support and food to food banks in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
04/01/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today cautioned that counties, municipalities and law enforcement agencies will have to fund and provide more services for stray and dangerous dogs without a dog license fee increase to fund the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
03/31/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced $157,735 in state funds for three projects that will increase consumer awareness of hemp and hemp products in Pennsylvania and increase market opportunities for growers and processors in the commonwealth.
03/31/2021
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from March 22 – 28, 2021. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants, including social distancing, masking and occupancy limits.
03/25/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today warned that Pennsylvania farmers will be without recourse when livestock are attacked by a dog or a coyote. It is for the purpose of reimbursing farmers for damage following an attack that the Dog Law was first created in 1893.
03/24/2021
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from March 15 – 21, 2021. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants, including social distancing, masking and occupancy limits.
03/23/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced an opportunity for those interested in applying to the $500,000 PA Farm Bill Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Program to have their questions answered by the program administrator through a free, virtual workshop.
03/19/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today warned that Pennsylvanians will be at significant risk of coming into contact with a dangerous dog or be victim in a dog-related incident without immediate legislative action to raise the dog license fee.
03/18/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller today highlighted an opportunity for farmers markets to address food security in their local communities and expand their consumer base by taking advantage of free electronic benefit transfer equipment to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from residents.
03/18/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Education Deputy Secretary for the Office of Commonwealth Libraries Glenn R. Miller kicked off Ag Literacy Week across Pennsylvania today with virtual readings for elementary classrooms. Redding read to students at York City School District’s Jackson School, while Miller read to students at Arthur Street Elementary School in Hazleton, Luzerne County.
03/17/2021
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today encouraged business travelers to join more than 1.2 million people at 26,000-plus companies across the U.S. and Canada who have learned how to recognize Spotted Lanternflies and keep from giving the destructive pest a ride to a new home. A permit is required for business travel, regardless of type of cargo, since hitchhiking is the primary way the invasive insect spreads to new areas.