08/23/2019
The farms protected at Thursday’s meeting of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board exemplify the diversity of the state’s agriculture products and the people that grow them, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said.
08/19/2019
Today, the Wolf Administration announced the second Dairy Innovation Forum, one of several initiatives to give Pennsylvania’s dairy producers resources and opportunities they need to sustain and grow their businesses in a challenging marketplace. The forum will be held during the 2019 All-American Dairy Show, in the PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg on September 17, 2019 from 12:30 to 4:30 pm.
08/15/2019
Today, the Wolf Administration announced the opening of the second grant program made possible by Governor Tom Wolf’s PA Farm Bill. The Very Small Meat-Processor Grant Program will provide funding to reimburse a portion of inspection and certification requirements for businesses that meet the federal definition of “very small meat processors”.
08/13/2019
Pennsylvania Furnace, PA – Today during Ag Progress Days, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding announced that a new registry is available for Pennsylvania producers to prevent pesticide use from affecting their land and farms.
08/01/2019
In an effort to help Pennsylvania businesses more easily navigate the permitting process, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) will offer 31 in-person Spotted Lanternfly permit classes throughout the 14-county quarantine zone. The classes will be held from August 15 through December 18, 2019.
07/26/2019
Mark your calendars to bid on the Mid-Atlantic’s best performance-tested ram lambs and meat goat bucks at the 41st annual Performance-Tested Ram Lamb and 17th annual Performance-Tested Meat Goat Buck sales scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Livestock Evaluation Center in Pennsylvania Furnace, Centre County.
07/26/2019
Today, the Wolf Administration announced the opening of the first grant program made possible by Governor Tom Wolf’s PA Farm Bill. The Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program will provide $500,000 in funding to increase market opportunities for the commonwealth’s urban agriculturalists.
07/15/2019
This spring, Pennsylvania was among 28 states where retailers received rhododendrons which may have been exposed to a plant pathogen called Phytophthora ramorum. The pathogen causes infectious disease in popular Pennsylvania plants and shrubs including rhododendron, mountain laurel, lilac, viburnum and pieris.
07/12/2019
With 107 county and community fairs across the state, there is a gateway to agriculture near you, according to Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, and an online map makes it even easier to plan trips across the county or the state.
07/08/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today urged producers to look into using the USDA’s new Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program as part of their risk management and financial planning.
06/17/2019
Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today announced the availability of grants to conduct promotion, marketing, and research projects to increase the quality, profitability, production, and sale of malt and brewed beverages produced in Pennsylvania.
06/13/2019
Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board today preserved farms from across the state, including an eight-generation dairy and a conservation award-winning beef farm.
05/30/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today joined county officials, stakeholders, and local agribusiness owners at Elder Farms, a preserved farm in Lawrence County, to highlight how producers can receive assistance with business planning, transition, and conservation efforts under the proposed PA Farm Bill.
05/29/2019
Pennsylvania travelers can “pursue their scoops” on the newly expanded Pennsylvania Ice Cream Trail. After a popular inaugural season, the Pennsylvania Ice Cream Trail expanded from 12 creameries in Eastern and South Central PA, into three trails including a Western PA Trail, with a total of 32 stops in these regions for 2019.
05/24/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today joined GIANT Food Stores and Troegs Independent Brewing to tour Caputo Brothers Creamery in Spring Grove, a Dairy Investment Program grant recipient, highlighting how the PA Farm Bill would help dairy producers diversify and expand their operations.
05/13/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today named Dr. Kevin Brightbill as Pennsylvania’s State Veterinarian. Brightbill will spearhead efforts to protect animal health by directing the work of the department’s Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services. He will also oversee the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory and lead several public-private industry and interdisciplinary partnerships, including the Pennsylvania One Health Task Force – all of which serve to safeguard the health of animal agriculture, and the state, nation, and world’s food supply.
05/10/2019
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today notified consumers that laboratory testing has shown “Triple Action Neem Oil Broad Spectrum Fungicide, Insecticide, and Miticide” contains pesticide active ingredients not listed on the product label. During testing, the presence of malathion, chlorpyrifos, and permethrin were confirmed.
05/09/2019
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today joined beef producers, promoters, and purveyors to celebrate that segment of the agriculture industry and share how it would benefit from targeted investments in local meat processing under Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed PA Farm Bill.
05/08/2019
On the heels of the first Spotted Lanternfly hatch of the season, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was joined by representatives from USDA and Penn State. Officials outlined how the proposed PA Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account in the PA Farm Bill will expand efforts to contain the destructive pest. They also toured Lancaster-based Central Penn Transportation and Lancaster County Central Park for a demonstration of control methods.
04/22/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today celebrated Earth Day during a visit to Ernst Conservation Seeds in Meadville, where he highlighted the connections to conservation under the proposed PA Farm Bill.
04/19/2019
Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Agriculture announced today that state dog wardens will conduct dog license and rabies vaccination checks in 23 counties from today through June. This program aims to raise awareness of the importance of up-to-date dog licenses, and rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats to the health and safety of Pennsylvania communities.
04/17/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today toured two farms run by veterans, discussing the investments being made under the PA Farm Bill. Redding joined the PA Veteran Farming Project at Black Valley Farm, a VA-approved mentor farm for veterans with VA educational benefits, and Pleasant Lane Farm, owned by the Frye family, whose members have served in the Marines and Army National Guard. The Fryes were recently awarded grant funding through the Dairy Investment Program grant program.
04/15/2019
Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board at its April meeting safeguarded 3,134 additional acres on 31 farms in 17 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program.
04/15/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA)’s 2019 hemp program will accept permit applications through May 1, after which the permitting window will close for this growing season.
04/12/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today visited Oley Valley High School, learning about the work students are doing in agricultural education and discussing the positive impacts the PA Farm Bill will have on ag ed and organizations like FFA.
04/10/2019
Beef producers earned $261,400 for top-quality bulls at the 46th Pennsylvania Performance Tested Bull Sale, Friday, March 29, at the Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center in Pennsylvania Furnace, Centre County.
03/28/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today highlighted two new projects in Western Pennsylvania that demonstrate the opportunities available under the proposed PA Farm Bill, specifically efforts to create more opportunities in processing capabilities for meat and dairy.
03/27/2019
Deadline to be part of expanded trail is April 19
03/19/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today met with stakeholders at the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society to outline the unique role urban agriculture would play in the proposed PA Farm Bill, and how urban agriculturalists can take advantage of new opportunities under the legislation.