07/02/2020
The Departments of Agriculture and Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) today provided Pennsylvanians interested in taking their pups to the parks with tips to keep their furry friends and fellow park-goers safe as they enjoy the outdoors together.
07/01/2020
Secretary Russell Redding today announced $1 million in Farm Vitality Grants awarded to 133 farms in 46 counties. The grants, which aim to enhance the long-term vitality of Pennsylvania’s family farms, will be administered by the Ag Business Development Center created under the 2019 PA Farm Bill.
06/26/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pleading for his continuance of Pennsylvania’s waiver for the need to collect client names and addresses and verify income eligibility for those receiving USDA Foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2020.
06/24/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today reminded Pennsylvanians – from kids and parents, to homeowners, to farmers – the importance of taking steps to protect our valuable population of pollinators to protect the future of food security.
06/18/2020
The 2020 All-American Dairy Show has been cancelled to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. The show was originally scheduled to run September 12-16, 2020 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center.
06/17/2020
The 2020 Keystone International Livestock Exposition (KILE) has been canceled to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. KILE was originally scheduled to run September 25 - October 4, 2020 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center.
06/17/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding visited the Ralph Moore Dairy Farm in Mercer today, one of more than 30 Pennsylvania dairy farms supported by the state’s acquisition of more than 200,000 pounds of Swiss cheese – stranded from COVID-19 supply chain disruptions – to distribute through Pennsylvania’s charitable food system with funds from the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) and the state’s Farm to Food Bank award.
06/16/2020
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today invited Lancaster and York County farmers to apply for up to $250,000 in Conservation Excellence Grants. The $2.5 million program, created by 2019 PA Farm Bill, funds on-farm measures that reduce erosion and run-off, improving soil and water quality to ultimately sustain agriculture and improve the region’s quality of life.
06/11/2020
At the Deckman family farm in Cumberland County today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced an $11.9 million investment in food security by safeguarding 4,432 acres on 48 farms in 25 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program. County governments invested an additional $2 million in the farms preserved today, bringing the total investment to $13.9 million.
06/02/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association president Dr. Kate Harnish today reminded Pennsylvanians of the importance of getting back on track with regularly scheduled pet vaccinations and boosters. Maintaining up-to-date vaccines is not only important for the health and well-being of cats and dogs, but for the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.
06/01/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the Department of Agriculture has received approval to continue operating the Disaster Household Distribution program, through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), to provide food to Pennsylvanians adversely affected by COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Originally approved by the USDA on March 27, the Disaster Household Distribution program, set to expire the end of May, has been approved through June 25.
05/27/2020
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency Administrator (FSA) Richard Fordyce will join Senator Bob Casey and Congressman Glenn Thompson for a virtual town hall tonight with Pennsylvania agriculture stakeholders to answer questions about the $16 billion available to Pennsylvania farmers in direct relief payments, through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The town hall will be livestreamed on Facebook at 6:00 PM.
05/27/2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today warned consumers to discard certain milk products from Pot O’ Gold Dairy in Crawford County with sell-by dates ranging from May 16, 2020 to June 6, 2020. The products were not properly pasteurized.
05/23/2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and PennAg Industries today announced that $280,000 is available to Pennsylvania’s poultry, swine, lamb, goat, and sheep processors to reimburse costs associated with the purchase of personal protective equipment for their workforce through the Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence, a result of Governor Tom Wolf’s 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Bill.
05/20/2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today warned consumers to discard all dairy products from Moo Echo Dairy in Somerset County, regardless of sell-by date or lot code. The products were not properly pasteurized.
05/18/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that Pennsylvania has been awarded $255,373, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm to Food Bank Program, which the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will distribute to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to reimburse farmers for costs associated with harvesting, packing, processing, and distributing donated agricultural surplus.
05/15/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today highlighted the department’s efforts to reduce food waste and decrease stress on our food supply chain. He also outlined steps Pennsylvanians can take at home to reduce food waste, and connect with organizations across the commonwealth working to recover food and distribute to those in need.
05/14/2020
The Department of Agriculture today outlined the order of enforcement actions that would be taken against restaurants offering dine-in services to patrons in violation of Governor Tom Wolf’s March 19 business closure Executive Order to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth.
05/14/2020
Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Aging Secretary Robert Torres today penned a letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation urging legislative action to enable Pennsylvania’s older adults to access the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program during the mitigation effort.
05/13/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today reminded Pennsylvanians the importance of mutual respect when patronizing Pennsylvania’s essential businesses – whether it be a grocery store, farmers market, restaurant, or hardware store. Business operators and their employees are working hard to protect each other and their consumers in a safe, clean environment.
05/13/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding this week wrote to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation asking for urgent support of Pennsylvania’s agriculture and food industries that have continued to operate and sustain life in the commonwealth despite the great risk, stress, uncertainty, and disruption brought by COVID-19.
05/06/2020
First Lady Frances Wolf, Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, and Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today outlined food assistance programs available for Pennsylvanians to enroll in to get them through current COVID-19-induced tough times. They said Pennsylvanians should feel no shame in accepting state and federal food benefits that were, in fact, designed for unprecedented times like the coronavirus pandemic.
04/30/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today reminded Pennsylvanians that with spring and warm weather comes farmers market season in the commonwealth. Farmers markets, like grocery stores, offer life-sustaining food and essentials and have been provided guidance from the department for how to continue operations safely and with minimal risk amid the COVID-19 public health crisis.
04/29/2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today reviewed the Food and Drug Administration’s temporary policy regarding nutrition labeling during the COVID-19 public health crisis, and provided clarity behind new items for sale in Pennsylvania’s grocery stores and restaurants.
04/27/2020
Hoy, el Secretario de Agricultura Russell Redding anunció que los trabajadores que apoyan la cadena de suministro de alimentos de Pennsylvania en áreas seleccionadas del este de Pennsylvania (desde granjeros y trabajadores temporales, hasta centros de procesamiento y almacenamiento de alimentos, y trabajadores de tiendas de alimentos/supermercados) serían admitidos con prioridad para realizar las pruebas de COVID-19 en el sitio de pruebas masivas del condado de Montgomery o en el sitio de pruebas financiado con fondos federales en el condado de Luzerne, en Mohegan Sun.
04/25/2020
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that workers supporting Pennsylvania’s food supply chain in select areas of eastern Pennsylvania – from farmers and seasonal laborers, to food processing facilities and warehouses, and grocery store workers – would be eligible for priority COVID-19 testing at the Montgomery County mass testing site or the federally funded testing size in Luzerne County, at the Mohegan Sun.
04/24/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the department will temporarily waive commercial feed requirements to enable mushroom and other produce-growers to distribute excess products as animal feed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This measure will give whole-food producers a market for surplus food and options for income to partially compensate for losses.
04/22/2020
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding outlined progress made in Pennsylvania to secure the stability of the food supply, increase market opportunities, protect the workforce, and ensure food is plentiful and accessible for all Pennsylvanians as the commonwealth works to mitigate against COVID-19.
04/21/2020
Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture provided farmers who provide housing to their workforce – be it domestic, migrant, or guest H-2A workers – with enhanced requirements for seasonal farm labor to maintain a healthy agriculture workforce to ensure necessary farm labor can continue during COVID-19 mitigation in Pennsylvania. The Wolf Administration continues to advocate for a safe, skilled agriculture workforce to perform essential duties to keep Pennsylvania’s food supply chain strong.
04/21/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding encouraged Pennsylvanians to continue supporting the commonwealth’s dairy farmers by purchasing milk and other dairy products produced locally. While the Department of Agriculture continues to advocate for Pennsylvania’s dairy farm families, farmers rely on direct support from consumers purchasing their products after the loss of two critical markets for fluid dairy and dairy products with the necessary closure of schools and restaurants statewide.