01/11/2019
Harrisburg, PA - Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Patrick McDonnell today joined six public and private partners in launching the High Performance Farms Initiative to help increase environmental sustainability, economic benefits, public health, and soil and water quality by promoting innovative farming practices in Pennsylvania’s part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
01/08/2019
Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced the winners of the Spotted Lanternfly calendar contest. Selected from more than 700 entries, a drawing of the Spotted Lanternfly titled “Lousy Lanternflies” has been named the grand prize winner of the contest for Pennsylvania students.
01/02/2019
During the 2019 Farm Show, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced the department will showcase six Pennsylvania-based companies that offer technology innovations to advance the agriculture industry.
12/22/2018
Harrisburg, PA - Consumers who purchased unpasteurized cow’s milk or dairy products from Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Lancaster County should immediately discard those products. Officials in New York state have notified the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) that raw milk products purchased at the farm may contain a strain of Brucella abortus (RB51).
12/21/2018
Today, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Pennsylvania State Veterinarian Dr. David R. Wolfgang joined Santa Claus and his nine reindeer at Hersheypark Christmas Candylane to announce that they have received a clean bill of health and are cleared for take-off on December 24.
12/21/2018
Harrisburg, PA - Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced $1.286 million in grants to 15 Pennsylvania universities and research organizations to advance Pennsylvania’s $135.7 billion agriculture and food industry.
12/18/2018
Antique farm equipment enthusiasts can showcase agriculture’s historic role in inspiring Pennsylvania’s story by bringing their vintage iron to the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg next month.
12/13/2018
Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board today safeguarded 1,974 additional acres on 28 farms in 14 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program.
12/12/2018
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is encouraging businesses to obtain the required Spotted Lanternfly permit to ensure they are complying with the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine orders. Gearing up for the next phase of the Spotted Lanternfly life cycle, now is the best time for businesses to learn how they can jump-start this spring’s fight.
12/12/2018
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture received notice today from USDA confirming rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) in two pet rabbits that died in Clover Township, Jefferson County. The site is under quarantine, and is being cleaned and disinfected. The disease poses no risk to human health, or to animals other than rabbits.
12/11/2018
Harrisburg, PA - Today, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding joined Nicholas Bertram, president of GIANT Food Stores to announce that the Department of Agriculture and GIANT have entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.
12/03/2018
Horsemen must remember two important February deadlines for paperwork due in order to maintain eligibility in the Pennsylvania Breeders Fund Award Program and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Program.
11/28/2018
Pennsylvania’s wine proponents have a new opportunity to improve the state’s wine industry with grant funding from the Wolf administration, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced today.
11/27/2018
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that applications and guidelines for 2019 industrial hemp research permits are now available. Sixty research projects will be selected this year, the third year of the program’s operation. The projects will help determine opportunities for the growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp.
11/21/2018
PA Preferred® and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today invited Pennsylvania farmers to attend the 2018 Farm to Institution Wholesaling Workshop (FIGS), which will help owners of small to mid-sized farm operations learn how to sell to institutional markets.
11/21/2018
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) provided a year-end update on the state’s efforts to control the spread of the Spotted Lanternfly, and joined the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), and State Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) to encourage hunters to take action by scraping Spotted Lanternfly egg masses while they are out hunting.
11/20/2018
Thanks to record-breaking donations of deer meat from Pennsylvania hunters, generous donors, and a helping hand from the Wolf Administration, the state’s charitable food system will provide more than half a million servings of ground venison through food banks, soup kitchens, and pantries throughout the commonwealth.
11/16/2018
The 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show will honor agriculture’s rich heritage and promising future with this year’s theme, Inspiring Pennsylvania’s Story. The theme, which will be represented throughout of the weeklong event, will include related events like a daily story time for children, interviews with real Pennsylvanians working in agriculture, and opportunities for attendees to engage and tell their own stories.
11/16/2018
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced the winners of “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?”, a star-spangled sing-off on Facebook that puts talented Pennsylvanians center stage during the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show. Each morning of the Farm Show will feature a talented Pennsylvanian singing the national anthem live, chosen by the Farm Show’s Facebook fans.
11/16/2018
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced the winners of “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?”, a star-spangled sing-off on Facebook that puts talented Pennsylvanians center stage during the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show. Each morning of the Farm Show will feature a talented Pennsylvanian singing the national anthem live, chosen by the Farm Show’s Facebook fans.
11/16/2018
The 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show will honor agriculture’s rich heritage and promising future with this year’s theme, Inspiring Pennsylvania’s Story. The theme, which will be represented throughout of the weeklong event, will include related events like a daily story time for children, interviews with real Pennsylvanians working in agriculture, and opportunities for attendees to engage and tell their own stories.
11/15/2018
Record sale prices at last week’s Standardbred horse sale reflect the strength and promising future of the harness racing industry in Pennsylvania and beyond, said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.
11/13/2018
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today announced that it is now accepting concept proposals for projects that increase the visibility and competitiveness of the state’s fruit and vegetable, nursery, horticultural, and nut products. The deadline to apply is through December 28, 2018.
11/13/2018
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and State Veterinarian Dr. David Wolfgang today reminded poultry owners to take effective biosecurity measures through December to prevent the spread of avian influenza during fall wild bird migration.
11/07/2018
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today announced that 36 captive deer from a quarantined breeding farm and hunting preserve in Fulton County have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Two additional deer from a quarantined Bedford County hunting preserve also tested positive. Both farms will remain under quarantine for five years from the date the positive tests were confirmed.
11/05/2018
November 16 is Deadline to Apply for Funds to Support Organic Agriculture
10/24/2018
Hershey, PA - Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today joined Hershey Company President and CEO Michele Buck, Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Steve Bratspies, and other industry and public officials to celebrate the thriving food manufacturing industry in Pennsylvania. The group toured the West Hershey plant that supplies Hershey’s chocolate made with milk from Pennsylvania dairy farms to Walmart stores nationwide.
10/19/2018
Harrisburg, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today invited aspiring performers to enter “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?”, a star-spangled sing-off on Facebook that would put talented Pennsylvanians center stage during the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show. Each morning of the Farm Show will feature a talented Pennsylvanian singing the national anthem live, and the contest, which runs until November 5, 2018, will determine who wins the honor of singing each morning.
10/17/2018
PA Preferred® members and partner organizations can showcase their Pennsylvania grown products at the annual PA Preferred Reception that will kick off the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show on Friday, January 4, 2019. The reception, which plays host to the commonwealth’s agriculture industry and state government leaders, boasts a menu that features foods and beverages grown and produced in Pennsylvania.
10/16/2018
Harrisburg, PA - Today, the Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture (PDA) and Education (PDE) announced that they have selected Dr. Robert Clark to serve as commission coordinator of the recently created Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence, a commission charged with assisting in the development of a statewide plan for agricultural education.