11/18/2019
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Chris Herr, executive vice president of PennAg Industries, visited a Heritage Poultry Management organic egg farm in Lebanon County to discuss how their new partnership through the PA Farm Bill’s Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence will assist swine, poultry, and small ruminant producers with everything from expanding processing capacity to biosecurity planning.
11/13/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today invited Pennsylvania farmers to attend the Wholesaling to Institutions Training Series, a workshop designed to help small- to mid-sized farm operations learn how to sell to institutional markets.
11/13/2019
With the 2019 hunting season underway in Pennsylvania, the Department of Agriculture released recommended best management practices to help protect hunters and their families against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
11/07/2019
The 104th Pennsylvania Farm Show kicks off with the annual PA Preferred® reception Friday, January 3, 2020. Pennsylvania growers and organizations can help attendees to imagine the opportunities and get a taste of Pennsylvania.
11/04/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today called for applications for funding innovative research projects to help better understand Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and develop testing methods and strategies for controlling the disease and preventing its spread.
10/31/2019
With nearly 300 industry members at the Lancaster Farmland Trust annual dinner Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding commended Lancaster County for its investments to secure a strong future for Pennsylvania agriculture and highlighted the vast array of opportunities available to preserved farm owners through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill.
10/24/2019
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Fox Chase Elementary students for lunch during their third annual PA Preferred® Day. There, Redding announced the availability of $500,000 through the PA Farm Bill’s Farm to School Grant Program for Pennsylvania elementary schools to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
10/22/2019
Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture held the inaugural meeting of Pennsylvania’s Ag Business Development Center advisory committee. The center was signed into law as part of the first-ever Pennsylvania Farm Bill by Governor Tom Wolf in July.
10/16/2019
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Rides and Attractions today released findings from its investigation into the September 13, 2019 incident at the York Fair’s Giant Gondola Wheel that resulted in two adults being sent to the hospital.
10/15/2019
Pennsylvania’s $28.9 million Christmas tree industry was highlighted today when Agriculture Deputy Secretary Fred Strathmeyer joined the National Christmas Tree Association at Mahantongo Valley Farms in Northumberland County where a tree was chosen for the White House.
10/14/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today invited singers statewide to enter “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?”, a star-spangled sing-off to win a chance to inspire 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show visitors with their voices. Each morning of the Farm Show will feature a talented Pennsylvanian singing the national anthem live, and the contest, which runs until Monday, October 28, 2019, will determine who wins the honor of singing each morning.
10/11/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding yesterday visited two Lancaster County farms that supply cheese to Philabundance, a nonprofit which received a $63,000 PA Dairy Investment Program grant earlier this year to market their Abundantly Good cheese brand in the greater Philadelphia region. Oak Shade Cheese in Kirkwood and Sunset Farms in Ronks supply cheese to Philabundance. Proceeds from the sale of the cheese brand go to purchase surplus milk from Lancaster County dairy farmers to produce more cheese that is then donated to Philabundance clients.
10/11/2019
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and members of the Pennsylvania Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence joined FFA members and educators of Cumberland Valley High School for an FFA Showcase to cap off Pennsylvania’s Ag and Food Careers Week. Surrounded by those most invested in both education and agriculture, Secretary Redding announced the availability of $500,000 through the PA Farm Bill’s Ag and Youth Grant Program to fund projects such as ag education and workforce development programs, seminars and field trips, agricultural safety training, capital projects, or equipment purchases that will help to build a strong future workforce for Pennsylvania’s leading industry.
10/10/2019
The farms protected at Thursday’s meeting of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board represent targeted investments in the future of farming, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said.
10/08/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding today opened the 2019 PA Hemp Summit, greeting more than 500 entrepreneurs eager to get in on the ground-level of Pennsylvania’s new hemp industry. Redding announced the availability of $460,000 in new state funding through Specialty Crop Block Grants created under the PA Farm Bill. Funding will be available to enhance the market for and competitiveness of crops, including hemp, which are designated as high priority because of their growth potential.
10/08/2019
Farmers in Beaver, Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, and Mercer counties are eligible to receive disaster relief assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding shared today.
10/04/2019
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding joined 2,800 elementary students and teachers from six mid-state counties for a tour of Farm City Day at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. Students got an up-close experience with 21st century agriculture careers from soil and plant science to animal nutrition and veterinary medicine.
10/04/2019
The Pennsylvania departments of Agriculture and Health today reminded Pennsylvanians to take every possible precaution against mosquito bites for themselves and their animals, especially horses. Last month, the administration announced the confirmation of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a rare mosquito-transmitted viral infection, in Erie, Carbon, and Monroe counties. As of this week, new cases have been confirmed in both Luzerne and Mercer counties.
10/03/2019
Harrisburg, PA - Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today called for proposals for projects designed to expand sales of Pennsylvania agricultural products. The department will award up to $300,000 in matching funds to PA nonprofits to reimburse up to 50% of costs for promotional and educational projects intended to increase consumer awareness and sales or grow export markets. Priority consideration will be given to educational exhibits and vendors at the 2020 PA Farm Show.
10/02/2019
York, PA - Today, Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was joined by the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association to announce the launch of EatSafePA, a free mobile app that allows Pennsylvanians to have restaurant inspection reports at their fingertips to help them choose a dining establishment without fear of foodborne illness.
10/02/2019
Enjoy a fall-weather preview of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, complete with homemade barbecue, draft horses on parade, and opportunities for hands-on learning and up-close visits with livestock with the Keystone International Livestock Exposition (KILE) starting Thursday, October 3, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.
10/01/2019
Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding reminded Pennsylvanians that Fall is the perfect time to enjoy local food and make memories on the farm. From pumpkin patches to mazes of corn; we’re in peak season for agritourism.
09/27/2019
On the heels of Spotted Lanternfly sightings throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Fred Strathmeyer was joined by partners in the fight against this invasive species in LOVE Park to educate Philadelphians about why the Spotted Lanternfly is bad and what they should do when they see the invasive insects.
09/26/2019
The 104th Pennsylvania Farm Show aims to showcase the countless ways to be a part of Pennsylvania’s vibrant and diverse agriculture industry and its promising future through its theme: Imagine the Opportunities.
09/26/2019
A three-decade partnership has secured the future of more than 20,000 acres of Cumberland County farmland, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said today.
09/25/2019
Paige Peiffer of Lebanon, Lebanon County, will represent the state’s dairy industry at events across the state for the next year as its 63rd Pennsylvania Dairy Princess. For the next year, Peiffer and her state royalty teammates will represent Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and its 6,650 dairy farm families. Dairy is the state’s top agriculture industry sector, contributing nearly $14.7 billion to the economy and supporting more than 52,000 jobs across the state.
09/21/2019
The Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture and Health today warned Pennsylvanians to take precautionary measures against mosquito bites for themselves and their animals – specifically horses – as the rare mosquito-transmitted viral infection Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been confirmed in Erie, Carbon, and Monroe counties.
09/20/2019
Mechanicsburg, PA - Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding shadowed a PA Preferred brewer to celebrate Pennsylvania’s booming craft beer industry during “Brewer for a Day” at Appalachian Brewing Company. Redding and artisan brewer Artie Tafoya crafted a PA Preferred Pale Ale with ingredients grown on Pennsylvania farms.
09/20/2019
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today was joined by Wolf Administration officials and leaders of agricultural advocacy organizations at the Perry County State Health Center to bring attention to the opioid epidemic in farm country and provide resources to those struggling with opioid-use disorder.