10/28/2020
With the 2020 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).
10/28/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from October 19 through October 25, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
10/24/2020
York Springs, PA - At Lerew’s Orchard in York Springs today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and his wife, Nina, joined a volunteer gleaning operation through Project SHARE of Carlisle.
10/21/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from October 12 through October 18, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
10/21/2020
Secretary Russell Redding today called for research proposals that will strengthen and grow Pennsylvania’s poultry, swine, lamb, sheep and goat farming industries. Funded by the 2019 PA Farm Bill, $375,000 is available for projects to enhance biosecurity, diagnostic testing, veterinary telemedicine and other strategies to prevent, detect and manage animal diseases and protect the food supply.
10/20/2020
State Veterinarian Dr. Kevin Brightbill announced today that Pennsylvania has confirmed its first COVID-19 positive cat.
10/16/2020
The Department of Agriculture today expanded on competitive event opportunities for the virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show. More than 20 opportunities are available, with every competition having modified rules and regulations to effectively mitigate against COVID-19.
10/15/2020
At Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Community and Economic Development Deputy Secretary Carrie Lepore reminded Pennsylvania restaurants of the benefits of joining Open & Certified Pennsylvania.
10/14/2020
Consumers who purchased raw goat milk or raw goat milk yogurt, whey or cottage cheese on or before October 13 produced by Crystal Brook Farm, Lancaster County should immediately discard the products, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said today. Tests completed during routine sampling indicated that the products tested positive for a disease-causing strain of E. coli bacteria.
10/13/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from October 5 through October 11, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
10/08/2020
Today, Pennsylvania safeguarded 2,224 acres on 25 farms in 17 counties, investing $5,655,426 through the state’s nation-leading Farmland Preservation Program. Preserved farms are protected from future residential, commercial or industrial development. They represent targeted investments in the future of farming and food security in Pennsylvania.
10/07/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today expanded on the August announcement of a virtual 2021 PA Farm Show, previewing some of the PA Farm Show favorites and new events to be featured in January.
10/06/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from September 28 through October 4, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
10/01/2020
Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding reminded Pennsylvania restaurant owners that they may increase indoor capacity from 25 percent to 50 percent through a new self-certification process. Self-certification ensures that these businesses operate safely and instills customers and employees with confidence knowing they can dine and work safely but will not lead to additional inspections or penalties.
10/01/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and State Veterinarian Dr. Kevin Brightbill were joined today by industry experts at Country View Family Farms of Hatfield Quality Meats to remind farmers the importance of written biosecurity and continuity of operations plans, and following them strictly, to the overall health and wellbeing of both their business operations and food security of the nation.
09/29/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from September 21 through September 27, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
09/28/2020
Governor Tom Wolf has presented Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Field Representative Tyler Banas with a Governor’s Award for Excellence for his work securing food access to 1.3 million low-income Pennsylvanians through the department’s Bureau of Food Assistance.
09/24/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Human Services Dr. Perri Rosen will be joined by industry and healthcare representatives this afternoon for an open conversation about decreasing stigma surrounding mental health in agriculture. The discussion will be livestreamed on Facebook at 1:00 PM.
09/23/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding encouraged young Pennsylvanians today to apply for an Agriculture Equipment Service Technician Apprenticeship where they’ll earn a paycheck while they learn hands-on skills in science, technology, engineering, and math. Pennsylvania will face more than 1,000 job openings in the field by 2030, as current farm equipment mechanics and service technicians retire.
09/23/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today reminded Pennsylvania dairy farmers that the deadline to apply for the CARES Act-funded Dairy Indemnity Program, which provides financial relief for losses due to discarded or displaced milk during the COVID-19 pandemic, is September 30, 2020.
09/22/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from September 14 through September 20, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
09/18/2020
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and State Veterinarian Dr. Kevin Brightbill today reminded small-ruminant producers that new requirements for scrapie tags and premises IDs will help ensure better, faster disease tracing and control. Adhering to new federal requirements will help keep scrapie instances from becoming full-blown outbreaks, ultimately saving producers from devastating livestock and financial losses.
09/17/2020
At Karimar Grocery in Franklin County today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin announced that more than 100 projects, funding access for fresh food in low-income communities, have received grants through Pennsylvania’s $10 million Fresh Food Financing Initiative.
09/17/2020
Hoy en Karimar Grocery en el condado de Franklin, el secretario de Agricultura, Russell Redding, y el secretario de Desarrollo Comunitario y Económico, Dennis Davin, anunciaron que más de 100 proyectos, que financian el acceso a alimentos frescos en comunidades de bajos ingresos, han recibido subvenciones a través de la Iniciativa de financiamiento de alimentos frescos de Pennsylvania de$ 10 millones.
09/15/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from September 7 through September 13, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
09/10/2020
Following months of hyper-focus on the availability of food, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was joined by Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Richard Roush and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Executive Director for Field Operations Carlos Martinez at Cherry Hill Orchards, where they urged Pennsylvanians to act now against the Spotted Lanternfly for the sake of food security.
09/09/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from August 31 through September 6, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
09/03/2020
The Departments of Agriculture and Health announced today a new partnership to make Pennsylvania’s six medical marijuana testing laboratories available to the agriculture industry for testing hemp crops for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels.
09/01/2020
The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from August 24 through August 30, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.
08/28/2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today announced changes to quarantine requirements for deer farms in Blair, Bedford and Fulton Counties to control Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The department established a CWD Core Captive Management Zone, to control the disease in the area of the state where it is most prevalent, while allowing deer farms to stay in business.