PA Dept. of Agriculture Weekly Roundup
Find out what’s been happening at PDA! Having trouble viewing this message? View web version.  The opportunities within the Pennsylvania dairy industry remain limitless. Under Governer Shapiro’s leadership, the commonwealth — in strong partnerships with partners like the Center for Dairy Excellence, Legislature, and stakeholders — is investing in a long-lasting, strategic vision and ecosystem for dairy success. This infrastructure and its connections will have long-term benefits unique to Pennsylvania. And, with our incredible farmers at the core, Pennsylvania dairy will be cause for celebration long after dairy month has ended.Read More  Shapiro Administration Releases Results Of Crop Samples Showing No Contamination On PA Farms Near Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Secretary Redding announced that samples from crops in Beaver and Washington Counties show no contamination stemming from the East Palestine, Ohio Norfolk Southern train derailment on February 3, 2023. Area producers requested testing of plant tissue to understand the full impact of the derailment on their agricultural products. In late April, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture technicians took tissue samples from triticale, grass, hay, spelts (grain), garlic, and blueberry bushes to determine levels of 26 semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) present. Penn State University scientists tested the samples and found no compounds present above reportable limits for that substance. Results indicate that plant tissue is an unlikely source of exposure to SVOCs.Read More Governor Shapiro Announces Pennsylvania Will Receive $1.16 Billion in New Federal Funding to Expand Affordable, High-Speed Internet Access Across the Commonwealth Governor Josh Shapiro announced the Commonwealth will receive more than $1.16 billion in federal funding to expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas to make sure every Pennsylvanian has access to affordable, high-speed internet. The funding is coming to Pennsylvania through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and is part of President Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative. The BEAD funding will be used to extend broadband infrastructure to areas of the Commonwealth that currently lack access to reliable, high-speed internet. Thanks to this significant investment, the Shapiro Administration will now have the resources it needs to connect Pennsylvanians to the internet and ensure they can go to school, start and grow businesses, and access telemedicine no matter where they live.Read MoreUSDA to conduct annual potato processing surveyThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is encouraging potato producers and agribusinesses to respond to the Annual Potato Processing survey. Potato processors make up a significant share of the United States economy. In recent years, the majority of potatoes grown within the U.S. were utilized for processing, and most potato exports consisted of processed potatoes. The results of this survey will be used to establish final USDA statistics about the 2022 potato crop processing for official processing states. Data collected includes the total quantity of potatoes processed as chips, frozen french fries, other frozen, starch, flour, other dehydrated potatoes, canned potatoes, and other potato products.Read MoreNew Eligibility Guidelines For Free And Reduced School Meals Announced For The 2023-24 School Year The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released federal income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price school meals and free milk for July 2023 – June 2024. Schools, and other institutions and facilities, use the guidelines to determine eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program for Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. Read More   The deparment came together to celebrate Dr. Ruth Welliver in honor of her retirement after 33 years of public service with the Bureau of Plant Industry, most recently as the Director of the bureau.See More PennAg Industries Solutions and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture staff enjoyed a visit and tour of Melhorn Sales Service & Trucking to learn more about their great biosecurity measures and protocols.See More  A Susquehanna County farm was recently honored by American250PA. A replica Liberty Bell will live on the land that has been owned by the same Black family for over 200 years. Deputy Secretary Cheryl Cook and Michele Brookins from the Market Development team were in attendance and along with the leader of the Project JUST initiative.See More Members of the Pennsylvania 4-H State Council stopped by the office to meet with Secretary Redding and PDA staff in addition to touring the Plant Industry facility and Animal Health and Vet lab.See More The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture would like to extend a huge congratulations to Food Inspector, Channing Greenland. Channing was awarded the Association of Food and Drug Officials 2022 – 2023 Jacob Joseph Achievement Award for her hard work and leadership within the food safety field. This award is given out to just one person in the country each year and PDA is honored to have Channing as part of the Bureau of Food Safety.See More  The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) is working on an “Economic Impact Analysis of PA Organic Agriculture” with E-Consult Solutions. This in-depth research will uncover some of the challenges and opportunities for organic farming (and processing) and recommendations of ways that PDA can help to support farmers and processors interested in transitioning to USDA certified organic. We have held some meetings with producers and processors to gather input but need to hear from more producers and processors. If you are a producer or processor, please consider taking this short survey. The estimated time to complete the survey is approximately 15-20 minutes. Please complete the survey by Friday, July 21.Learn More As the weather warms and you start planning your summer cookouts, invest in your local economy and ensure the quality of your food by shopping local and buying from Pennsylvania farmers.Read BlogBuy Local |