The Pennsylvania Senate recently advanced several measures aimed at supporting farmers and held a hearing on potential ways to promote the dairy industry, Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47th District) said.
Vogel noted that Pennsylvania dairy farming supports 52,000 jobs and contributes $14.7 billion to the state’s economy.
Last week, the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee held a public hearing that included a detailed discussion of the state of the dairy industry.
The Senate also approved Senate Resolution 403, which designated June as Dairy Month in Pennsylvania. A separate resolution, Senate Resolution 382, encouraged the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to disallow the use of the term ‘milk’ when labeling non-dairy products.
Additionally, the Senate recently endorsed Senate Resolution 384, which directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study and issue a report with recommendations for initiatives to support dairy producers in Pennsylvania.
Two measures designed to support the agriculture community as a whole also recently advanced through the Senate.
The Senate approved Senate Bill 1171, which would allow farmers to have increased input on proposed environmental regulations that could affect their farms and ensure that representatives from every region of the state are included in the discussions.
It also recently advanced Senate Bill 819, which would authorize agritourism activities, such as farm tours, hayrides, and corn mazes, on farms that are part of the state’s farmland preservation program.
The tentative budget agreement also includes measures to support the agriculture industry, including the restoration of funding for multiple programs under the Department of Agriculture that were not included in Gov. Tom Wolf’s February budget proposal. The spending deal negotiated by Senate and House leaders would increase funding to the Department of Agriculture by approximately $7 million next year over the current year’s budget.