Bill creating Dairy Investment Program signed into law

Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law Monday a bill authored by state Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter), a member of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, that will create a program to provide financial support to the state’s dairy industry.

“This is my first bill as a state representative that was signed into law, and I couldn’t be more proud that it was one to help Pennsylvania farm families,” Owlett said. “The Commonwealth is home to 6,650 dairy farms, which contribute $14.7 billion in economic revenue annually and support more than 52,000 jobs; however, the dairy industry as a whole is struggling, and farms are going out of business at an alarming pace. Pennsylvania’s farmers need our help and that’s what this new law will do – help. It will help drive out financial support to strategic projects that will help stabilize and grow the industry.”

Act 38 of 2019 will create the Dairy Investment Program under the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA). This fiscal year, the state budget includes $5 million in funding for the program to issue grants to support the state’s dairy sector.

The program will have specific guidelines for evaluating and approving grant applications, and the CFA would consult with the Department of Agriculture to ensure the funding is targeted to the most appropriate projects to support the dairy industry.

The bill was part of an agricultural package that the governor signed into law Monday.

“I am excited about the progress we were able to make in the first half of this session year,” Owlett said. “However, this is only the beginning; there is still much more to be done to help our state’s farmers and I’m looking forward to being on the front lines of this effort.”