Building a Vision for Rural Pennsylvania holds session in Gallitzin

GALLITZIN – The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee continued its Building a Vision for Rural Pennsylvania series last Friday with a listening session in Gallitzin, Committee Chairman Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) said.

State Senators John Eichelberger (R-Hollidaysburg) and John Wozniak (D-Johnstown) hosted the public session at The Lemon House at the Allegheny Portage Railroad, a National Historic Site located just west of Altoona. More than 50 people attended to share a broad range of concerns about the agriculture industry and rural communities.

"I was very pleased that so many people were able to join us to provide information on these important issues for my committee," Brubaker said.

Park Ranger Doug Bosley opened the session with a discussion of the historical significance of The Lemon House.

Jacob Ross Metz, a fifth-generation dairy farmer who also serves as Secretary of the Agriculture Land Preservation Board in Huntingdon County, said that he has a potential 600-acre donation to make, but he needs assistance to cover the cost of the survey and other fees. In addition, he mentioned that additional funds are needed for farmland preservation in general. "We should spend less in areas where farmland is very expensive and more here, where we get more land for the dollar," Metz said.

Donna Fisher, Manager of the Blair County Conservation District, and Robert Piper, Cambria County Conservation District Manager, also discussed the need for farmland preservation funding, particularly for western Pennsylvania. Senator Wozniak concurred with this sentiment, noting that in western Pennsylvania, thousands of acres can be preserved for the same amount of money as hundreds of acres in other areas of the state.

Fisher shared her support of the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act (REAP) recently introduced by Senator Brubaker as well, and said, "We need support for local governments and smart growth and planning."

"This (REAP) is a vital program that can help Pennsylvania farmers meet the sometimes challenging endeavors of implementing proven environ conservation practices," said Dr. Stan Kotala, President of the Juniata Valley Audubon Society.

Piper also indicated his support for legislative changes to Act 217, the Conservation District Law, in addition to legislation that would provide more protections for landowner liabilities.

Marty Yahnar also spoke about landowner liability and shared his support of House Bill 13 and House Bill 74, both of which offer additional protection to farmers.

"We also need meaningful property tax reform, because the current measures don't do it," continued Yahnar. "I would support a one percent increases in the sales tax to help replace those revenues."

In response to Yahnar's concerns, Senator Eichelberger talked about a proposal on which he is still working that would allow for a menu of tax options, such as the earned income tax, personal income tax, sales tax and property tax, to be chosen by and levied at the county level. If a county elected to implement a new tax, any current property tax being levied would be required to decrease by a commensurate amount, Eichelberger explained.

From the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Somerset County, Brian Kelly, Regional Dairy Educator, and Tom Ford, Regional Commercial Horticultural Educator, both spoke about the troubles facing the dairy industry, and said the Committee needs to keep in mind the value the industry has in both agricultural and rural communities.

However, Kelly and Ford said, the number one issue facing farmers in that part of the state is availability and access to employees. Access to financing programs is vital as well, because farmer indebtedness is preventing further investment in farming operations.

Blair County dairy farmer Ray Diebold continued those thoughts, saying, "Dairy is on life support." Diebold noted that although the prices for a gallon of milk are forecast to rise, that increase will not necessarily make it to the farmer. He supports New York's plan to provide $30 million in direct payments to dairy farmers and believes the same should be done in Pennsylvania.

"The immediate need is more important than anything," Diebold concluded.

Carissa Itle Westrick with Vale Wood Farms in Loretto also talked about the issues facing dairy farmers because of low milk costs and the unprecedented high cost of feed. Health care is a problem as well, she added.

"We offer health care to the 35 employees in our processing plant, but our costs rise ten percent every year and we can't raise the price of milk to pay for it," Westrick said.

Blair County fruit grower Neil Hinish turned the discussion back to the need farmers have to employee workers on their operations. "We must have immigrant labor, because we cannot find local labor to do the work," Hinish said, requesting that the Committee work with the federal government on this matter.

Dr. Donald Gibbon, a consulting naturalist, attended the listening session to share his support of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture's (PASA) "Buy Fresh Buy Local" campaign, as a way to prevent sprawl and preserve small local farms near cities and towns. The "Buy Fresh Buy Local" initiative is designed to increase awareness of farmer's markets, orchards and other similar businesses that sell locally produced foods and beverages.

Gibbon also said that he supports value-added enterprises, "so our farmers and their families can make a decent living without having to work multiple jobs."

Several individuals asked for support for agriculture-related programs in the 2007-2008 budget, including funding for agricultural laboratories and community fairs.

"Our laboratory systems are the eyes and ears of animal health, human health and food safety, and they need more funding," said Dr. John Enck, Director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State University. Enck asked the Committee to support the Governor's proposal to maintain funding to the Animal Health Commission at $6.675 million.

Jim Davis, Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs, talked about the importance of fairs in Pennsylvania, noting that there are 115 fairs each year across the Commonwealth.

Karl King, the Regional Tourism Manager for the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, suggested that the Department of Agriculture's Blue Ribbon Passport be expanded to other areas of the state like the Alleghenies, because agritourism marketing is very important.

Beekeeper John Bishop brought up his concerns with the honeybee deaths that have been occurring and the significant impact that has on the agricultural community. "I would like to see more research and support from Penn State University and other educational facilities," Bishop said. Others said that there is a need for more communication between landowners and beeowners in order to ensure that everyone knows where the bees are located and spraying can then be done without harming the bee population.

"I want to thank Senator Eichelberger and Senator Wozniak for inviting our Committee to Gallitzin so that we could hear from constituents in their districts," Brubaker said. "I am very interested in creating a comprehensive agenda with the information we have been gathering, and I am looking forward to our remaining two sessions in Leesport and Mercer County."

Contact:

Kristin Ebersole, Executive Director
Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee

717-787-4420