Governor Tom Wolf made a stop in Centre County Thursday to talk about the State’s Farm Bill. That Bill continues to pay dividends for the State’s Economy. Governor Wolf visiting a farm in Centre County where the Seventh Generation of the same family is now working the farm. The Governor says that’s one of the pluses of the Farm Bill, to help stabilize family farming in Pennsylvania.
PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding saying: “There’s always comfort standing in a barn. I say it all the time. There’s a sense of humility. You understand we’re here because of generations of others.” Words of wisdom, the perspective many in farming can relate to from Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Agriculture. Russell Redding joining Governor Wolf and others at the Hess Farm, just outside of State College, operated by Jeff and Cindy Harding.
The theme for the day, the benefits from the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, signed into Law in 2019. At a time when there’s been concerns about the State losing farmland, and less small scale-family farming, the Governor says there’s hope for the future. Governor Wolf saying: “Pennsylvania farms, we’re actually lucky. We have one of the youngest set of Farm Owners of any State in the United States, but we still have work to do because farms need to have a Succession Plan in place.”
One Farmer there was a Tenth Generation Farmer in her family, and says added dedicated revenue from the Farm Bill is having a ripple effect for the State’s Economy. Hannah Smith Brubaker of Juniata County saying: “This type of financial support, it supports the processors, it supports the Farmer, it supports the Farmer’s Customers, and ultimately the Economy that benefits all of us.”
Agriculture remains the State’s top Industry with an annual economic impact near $32 billion.
