Agriculture 

This measure reflects all laboratory tests conducted by PADLS -- including the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory (under PDA) in Harrisburg, New Bolton Center (under University of Pennsylvania) in Kennett Square, and Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (under Penn State University) in State College – regardless of species, disease or purpose. New innovations and demands to find emerging disease pathogens represent an opportunity to add increased relevancy and expanded testing capacity as Tier 1 (PVL) and Tier 2 (NBC and ADL) laboratories in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. The Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services has an important role in ensuring that animals can safely move into domestic and international markets for consumption as well as supporting job creation and commerce within animal agriculture, the largest total sector of agriculture in Pennsylvania. The decrease from FY 2019-20 is due to reductions in export serology and avian serology across the three laboratories.

This measure reflects the cumulative number of acres preserved per calendar year if the Bureau achieves its goal. Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation with over 6,090 farms and over 614,000 acres that will remain in agriculture in perpetuity. The program remains popular with farm owners, as evidenced by the backlog of farms that have applied to be preserved. Through an investment of federal, state, and local funds and with a goal of preserving at least 200 farms annually, the state will benefit from the open space and viable farmland that is the result of this investment. It is important to note that the average size of a preserved farm is now 80 acres which is down from an average of 120 acres a decade ago.

The Bureau of Food Safety & Laboratory Services has sole jurisdiction over all retail food facilities and food establishments under the Food Protection Act (Title 3 Pa.C.S.A., Part VII, Ch. 57, Subchs. A & B) and Milk facilities under the Milk Sanitation Act (31 P.S. Sec 645 et.seq.). The table below reflects inspections conducted at retail food facilities, warehouses, food and dairy manufacturers. These inspections also are a key component of the department’s efforts to protect the public health.

The number of retail food facility inspections remains the largest body of work carried out by our inspectors. Manufactured food establishment inspections have evolved with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) from a 4-5 hour sanitation inspection to a multi-day food safety system inspection which will better protect public health. Due to this evolving characteristic in type of food safety inspection, the number of inspections per inspector will decline. Approximately 80% of the inspections listed below are retail food facility inspections. The remaining 20% are inspections conducted at wholesale, manufactured food, and dairy facilities. However, the average retail inspection is 3 hours in length, while all other types of inspections average 6-8 hours in length.

Funding through grant programs which previously enabled the Bureau of Food Safety & Laboratory Services to add three food inspector positions impacting these numbers, has decreased resulting in only maintaining two additional food inspector positions. 

The increasing complexity of inspections and multi-day inspections will result in lower numbers of total food facility inspections, per inspector in FY 2022-23, and the number is expected to continue to remain flat unless additional staff resources are funded. The department continues to pursue LEAN process improvement initiatives and will likely gain some efficiencies as a result.

Pennsylvania agricultural exports increased in FY 2020-21 in line with USDA projections that international trade would reach $157 billion. Global economic events such as strong value of the U.S. dollar, retaliatory tariffs issued by key export partners, and ongoing trade agreement negotiations with China, Europe/UK, and Japan, among others, have increased uncertainty in global markets. Factors to consider are continued supply chain and labor concerns. Even with these concerns, trends and experts are predicting exports to continue to rise.

A Quarantine Order was published to create safe commerce through travel compliance permits issued to businesses, agencies or organizations moving goods, vehicles or equipment within or out of a spotted lanternfly quarantine zone. The securing of a permit or compliance agreement means that the business or organization has received training on how to avoid the spread of the invasive species and is partnering in the effort to contain the pest within the quarantine zone. In FY 18/19, the Bureau of Plant Industry registered 25,056 plant industry businesses; 6,151 were in the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone. The quarantine has expanded every year, increasing the number of businesses that fall within the zone. In 2022 there are a total of 45 counties and 20,847 plant industry businesses within the quarantine zone. This outcome measure shows the percentage of those quarantine area businesses that have a Spotted Lanternfly permit or compliance agreement. (Only those businesses who move equipment or product within or out of the quarantine area are required to have a permit, so target for full compliance is well under 100%.)

Legal hemp production in Pennsylvania was facilitated by the 2018 federal Farm Bill. The purpose of this measure is to demonstrate the acceptance of the Pennsylvania program by hemp growers for permitted hemp growing in the commonwealth. Growth in the number of hemp production permits is limited by hemp processing capacity, a sector which continues to develop across the United States. The hemp industry has not yet reached a steady state in Pennsylvania or the nation.Legal hemp production in Pennsylvania was facilitated by the 2018 federal Farm Bill. The purpose of this measure is to demonstrate the acceptance of the Pennsylvania program by hemp growers for permitted hemp growing in the commonwealth. Growth in the number of hemp production permits is limited by hemp processing capacity, a sector which continues to develop across the United States. The hemp industry has not yet reached a steady state in Pennsylvania or the nation.

In FY 2020-21, over 3,200 individuals participated in various training and continuing education opportunities conducted by the State Conservation Commission and its program partners. Nutrient and Odor Management Specialist and Commercial Manure Hauler and Broker training programs provided opportunity for individuals in the agricultural consulting and agricultural support service sectors to obtain and maintain appropriate accreditation to assist the agricultural community in meeting mandated environmental protection requirements pertaining to non-point source pollution. Training programs implemented under the Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road maintenance program, qualify local municipalities to receive funding for implementation of environmentally sensitive maintenance practices on local roads to reduce road-based, non-point source pollution.

Education and training are key activities that provide opportunities for individuals to expand and improve their knowledge base on program initiatives and requirements. Additionally, this provides the proper accreditation to qualify them to carry out key program responsibilities. In 2020-21, over 11,700 hours of training occurred on various programs through the State Conservation Commission and its program partners. Training and continuing education hours provided required training for persons participating in the Nutrient and Odor Management Specialist and Commercial Manure Hauler and Broker programs, the Dirt, Gravel and Low-Volume Road maintenance program, and environmentally sensitive maintenance practices on local roads in an effort to reduce road-based, nonpoint source pollution.

Pennsylvania is the main contributor of fresh water (approximately 50%) to the Chesapeake Bay, and proactively works with producers to manage on-farm nutrients to match them to crop needs. More than 248,000 farm acres in Pennsylvania are covered by nutrient management plans, ensuring that best management practices are used when collecting, storing and applying manure and other nutrients, thereby protecting our natural resources and those communities located downstream.

This measure reflects the combined number of weights and measures device inspections by staff, county and city sealer programs and Certified Examiners of Weights and Measures (CEWMs). Devices are required to inspected at intervals no greater than 12 to 18 months (depending on the device type). The bureau has prepared a rewrite of the current antiquated Weights and Measures Act that would modernize the law. A key point to the rewrite is to energize the CEWM program resulting in more inspections done with no additional cost to the commonwealth.

The measure reflects the compliance rate achieved by the Division of Weights and Measures in meeting its statutory inspection requirements (based on Individual device allowable inspection intervals and number of inspections conducted by the state inspectors). As county and city sealer programs continue to return this inspection responsibility back to the state, and more stations containing fuel pumps continue to open, it becomes difficult to achieve the level of desired compliance. Devices included in this measure are retail fuel pumps, liquid propane gas meters, vehicle tank meters, large capacity scales and small capacity scales.

In 2021-22, the Pa Farm Bill provided an annual allocation of $13.0 million for REAP tax credits and an annual allocation of $2.0 million for CEG grant funds. These allocations supported the installation of over 645 best management practices (BMPs) on agricultural operations in Pennsylvania. 2019 changes to the REAP program - increasing the tax credit limits per eligible applicant to $250,000 and reducing the applicant ‘renewal’ eligibility to 7 years - allowed eligible applicants additional tax credit availability over a longer period of time. This enables further participation of REAP program applicants in subsequent program years. The CEG Program, a new financial assistance program for implementation of BMPs in high priority locations in Pennsylvania, provides up to $250,000 per eligible application for the implementation of BMPs. In the 2022-23 budget, a total of 154 million dollars of the new Clean Stream Fund, for the implementation of the ACAP program, which is similar in structure to CEG. The CEG and ACAP Program coupled with REAP tax credits can significantly reduce an agricultural operation’s cost for BMP implementation. Increasing costs for implementation of BMPs and the overall rate of inflation, will continue to impact BMP implementation lower than projections. Implementation of agricultural BMPs will help to manage storm water impact on local streams, improving local water quality and improving agricultural productivity and economic viability of agricultural operations.

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Business Development Center, created by the PA Farm Bill, will serve as a resource to help every farmer create a business plan, transition plan, or succession plan to ensure the best chance of success.  As the national leader in farmland preservation, the department would like to help to ensure that this land will remain in agriculture.

The PA Preferred Organic Initiative is designed to make Pennsylvania the nation’s leading organic state by further enhancing the growth of the organic industry. The consumer demand for organic commodities and food products has been growing exponentially since enactment of the National Organic Program in 1990. Within Pennsylvania, demand growth has centered largely in urban areas, and until recently, focused largely on fresh produce. FY 2020-21 served as the baseline year for this program.

The Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program, implemented in FY 2019-20, provides funding in the form of a reimbursement grant to eligible applicants seeking to improve urban agriculture infrastructure in Pennsylvania. These grants will build out the infrastructure of urban agriculture by investing in systems, filling gaps, encouraging entities to work together, finding ways to bring operations to a greater scale, overcoming food deserts, and opening opportunities for people to become social entrepreneurs. In addition, the production of locally-grown food has created increasing involvement by members of the community in farm or garden activities.  This program will provide more opportunities for volunteers to get engaged in work to support their community. FY 2019-2020 served as the baseline year for this program with 140 participants.

The Agriculture and Youth Development Grant Program was included in the PA Farm Bill as a means to provide grants to agriculture and youth organizations for the purpose of providing workforce development and educational opportunities. Currently, 17 percent of school-aged

children in Pennsylvania participate in either FFA or 4-H.  Expanding opportunities for additional youth

to benefit from exposure to opportunities in agriculture or to build upon existing infrastructure will

ensure that Pennsylvania can continue to remain economically viable in the future. FY 2019-20 served as the base year with more than 5,800 youth participants (58 grants x 100 students per grant).

The Farmer Veterans Coalition’s Homegrown by Heroes Program helps to connect veterans of the U.S. military who are now serving the agriculture industry with consumers by providing a label that differentiates veteran produced products in competitive markets. The PA Farm Bill made an additional investment in this program enabling the Department to conduct additional outreach to Pennsylvania’s farmer veterans. Our goal is to enroll 75 percent of the Farmer Veterans Coalition’s Homegrown by Heroes program in a given year in the PA Preferred Homegrown by Heroes program, thus providing consumers with an additional way to show their support for both those that serve our country and those that feed us.

The PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center host various youth events throughout the year. Hosting youth events provides opportunities for growth. Giving time to showcase skills, knowledge and abilities while gaining exposure from industry experts providing future opportunities is beneficial.

The Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services is responsible for controlling and eradicating diseases in livestock and poultry. This mission is critical since these diseases have the potential to impact human health, disrupt or threaten the food supply and continuity of business, and cause significant economic loss to farmers and the commonwealth. Inspecting premises where livestock and poultry are held is a key component of providing this protection. The baseline for year for tracking this measure is FY 2020-21.

Visit Hershey Harrisburg Visitor’s Bureau annually produces economic impact calculations for the major events that are conducted at the Farm Show Complex & Expo Center. Utilizing those numbers to gage the positive or negative impact of events allow us to make better choices when recruiting shows and events. Existing impact numbers reflect the current show schedule. Therefore, future years may permit us to host additional shows which will have a positive effect on our economic impact number. The PA Farm Show Complex is a significant revenue driver for the Commonwealth. The sale of PA Preferred products, the creation of jobs, retails sales and sales tax collected are all increased by each event we host.

The percentage of dogs licensed based upon the estimated dog population should continue to increase mostly due to the high demand for lifetime licenses and strong emphasis on outreach efforts.  A 1% increase in the out years is expected due to continued discussion on licensing legislation. The estimated dog population is configured using a formula developed by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy and is then compared to the actual dog licenses sold to get the estimated percentage of dogs licensed each year. Decreases in CY 2018 and 2020 are due to changes in data sources, primarily the census as well as the COVID -9 impact. The percentage of dogs licensed in CY 2021 remained the same, this is in large part due to the bureau’s funding issues, with insufficient staffing the bureau has been unable to canvass and have a strong presence in the community all things that increase licensing compliance. The department is expecting to realize a small increase in CY 2023 and CY 2024 due to extra media attention on dog licensing and legislation (SB 1289).

The PASS program helps to support both Pennsylvania's agricultural industry statewide and the non-profit sector responsible for getting more nutritious food into the hands of Pennsylvanians at risk of hunger. PASS provides an efficient mechanism for Pennsylvania's agricultural industry to donate safe, wholesome food products while being reimbursed for the costs involved in harvesting, processing, packaging, and transporting these foods. In FY 2019-20, with $1.5 million in funding, program efforts were focused on expanding the types of products and the numbers of agriculturalists participating in the program vs. focusing exclusively on the total number of pounds. In FY 2020-21, as a result of $10 million in funding provided by the General Assembly from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for PASS in addition to the regular, annual appropriation, pounds secured for PASS grew significantly, allowing the program to support both a significant number of Pennsylvania producers and low-income food recipients. In FY 2021-22, with $2.5 million in funding, we expect the pounds of food sourced through the program to return to more stable levels.

In FY 2019-20, program efforts were focused on expanding the numbers of agriculturalists participating in the program. Those efforts resulted in products being sourced from an additional 13 producers. In FY 2020-21, as a result of $10 million in funding provided by the General Assembly from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for PASS in addition to $1.5 million in regular, annual appropriation, the number of PASS vendors grew by 24 as we identified additional sources to provide food for this program. With a $4.0 million appropriation provided for in FY 2022-23, we anticipate continuing to grow to total number of Pennsylvania producers from whom we are sourcing products.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) provides recipients with fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs from approved farmers, farmers' markets or roadside stands in Pennsylvania. Program efforts are focused on increasing the total numbers of FMNP checks redeemed Only farmers authorized by the department may accept and redeem FMMP checks. Recipients are given a list of participating farmers and farmers’ markets when they receive their checks. In August 2019, the department launched an app called the FMNP Market Locater to allow recipients to find the nearest participating location where they can then use the checks. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, limitations in being able to distribute FMNP vouchers in person, and hesitation by recipients to venture out to markets, redemption of vouchers fell in FY 2020-21.

The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) provides WIC recipients with fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs from approved farmers, farmers' markets or roadside stands in Pennsylvania. Program efforts are focused on increasing the total numbers of FMNP checks redeemed. Only farmers authorized by the department may accept and redeem FMMP checks. Recipients are given a list of participating farmers and farmers’ markets when they receive their checks. In August 2019, the department launched an app called the FMNP Market Locater to allow recipients to find the nearest participating location where they can then use the checks. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, limitations in being able to distribute FMNP vouchers in person, and hesitation by recipients to venture out to markets, redemption of vouchers fell in FY 2020-21.