HARRISBURG – With Ag Progress Days underway, the Senate and House Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees, led by Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47) and Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-121), contributed to the festivities by hosting their annual joint informational hearing at the Red Barn Annex. This year’s topic was “The State of the Livestock Industry in Pennsylvania: Producer Perspectives.”
Committee members heard from industry leaders representing the interests of PA’s dairy, beef, swine, poultry and sheep as well as U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘G.T.’ Thompson, who chairs the House Committee on Agriculture and held a similar livestock industry overview hearing at the federal level.
“This hearing reinforced that the livestock industry is the lifeblood of Pennsylvania agriculture,” Vogel said. “From beef to broilers, the livestock sector generates billions of dollars in economic output and stimulates rural communities throughout the commonwealth. I’m more thankful than ever for our hardworking farmers who work tirelessly to feed our state, our country and our world.”
“Our committees heard important testimony demonstrating how our commonwealth’s livestock producers are the backbone of our agricultural economy by providing food, creating jobs and supporting communities across Pennsylvania,” Pashinski said. “It’s important that policymakers hear directly from the farmers, processors and experts who power the livestock industry – educating us on their challenges while exploring opportunities to strengthen and support this vital industry.”
Across the board, the representatives spoke of the continued growth and success they have been seeing within their individual industries.
Tessa Applegate, chief financial officer for Clark’s Feed Mill, Inc., shared that “between 2017 and 2021, U.S. poultry production surged by 55%, reaching $7 million” and as of 2022 “poultry officially became Pennsylvania’s top [agriculture] sector by revenue, hitting $2.6 billion for the first time.”
Clark’s Feed Mill, located in Northumberland County, is family-owned and has been in operation since 1929.
Within the sheep industry, Dan Turner, president of the PA Sheep and Wool Growers Association (PSWGA), highlighted that with sheep becoming a valued asset for land management, it shows a “significant evolution in the economic and ecological valuation of sheep in Pennsylvania and may create the largest increase in sheep numbers over the last century.”
The PSWGA is based in Cumberland County and supports education and marketing of food and fiber from sheep for lamb and wool producers.
Testifiers also touched upon some obstacles they have come across, which included increased input costs, shortage of veterinarian care and burdens stemming from environmental regulation and permit requirements.
Other testifiers included Glenn Gorrell, president of the PA Dairymen’s Association; Darwin Nissley, president of the PA Cattlemen’s Association; Coleman Wagner, general manager of Ag Ventures Swine Management Services; and Chris Pierce, president of Heritage Poultry Management Services, Inc.
To view the full informational hearing, click here.
Ag Progress Days has been hosted by Penn State University at the Rock Springs site since 1976 and this year celebrates 49 years of showcasing aspects of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry as well as the most recent agricultural breakthroughs. It remains one of the top agricultural events in the commonwealth and is one of only three agricultural exhibitions in the country sponsored by a major university.
CONTACT: Lily Ott (Sen. Vogel)
William Hughes (Rep. Pashinski)