Hogweed Losing in PA

It has a flower that is as big as a hula-hoop and it is related to the carrot, so why is the state trying to get rid of the Giant Hogweed? Maybe its because the sap from the plant can cause burns. “It reacts with the sunlight and it actually burns a hole in your skin,” said Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Weed Scientist Melissa Bravo. The root has been known to burn the lips of goats that try to eat it.

The Giant Hogweed is native to the Caucasus Mountains and was brought over by immigrants in the first part of the 20th century as a decorative plant and a reminder of home. In 1980 it was designated by the federal government as a noxious weed because of its ability to rapidly spread and crowd out other native plants. A similar designation was made in Pennsylvania in 2001.

When the plant went on the state’s noxious weed list an eradication program was launched. "Nearly 80 percent of the known Giant Hogweed sites have been eradicated, thanks to the effective teamwork between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our state agriculture department, and property owners statewide," said state Agriculture Secretary George Greig. "While we must remain vigilant, the goal of completely eradicating the invasive weed is achievable."

Over the years, nearly 600 Giant Hogweed sites have been confirmed in Pennsylvania, with more than half located in Erie County. There are now 133 active sites in the state. The closest patch to Pittsburgh is along a set of train tracks in Evan’s City, Butler County. “We think a flower was caught by a train and tumbled along the tracks spreading its seed’” said Bravo.

The seeds from the plant can remain viable for as many as three years before geminating. Making it even harder to eradicate is the fact that according to Bravo it can still be a while before you realize you have a Giant Hogweed growing. It remains small for as much as three years before putting out the three-foot wide leaves, stalk the size of a 7 foot length of PVC pipe and flowers with a 15-foot diameter.

Bravo and her team return to known sites several years in a row before declaring victory. The state continues to do battle yearly with the weed along Little Kettle Creek in Potter County and Le Buff Creek in Erie County. The 10,000 seeds produced by each flower can be carried downstream. “Every river and creek in impacted in Europe,” said Bravo.

Bravo believes the state will eventually eradicate the plant from all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Among the other plants on the state's noxious weed list is Multiflora Rose, Canada Thistle and Kudzu. The state is trying to eradicate the Kudzu but has given up on the rose and thistle due to their range.

(Photo courtesy PA AG. Dept.)

WIC Provides Checks to Buy PA Produce

Families enrolled in the state’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program are eligible to receive voucher checks for Pennsylvania farmers markets.

Each WIC-enrolled individual can receive four checks worth a total of $20. The money is valid only at markets registered in the state’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and is meant to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to families with young children.

Allegheny County Health Department spokesman Guillermo Cole says there are more than 50 registered markets in Allegheny County, but the checks are valid in other counties’ markets as well.

The WIC program runs from June through November of this year. Cole says it helps out both families hoping to eat healthy and farmers who need to sell their crops.

A complete list of authorized farmers markets is available on the Health Department's website.

PA Farmers Encourage Healthy Eating on Low Budget

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) members are celebrating "Food-Check-Out Week" by vocalizing across the Commonwealth that raising healthy and wholesome foods is their top priority. The Bureau's spokesperson, Mark O'Neill, says that PFB's goals are to create a bond with consumers and helping them to eat healthy while on an affordable budget.

"The family may not be making as much money as they had or their bills are higher and they have to really look around for what they buy in the store. We want to make sure that they aren't just buying a bunch of junk food that, they're buying good nutritious food, and we're letting them know that they can do that on a healthy budget."

O'Neill says that along with bonding with consumers, the PFB wants to give back to the community, so they have been collecting items such as food, money, and gift cards for the Ronald McDonald Houses in Pittsburgh, Danville, Hershey, Philadelphia, and Scranton. O'Neill says the Ronald McDonald House is a perfect collaborator in giving back to people.

"They feel that they can do something to help families and kids who are ill and need help in these facilities. That's part two of the whole thing. One is connecting with consumers, the other is giving back to the community and we believe that the Ronald McDonald Houses do such a great job."

Over the past twelve years, the PFB has collected over $656,000 in donations for the Ronald McDonald Houses.

Legislation Provides Home for Urban Agriculture

City residents will now have the ability to turn their urban Pittsburgh property into a private agricultural center under legislation before City Council.

Sponsor Bill Peduto says his bill provides balance between agricultural opportunity on private property, and the protection of neighbor’s quality of life through zoning code. If a citizen pays the required $300 permit fee, one can grow produce on their property and sell it commercially. In addition to holding more specific livestock permits, this new permit will allow city residents to house livestock on their property, too.

"People want to have chickens, they want to have bees, they want to be able not only to have a small garden, but to be able to have a garden where they can also supply a farmer's market," Peduto says. "So at the same time that it's trying to promote that, we needed to balance it against the impacts on adjacent property owners."

The last portion of the bill sets up a grant program that educates residents about the best practices and works to provide financial assistance in covering the permit fee. The money for the grant program will be taken from the Capital Improvement Program’s budget for Demolition of Condemned Buildings.

"We wanted to make sure that the cost wasn't something that prohibited people from even applying, so we created a trust fund for those that are willing to do the process right," Peduto says.

According to Peduto, the last laws regarding urban agriculture disappeared in the '50s but a continued interest has drawn the city back to it.

"People would be surprised at how much the city does have an active urban agricultural base," Peduto says.

Citizens are still allowed to cultivate produce on their property for personal use, but selling those goods commercially will require a permit.

Farm Show Starts Saturday

Final preparations are being made for the 95th Pennsylvania Farm Show which will be held at Harrisburg's Farm Show Complex from January 8th through the 15th.
The commonwealth's annual tradition is the largest indoor agricultural exhibition in the country. State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding says the Farm Show spans one week, but it takes the other 51 weeks to get ready...

"It's an all-year effort. A million square feet under roof, 26 acres. In the course of the week, 500-thousand people will come through there looking at their favorite exhibit and tasting their favorite food."

Redding says the Farm Show complex has undergone a more than 4 million dollar "green" makeover ....
"We've got a solar project. We've got some energy saving measures that are inside, in terms of water, water usage, lighting."

And it will feature a new showcase for its famous butter sculpture.
"That allows us to really have a 360-degree view. It's going to be placed in a new location this year. Same hall, but sort of invert a little bit, to allow us to bring in the other agriculture commodities around it."

Redding says the agricultural exhibition will once again include a sheep-to-shawl contest, high school rodeo and a fully stocked food court
The opening ceremonies will once again include a "Parade of Agriculture".

August is Agritourism Month in PA

Governor Ed Rendell hopes his proclamation of "Agritourism Month" will boost awareness of agricultural operations, events, and activities as well as promoting tourism in the state. PA Department of Agriculture Spokesperson Justin Fleming says Agritourism blends two of the state’s top industries- tourism and agriculture. He says PA is the nation’s fourth most visited state and it claims a top five ranking for several agricultural products. Fleming says the 115 county and community fairs are a great way to make a connection between the food on your table and it source.
55 fairs are held in Pennsylvania during the month of August. Fleming says there are other great day trips and weekend getaways that feature agriculture including a long list of wineries, farm markets, and working farms that host overnight visitors in bed and breakfast settings. The state has launched a web site to help travelers make the agritourism plans. Fleming says many of the travel ideas are not only fun and interesting but also easy on the budget.

In Pennsylvania, agriculture is a $61 billion industry and tourism is responsible for bringing in $27 billion a year.

Wine Toast Saturday Hopes to Break Record

The Pennsylvania Winery Association is hoping to set a world record Saturday by having visitors at about 60 wineries across the state lift their glass in a toast at the same time. They will have a tough time breaking the world record of 17,540 set in 2009 in the U.K. The association says even if the record is not set it will be a great way to bring more attention to the growing industry and a celebrate what it calls “another record setting year for the Pennsylvania wine industry.” Among the wineries taking part is the Greendance Winery at Sand Hill. Tasting room manager Diane Dilworth says they expect about 120 people at their small facility in Westmorland County. Dilworth says at 4:00 they will play a prerecorded toast from former Indy Car driver and wine lover Mario Andretti and then will make, “a very serious head count.” Pictures will be taken of the “toasters” to prove they were there. No employees will be counted. Dilworth says they have seen huge growth in the three years the winery has been open and she says Pennsylvania wines are starting to get the respect they deserve. She great wine makers are turning local grapes into wines worth noticing. Pennsylvania has a long history of producing sweet wine with very little character. A list of all the wineries taking part can be found here.

Dairy Farmers Continue to Call for Fair Pricing

In an ongoing effort to change the way milk is priced, farmers are asking for the approval of the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act to bolster the price of milk. Under the current pricing system milk prices don't take into account the cost of production. Arden Tewksbury, a dairy farmer and manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization in in Meshoppen, Pennsylvania says there's a laundry list of costs that go into producing milk. "A big one is the feed we buy, the corn--and if you don't buy it you have to grow it and harvest it; you've got electricity, veterinarians, all kinds of supplies; the value of the farm–somebody doesn't just give you a farm for free, hired labor, taxes, insurance." The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets the price of milk based on a complex formula that Tewksbury says shortchanges farmers. He says in 2009 farmers were paid about $1.12 for a gallon of milk, which according to the USDA cost farmers about $2.00 to produce. That discrepancy translated into a net loss of $15 billion to dairy farmers across the country and a $75 billion loss for the agriculture industry as a whole. He says the Milk Marketing Improvement Act (bill 1645), sponsored by senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter would give farmers a fighting chance, though the legislation has been languishing in the Senate and doesn't appear to be going anywhere fast.

Ag Dept. Submits New Dog Law Rules

***UPDATE***

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has submitted revised dog law regulations to the state's Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC).

A minor controversy arose earlier this week when State Representative James Casorio (D - Westmoreland) complained to the agency that its attempt to allow nursing mother dogs to be kept on wire flooring was unlawful according to the Dog Law (Act 119) of 2008.

Casorio said the mothers would be allowed to spend half of the year on wire flooring under the first set of rules proposed by the Agriculture Department, which he said was unacceptable. He said that no adult dogs are allowed to be on wire flooring under the dog law because it can lacerate their paws and even require amputation.

The Agriculture Department said that the nursing mothers would be on wire flooring because that type of floor allows puppies' waste to fall through, preventing infection of the young dogs' weak immune systems.

Department of Agriculture Special Deputy Secretary of Dog Law Enforcement Jessie L. Smith says under the latest proposal to the IRRC, mothers could spend a maximum of 14 weeks per year on wire flooring, with at least 50% of each cage having a solid floor in the six to eight weeks after their deliveries.

Smith says the attempt to require a split of wire and solid flooring came at the behest of Governor Rendell, due to a gap in the dog law regarding nursing mothers and their puppies. Smith says by law, mothers can whelp just twice per year and usually nurse for 6-8 weeks, after which time the puppies can be sold. The mother must give birth alone in a solid-floor whelping box.

Smith notes that since the dog law was passed, about two-thirds of Pennsylvania kennels have closed. She says that many which haven't closed have been granted waivers or extensions because they either are in the process of making significant improvements to comply with the law, or are involved in litigation obstructing their ability to comply. Smith says most of those waivers expire in October.

The IRRC is slated to vote on the Department of Agriculture's proposal August 19.

Casorio: New Kennel Rules Skirt State Law

State Representative James Casorio says new regulations introduced by the Department of Agriculture violate Pennsylvania’s dog law.

Casorio says the rules would allow adult female breeding dogs and their puppies to spend at least half of each year on wire flooring. He says this is in direct contradiction to the existing law, which prohibits wire flooring for any dog.

The Westmoreland County Democrat says wire flooring can cause paw lacerations or even result in amputation.

A Dept. of Agriculture spokesperson says the regulations were meant to prevent puppies from being infected, because their waste would fall through a wire floor where it would accumulate on a hard surface.

But Casorio isn’t happy with that justification.

“All of a sudden, the concern of the breeders and quite frankly [the Dept. of Agriculture] that puppies not be in their own waste… I just don’t understand it, quite frankly,” says Casorio. “The dogs being placed on wire flooring for six months is not acceptable.”

Casorio says the Dept. of Agriculture has also granted dog law waivers or extensions to 80 of the state’s 111 commercial kennels.

“What stake does the Department of Agriculture have in maintaining the status quo so that mass breeders can operate as cheaply and effectively, from their perspective, as possible?” says Casorio. “I don’t know, but I think that’s a question that certainly deserves an answer.”

The Dept. of Agriculture spokesperson says the regulations will be revised and resubmitted to the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission.

AG Dept. Budget Cut by 11%

This year’s $28.05 billion budget for Pennsylvania cuts funding for most state agencies.
A $5 million reduction at the Department of Agriculture means less money for county fairs, animal laboratories, and possibly layoffs.
The Department of Agriculture lost $1.4 million in general government operating expenses with 23 of its spending categories were reduced.
Among the harder hit line items is the Animal Health Commission, which provides funding for animal laboratories at Penn State, the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Agriculture.
Secretary Russell Redding says the Commission’s budget dropped by 435-thousand dollars.

"That will be a reduction in services at those three labs. We’re going to have to cut costs, whether that be staff or reimbursements that we try and recover. But they’ll have to make 400-thousand dollars worth of adjustments at that operation."

Redding says some Ag Department employees may be laid off, but says since 67 workers lost their jobs due to budget cuts last year, he’ll do everything he can to avoid staff reductions.

Funding for county fairs has been reduced to just one million dollars.
Russell says that’s actually an improvement, noting Governor Rendell’s initial budget zeroed out the line item. But he says it will be tough to spread the funding to the 113 local fairs the money subsidizes. Two years ago, Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Department spent 3.6 million dollars on county fairs.

Heat Wave Dries Out Western Pa. Crops

Local farmers are grappling with the heat wave that recently settled over the region.

Ed Shenot of Shenot Farms in Wexford says keeping plants healthy during intense heat costs extra time and money. Shenot says many farmers are scrambling to water their crops as the heat wave dries them.

“We’re set up for drip irrigation on a lot of our crops, which requires less water,” says Shenot. “We’re not sprinkling it in the air. We’re putting it directly into the ground so the roots can take it up, but we’re just constantly going from one crop to another, doing this procedure.”

Shenot says the heat won’t affect current harvest yields in a major way, but he is still taking precautions with his plants.

“When we are harvesting, we have to get it in shade or get it in irrigation as soon as possible,” says Shenot.

Sweet corn, squash, cabbage, and zucchini can all be harvested near this time of year.

Gas Drill Wastewater Thought to Contaminate Cows

Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture has quarantined several cows in Tioga County after they were exposed to natural gas drilling wastewater.

Dept. of Agriculture spokesman Justin Fleming says after making contact with the contaminated ‘fracking’ water, the 28 cattle will be withheld from the market from six months to two years, depending on each cow’s age.

The drilling wastewater is thought to have leaked from a nearby holding pond that serves an East Resources, Inc. gas well.

Fleming says it’s uncertain if the beef cows actually drank the wastewater, but its high salinity is likely to have attracted them.

While the Dept. of Agriculture can’t test the cows without killing them, Fleming says toxic chemicals were found in the water itself.

“Tests on the wastewater found that it contained chloride, iron, sulphate, barium, magnesium, sodium, strontium, and other elements,” says Fleming. “While I’m not positively sure about what those effects could be on animals, we don’t want chemicals like that in any supply of meat that could be purchased in a store here in Pennsylvania or elsewhere.”

The 28 cows quarantined are all but two of the farmer’s stock.

Fleming says while he can’t speculate on whether events like this will become more common soon, most natural gas drilling is done in rural areas.

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has issued a notice of violation to Eastern Resources. DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun says the company will be fined within the next month or so; he says the severity of that fine depends on the company's behavior regarding the situation. Rathbun says the DEP has finished cleaning up the wastewater.

Invasive Beetle in Bedford County

The Emerald Ash Borer, an ash tree-destroying pest, has been found in a twelfth Pennsylvania County. Workers with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spotted an infestation in Graceville, a mile east of Breezewood and less than a mile from the Fulton County line.
Walt Blosser of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says the DCNR staff were driving through the area and noticed extensive damage due to woodpeckers which is a common sign of insect infestation. Blosser says beetle samples were collected and it was confirmed that they were Emerald Ash Borers.
In response to this discovery, the state-imposed quarantine on hardwoods is being expanded to Bedford County. Blosser says people should use only local hardwoods.

The invasive beetle was first detected in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County, and subsequently was found in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
The pest, which is native to China and eastern Asia likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, and is responsible for the death and decline of more than 40 million trees. Typically, the beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation.
Blosser says eradication efforts in other states have failed so Pennsylvania officials are trying a containment approach to give researchers some time to develop bio-control options and new pesticides.