During Farm Show week, gubernatorial candidates outline agricultural priorities

From a buttery version of Ben Franklin to livestock and a lively mullet competition, this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show brought an array of familiar favorites to the commonwealth’s century-old celebration of all things agriculture. It also attracted politicians running in this year’s race for governor: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Republican challenger, Stacy Garrity, who currently serves as state treasurer, both visited the Farm Show and outlined their support for Pennsylvania’s agricultural communities. 

Shapiro spoke at Wednesday’s public official luncheon, where he noted that with more than 48,000 farms across the commonwealth, Pennsylvania agriculture contributes more than $132 billion to the state’s economy each year. 

“I recognize that farming – notwithstanding its rich history – is not just a critically important part of our heritage; it’s also key to our future success here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said at the luncheon.

He touted his commitment to farmers in the state, highlighting his yearly investments in a state-level farm bill and the distribution of grants through the state’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program. He also announced that his administration will be doling out an additional $10 million in grants, with applications opening on Feb. 2. 

According to his administration, the inaugural round of grants for the program received more than $68 million in funding requests, though the state had only $10 million to distribute. The initial round of grants funded 88 projects across 45 counties. 

“We thought outside the box and created this fund – the first one in the nation – and we have a lot of wonderful projects that have happened as a result of this Ag Innovation Fund,” the governor added. 

Garrity, who is currently running unopposed in the GOP primary and is hoping to unseat Shapiro in this November’s general election, outlined her agricultural policy priorities after making visits to the Pennsylvania Farm Show. 

“Farming is the heartbeat of my home in Bradford County, where we have over 1,300 farms, principally family farms, covering nearly 300,000 acres of farmland,” Garrity said in a statement. “Across our Commonwealth, Pennsylvania agriculture creates hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates billions of dollars in economic activity annually. These are revenues and jobs that keep rural communities like mine alive.”

Her multi-pronged agriculture platform includes:

• Repealing the state’s inheritance tax for family farms and small businesses 
• Expanding workforce training opportunities for agriculture-related careers
• Creating a farmer-focused office within the Department of Agriculture to handle permits, compliance and approvals
• Leveraging Pennsylvania’s farms to reduce food deserts
• Allowing SNAP recipients to apply part of their benefit toward a weekly or bi-weekly Pennsylvania-grown food box
• Using the state Treasury’s interest-rate buydown model to absorb up to 3% of interest costs on private loans to help launch 1,000 new farm businesses

“As Governor, I will prioritize our farming communities, for the betterment of not just rural Pennsylvania but for the health and well-being of every citizen throughout the Commonwealth,” Garrity said.