April 19, 2023

Lolly Lesher, a dairy farmer from Bernville, Pa., was recently elected as the first female chair of Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. Lesher, who has served on the board for 20 years, says the biggest change over the past decades is the way farmers interact with consumers.

The BCCD is celebrating conservation this Earth Day by hosting a Conservation Celebration! There will be live music AND live animal demonstrations as well as a food truck. Rain barrels entered by local high schools students competing in our annual Paint the Rain event will be auctioned off in the afternoon.

Please join the Berks County Farm Service Agency for an open house at the Leesport Service Center on Thursday, April 27 from 10:30 a.m. - Noon. FSA staff will be available to answer questions, sign producers up for programs and assist in getting producers ready for crop reporting!

Berks County FSA

1238 County Welfare Road, Suite 240

Leesport, PA 19533

The ethanol industry exploded in the late 2000s, as plants sprang up across the country and gobbled up billions of bushels of corn. Now almost two decades after the original renewable fuel policy was passed, the industry looks much different. With the popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles growing, long-term gasoline use could drop, taking ethanol consumption with it.

Farm blindness is defined as a misperception by farmers that what they see every day on their own farm is normal, and similar to every other farm, particularly when it is not; a new normal (Mee, 2020). This term has been used in most farming systems for over 60 years, so this is not a new concept.

Lower grocery prices highlighted the March Consumer Price Index, but the annual food inflation rate remains well above the all-items index. All consumer prices were up 5% compared with last March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, the smallest 12-month measure since May 2021.

KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Gov. Josh Shapiro wants Pennsylvania to be the nation's leader in organic farming. That would mean tripling the state's organic sales to keep pace with much bigger California. Still, according to Ag Secretary Russell Redding, that's not the idle dream of a suburban governor who calls himself "competitive as hell."

Pennsylvania is wrapping up its third wave of avian influenza infections, a year after the state's first detection in decades. Many of the control areas have been lifted for farms infected in February and March, and the rest could be lifted by April 19. The state has gone a month with no new cases.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed raising Pennsylvania's agriculture budget by $4.8 million, sustaining or growing key programs. The $231 million agriculture proposal, unveiled March 7, includes funding increases for Penn State Extension, the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school and Ag Department general operations.

Rebecca Lauver, former Stroud Center intern and now restoration professional at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, reflects on a dietary staple of healthy streams. As deciduous trees begin to green up with spring, it is worth considering the ecological importance of their predecessors, the leaves that turned brown and fell from the trees last fall.

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

The Connecticut River cuts between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire and rushes into the heart of Massachusetts, where Denise Barstow Manz stands in the wind, surveying the land her family has farmed for 217 years. "We have some of the best soil in the entire world," says Barstow Manz.

Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program The Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) was created through the Clean Streams Fund established by the FY2022-2023 Pennsylvania State Budge. ACAP provides financial and technical assistance for the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) on agricultural operations within the Commonwealth.

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Recovery Reimbursement Grant program is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to provide reimbursement to farms, integrators, and allied industries directly impacted by HPAI by suffering demonstrable financial losses due to inclusion in a control or quarantine zone.

PUBLISHED ON ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Scholarship applications are due May 1 for college students involved with the Angus breed. The Angus Foundation awarded more than $318,000 in scholarships in 2022 alone. The Foundation offers scholarships to undergraduate, graduate and trade school students each year to help Angus youth achieve their educational goals and offset the rising costs of tuition.

Micro Farm Program

The Micro Farm program, offered through WFRP, provides a risk management safety net for all eligible commodities on a farm under one insurance policy, but on a smaller scale. Now, producers with farm operations up to $350,000 in approved revenue (formerly $100,000) can get coverage. RMA introduced the new Micro Farm program in 2021 to better serve direct market and small-scale producers. While the program is well received and feedback has been largely positive, industry partners and small, diversified producers have informed RMA that the current limit is too low to meet the needs of many interested producers. In response, the FCIC approved the increase in size for eligible farm operations.



The updates to WFRP and Micro Farm take effect in crop year 2023.

The Berks County Conservation District is looking to hire an Agricultural Resource Conservationist. This position is a full-time, permanent position, with benefits. After the 90-day introductory period, the following benefits are available: Employer paid health and dental insurance for the employee. Employer contribution to employee's retirement account.

Berks Ag Event Calednar on the NEW Growt Together Website



Find your next event here, from credit courses to weekend family fun! This calendar is a community effort to benefit farmers and non-farmers alike! Are you planning an agricultural event in Berks County? Complete the online form to have your event featured on the Grow Together website's event calendar.

The BCCD is celebrating conservation this Earth Day by hosting a Conservation Celebration! There will be live music AND live animal demonstrations as well as a food truck. Rain barrels entered by local high schools students competing in our annual Paint the Rain event will be auctioned off in the afternoon.

Please join the Berks County Farm Service Agency for an open house at the Leesport Service Center on Thursday, April 27 from 10:30 a.m. - Noon. FSA staff will be available to answer questions, sign producers up for programs and assist in getting producers ready for crop reporting!

Berks County FSA

1238 County Welfare Road, Suite 240

Leesport, PA 19533

A cooperative effort between the GRCA and the Berks County Department of Agriculture through the support of the Berks County Commissioners.

Questions?:

Contact Berks County Department of Agriculture at 610-378-1844 or DeptofAg@countyofberks.com