2014 Agricultural Voters Guide: Gubernatorial Race Exclusive! A publication of the Pennsylvania Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union Agriculture, Pennsylvania’s number one industry, has not played a prominent role in the gubernatorial race. Farmers Union offers this exclusive: Statements from each candidate on why they deserve the farmers’ vote!
Tom Corbett
Tom Wolf
Agriculture and farming is a significant part of Pennsylvania’s economy, so significant in fact that it’s our number one industry, supporting 1 in 7 jobs and generating more than $67 billion in total economic impact.
I am running for governor because I want to give Pennsylvania a fresh start. I know capitalizing on the strengths of our thriving agricultural sector is key to achieving this goal as agriculture remains a top economic driver for the commonwealth.
But it’s also much more than that. It’s also an important part of our history and culture, and a way of life for 63,000 family farms throughout the Commonwealth. New technology, innovation and practices have changed a great deal, but can never discount the hard work that goes into running a farm and providing for your family and neighbors across the globe. Since my days as Attorney General, I’ve been proud to fight for you to preserve that way of life, and strengthen it where we can. Much of that work, and the work of passing this tradition on to future generations, is education. Teaching our children and grandchildren just how hard you work and how important that work is through exhibits at our county fairs and the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Next year during fair season, I look forward to having the company of my grandson Liam, who by then will be old enough to more fully grasp those lessons. At two years old, the question “Where does food come from?” prompts a motion towards the refrigerator or mention of the grocery store. But county fairs offer an opportunity to see all the work that goes into what you do to ensure others have the food and goods they need readily and conveniently available just around the corner. When I took office, the fair fund was severely depleted, subject to the recession and budget cuts made before I was elected. But I made it a priority to fight to restore those funds. We have also maximized resources for the Pennsylvania Farm Show, which along with the county fairs is essential to education and showcasing Pennsylvania’s farming communities worldwide. This is just one of the many ways in which we have been able to highlight and enhance the work you and others in the private sector do. As Attorney General, I stood with you to urge the legislature to pass the Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment Act (ACRE), empowering me to enforce the law and crack down on illegal and unfair farming restrictions that inhibited your work. As Governor I’ve worked to streamline additional red tape that got in your way, including streamlining Pennsylvania’s vehicle code to ease transportation restrictions on farming equipment, outlandish (Continued on page 2)
But in order to really grow this sector and Pennsylvania’s economy, farmers need a partner in the Governor’s Office who will work with the community to address challenges and take advantage of opportunities. As governor, I will work hand-in-hand with the agriculture community to strengthen successful state-administered programs, rid ourselves of antiquated regulations that impede innovation, improve access to markets both in and around Pennsylvania, move theoretical ideas to practice, and encourage conservation efforts. I know we need to reinvest in important programs, like those that provide pathways to move products from our farms to market and provide assistance to impoverished residents. I have seen first-hand the positive impact that bringing grocery stores and farmers markets to traditionally underserved communities has had on residents. Improving access to Pennsylvania-grown produce through innovative programs has not just resulted in new access to fresh, nutritious foods, but also led to the creation of middle class jobs, renewed neighborhood revitalization efforts, and improved business for local farmers. The need for these types of initiatives is stronger now than ever before. I know we need to encourage the replication of projects like the city of Chester’s Fare & Square -- the nation’s first nonprofit grocery store, help farmers secure the technology to expand sales so that all residents, especially those in underserved areas, can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, and work to scale-up programs -- like the Food Trusts’ Philly Food Bucks program -- that increase access to locally grown produce for low-income residents. While we work to connect farmers with communities across the state, I know we must address problems with our current infrastructure networks. As a business owner, I know first-hand the limitations that exist within our current system. It is difficult and costly to move products from our warehouse in York County to major markets across the state because our roads and freight lines are old and congested. (Continued on page 2)
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Your vote matters! Join Farmers Union today to receive more exclusives like this one. PAFarmersUnion.org/join packaging restrictions and attempts to charge you additional real estate taxes for temporary structures that enable longer growing seasons. I also worked with the legislature to make a significant increased investment into our transportation infrastructure, which had gone underfunded for decades. Last November, they passed and I signed an additional $2.3 billion a year investment into repairing our roads and bridges, and this summer we’ve started to see the beginning of that work. This investment was crucial for many reasons. It saves 12,000 jobs, creates at least 50,000 new jobs, and countless more to be seen as our economy grows. It’s an investment in a more reliable network for you to transport the goods you make and grow, but also an investment in ensuring you and your children can work and travel more safely than before. Beyond the promotions of county fairs and the Pennsylvania Farm Show, I was proud to permanently establish PA Preferred as a trademark and resources for our agricultural community, promoting Pennsylvania’s homegrown products and commodities to the world, while encouraging our neighbors to buy local. To help others, we have committed $17 million in support of Pennsylvania’s Food Purchase Program to help our farmers and fight hunger through assistance to local food banks. And since These problems hinder the economic vitality of all sectors in Pennsylvania that need to move products (or produce) to markets. That’s why I believe the development of a 21st century infrastructure is essential to improving our economy and growing our agricultural sector. As governor, I will bring together key stakeholders and leverage private dollars to kick-start projects that increase Pennsylvania’s economic competitiveness and improve the ability of farmers to move their products to market. With the best ports, bridges, roads, and high speed rails, we will be able to connect our major markets in Erie, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia with those along the Boston to Baltimore corridor. To make sure our agriculture sector is competitive, profitable, and able to compete in markets outside of the state, we need to improve farmers’ access to the state-of-the art technology and production practices being developed at our world-class colleges and universities. It is essential that we move the innovative research taking place in these institutions of higher learning to the Penn State Extension so that Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry can be a national leader through the use of cutting edge production and sustainability practices. As governor, I will invest in agricultural education to make sure we can harness the research going on across the state and continue to have the pipeline of agriculture
2011, we have preserved nearly 27,000 additional acres of farmland from development through increased funding. To train younger farmers and ensure the health of livestock, we’ve increased funding for Pennsylvania’s veterinary and research institutions at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State, while reinstating the Governor’s School for the Agricultural Sciences at Penn State that occurred just last month for high school seniors. Perhaps the greatest thing we have achieved together is eliminating the death tax on our family farms. For too long, farm families faced the threat of bankruptcy or immediate decisions on how much land, equipment or livestock would have to be sold not long after losing a loved one. The death tax put a hefty price on agriculture, when so much of what you do is reinvested back into your work and livelihood. For such an important industry and way of life, it wasn’t right and we needed to do more to ensure you could pass your personal legacies on to your children and grandchildren. We have come a long way together the last four years, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work you do day in and day out that is too often underappreciated, overlooked and taken for granted. I want to continue to be a resource and partner for you in Harrisburg in my second term so we can pass a greater appreciation and understanding on to our future generations.
professionals needed to grow and strengthen the sector. I know that for our farmers to truly leverage the innovations being developed at our colleges and universities, the State needs to address antiquated regulations that make the sector less competitive and hinders its ability to adopt modern practices. As governor, I look forward to working with farmers, agriculture professionals, the state agencies that service agriculture, and other important stakeholders to streamline and update the regulatory process, and make it easier to access funding opportunities that support the expansion of agriculture and agribusiness. Lastly, as we grow the agriculture sector, we need to make sure that small family farmers are able to compete and that we continue to support farmland preservation and conservation efforts. As governor, I will launch a Growing Greener III initiative so we can continue to protect family farmland and preserve our open spaces. I will also work with key stakeholders to ensure that small farms have access to the resources necessary for developing appropriate conservation practices. I am excited about the opportunity to work with those engaged in agriculture to improve the sector’s competitiveness and impact on residents. I salute the hard work and sacrifices of those engaged in Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry and I am looking forward to helping them expand their contributions to the Commonwealth.
SAVE THE DATE - PENNSYLVANIA FARMERS UNION ANNUAL CONVENTION! Honoring our History, Creating our Future ● December 6, 2014 ● Harrisburg, PA