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Farming advocates hope to restore line items cut from agriculture in governor’s budget proposal

  • Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania
A farm Lancaster County is seen in this photo taken Oct. 19, 2019.

 Ian Sterling for WITF

A farm Lancaster County is seen in this photo taken Oct. 19, 2019.

This story has been updated with a comment from the governor’s office.

(Harrisburg) — Some Republican state lawmakers are disappointed with Democratic Governor Tom Wolf’s funding proposal for the Agriculture Department.

But farming advocates say the budget plan is a good starting point for discussion.

The proposal zeros out money for a handful of programs, including more than $2 million for agricultural research.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Spokesman Mark O’Neill says he’s seen these same cuts suggested in the past.

“But throughout the process, typically, we have gotten those programs restored,” he said.

In an email, Wolf’s spokesman J.J. Abbott said the funds left out of the proposal “are legislative grants that are always zero-ed out in the governor’s proposal and we defer to the legislature on whether they want to continue them.”

O’Neill said they plan to work with the legislature to reinstate the line items.

The bureau is also seeking increases for Penn State agriculture programs and a state commission that provides veterinary support.

The Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission got an extra $2 million in a separate line item this year.

O’Neill said they would like to see that included again in next year’s budget.

“We want to make sure that the people here in Pennsylvania are prepared to act, react, and be proactive when you hear about these threats to agriculture” such as avian flu, he said.

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