Farmers, FFAs, others gather for ag breakfast

Feb. 19—Milquetoast should never be confused with milk toast.

A milquetoast is defined as a timid or feeble person.

A milk toast is how nearly 70 members of Lawrence County's agriculture community opened a Lawrence County legislative farm breakfast Thursday that was hosted by state Rep. Marla Brown and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell C. Redding.

Bottles of whole white and chocolate Guernsey milk, provided by Naturally Golden Family Farmers, known locally as TrotAcre Farm in North Beaver Township, were on each table and those attending lifted them in a toast by the 2023 Lawrence County Fair queen, Oriana Green.

The meeting, which featured a hearty buffet breakfast at the Bessemer Croatian Club, was attended by farmers from throughout Lawrence County, members of the Penn State Agriculture Extension Office and the Lawrence County Conservation District, FFA students of Mohawk and Wilmington area high schools, local officials and leaders of agricultural and energy-related industries.

Redding's talk focused on the need for youths to stay and work on farms and in the field of agriculture, the importance of prime farmland preservation and the opening of trade routes internationally to promote the industry in the state.

Pennsylvania has become the leader in the amount of preserved farmland, Redding said, noting the state loses a lot of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses.

"I would love to accelerate preservation in Pennsylvania, but we have to figure out where the (financial) resources will come from," he said.

Pennsylvania also is first in the number of young farmers under the age of 35. It's also first in the nation in organic mushroom production and third in organic sales in the country. The state is the No. 2 producer of natural gas in the nation, and it has three ports that link it to the world, Redding said.

Redding said that had it not been for FFA when he was young, "I wouldn't be here."

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"We are fortunate to have FFA and farm programs," Redding said, adding, "We want to make sure we invest in agriculture and youth."

In addition to his state position, he operates a farm outside of Gettysburg. As a youth, he was a member of the FFA Battlefield Chapter.

Lawrence County having three FFA programs, also including Laurel School District, is a high number compared to others, some of which have none, he said.

Redding also touted the promotion of agriculture through Penn State, a land grant university that was born during the Civil War. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also was created around that time, both of which were milestones for agriculture in Pennsylvania.

He emphasized the importance of the state investing in the dairy industry.

Currently, the poultry industry has overtaken the dairy industry in the state and has become the state's single largest commodity, Redding said.

He encourages poultry producers to protect their flocks from avian influenza.

"The virus doesn't care about them and all of them are susceptible," he said.

Redding has been the state agriculture secretary since 2015. Before that, he had served in that same governor-appointed position from 2009 to 2011.

Also at the meeting, Brown presented North Beaver Township farmer Clifford Wallace with a commendation for his work in agriculture and helping farmers through the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and in the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment crisis last year.