New investments will help PA farms improve water quality, reduce air and water pollution, and increase energy efficiency
Funding made possible by the Farm Bill and Inflation Reduction Act, both of which Casey fought to pass
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) delivered $40 million to support conservation efforts at Pennsylvania farms. The funding will be divided between two projects in the Commonwealth, $21.2 million to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Land O’ Lakes farmer cooperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve water quality on more than 50 farms across Pennsylvania, and $19.6 million to the National Hemp Association to implement conservation measures that will prevent water quality degradation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The investments are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which was funded by Senator Casey’s votes for the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Pennsylvania’s constitution guarantees our people clean air, pure water, and the preservation of our state’s natural beauty, and our farmers play a critical role in upholding this constitutional right,” said Senator Casey. “I fought for this funding to provide farmers the resources they need to implement conservation practices while simultaneously improving their bottom line. I will always fight to protect Pennsylvania’s environment and uplift our farming communities.”
Senator Casey has long supported Pennsylvania farmers and their efforts to feed the Commonwealth. In 2018, Casey championed provisions in the Farm Bill to increase funding for the RCPP, expand dairy margin coverage, protect crop coverage, strengthen the community safety net, and make conservation programs more accessible. Senator Casey also established the Farm to Food Bank program to ensure farmers are able to recover some of the costs that would be lost otherwise from food waste. This program reimburses farmers for the costs to produce, harvest, process, and transport agricultural products that are donated to food banks. Since then, Casey has delivered historic investments to Pennsylvania farmers to support everything from climate-smart agriculture to reducing operational costs. Earlier this year, Casey introduced the Farm to Food Bank Reauthorization Act, to reauthorize a program he authored in the 2018 Farm Bill that reimburses farmers for their production when donating to local food banks.
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