Helps Agriculture Operations Remain Competitive and Profitable
NFIB is working hard to get legislation passed that will support all our farm business members. Last week, in the first hurdle, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a package of “Farming First” bills that would help the Pennsylvania agricultural industry remain competitive and profitable for current and future generations of farmers. Bills in the “Farming First” package included:
- A tax credit program for landowners to lease or sell farmland to future generations of farmers.
- The creation of the Pennsylvania Dairy Future Commission to bring together all stakeholders in the industry.
- Changes to the state’s farmland preservation program to allow farmers more flexibility for building or subdividing residences.
- Updating Pennsylvania’s Vehicle Code to allow the transportation of large farm equipment.
- Exempting milk haulers from weather-related travel bans.
- Easing restrictions on the use of farmland for farm-related tourism and entertainment activities.
- Setting commonsense safety standards and removing costly requirements for barn weddings and other social events on farms.
The “Farming First” package is intended to build upon the efforts of Senate Republicans to support Pennsylvania’s farm families and maintain agriculture’s status as the state’s top industry. Pennsylvania’s 59,000 farm families manage more than 7.7 million acres of farmland, and the agriculture industry generates more than $7.5 billion in cash receipts annually.
All the bills in the package are headed to the House of Representatives for consideration.
