Corbett Outlines His Plans for Agriculture

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Ken Myer’s dairy farm was bustling Monday as Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for governor made a stop to talk ag policy.

About 100 people came to Myerose Farm in Elizabethtown to hear Tom Corbett deliver his vision for agriculture in the state.

The event was organized by Farm Families for Tom Corbett and Pennsylvania Agricultural Republicans.

Corbett, who has spent the past six years as the state’s attorney general, is running against Democrat Dan Onorato for governor.

And while Onorato’s name might be unfamiliar to many people, including farmers, Corbett has become well-known for his department’s work related to the Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment (ACRE) act, which allows farmers to ask the attorney general to review local ordinances they feel are too restrictive of agriculture.

Since the act was approved in 2005, the department has received 68 requests from farmers to review ordinances, Corbett said. Most cases have been settled through mediation, while six are currently being litigated in the state’s Commonwealth Court.

Corbett said his department’s work on the law has brought him criticism from around the state, including protests at municipal meetings and at speaking engagements.

But he defended his department’s work, calling it a matter of principle.

“The opponents of the ACRE law have said all types of unflattering things about me in the newspaper, on television and especially on the Internet. They even made T-shirts criticizing me. But I didn’t cave into their pressure. We persevered. We pressed on,” he said.

Corbett’s ag policy is based on what he calls four key elements: enhancing the state’s Department of Agriculture, securing the future of agriculture, growing the impact of the dairy industry, and promoting the state’s equine industry.

When it comes to the Department of Agriculture, Corbett said he supports funding for a lot of things, including farmland preservation, marketing, the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program, and fairs. He criticized Gov. Ed Rendell for cuts made to the department over the past few years and said he wants to find ways the department can operate more efficiently.

“One of the things I will do as governor is put people in key positions at the Department of Agriculture that have real-world experience in agriculture. People who have woke up at 4 a.m. to milk the cows and have prayed all night for it to rain the next day,” he said.

Farmland preservation and laws protecting farmers’ rights, Corbett said, are key to protecting the state’s ag future. But he also challenged the industry to develop a labor force to replace the state’s aging farm population.

“I am going to work with you to tackle the challenge of developing a labor force that is both willing and trained to work in agriculture,” he said. “The average age of a Pennsylvania farmer is 58 years old. Working together, we will attract young people into the agribusiness and family farming.”

Volatile prices, time-consuming permits and inheritance (death) taxes are things he sees as the biggest challenges for dairy farmers.

Corbett said he supports phasing out the state’s death tax. He also said he would undertake a “thorough review” of the state’s milk-marketing board so it can better serve the needs of farmers and the general public.

When it comes to helping to ease the burden of regulations and statutes, Corbett said, he supports an online “one-stop shop” where farmers can get help complying with regulations.

“I, along with my secretary of agriculture, will be advocates for Pennsylvania dairy farmers at the national level. Just as I have been an advocate for farmers in Pennsylvania’s courts, I will do the same in Washington promoting Pennsylvania’s positions, such as transparency of milk pricing, transportation issues, and funding for risk and crop insurance,” he said.

When it comes to horses, Corbett said he wants to direct the Department of Agriculture to recognize horses as livestock and incorporate them into existing programs.

He also said he wants to see increased support for the industry.

Myers, who owns Myerose Farm in Elizabethtown and milks 75 cows, said he was pleased to hear Corbett’s support for fair funding. Myers helps to organize the annual Elizabethtown Fair and said he has seen the impact decreased fair funding has had on other fairs, including falling premiums at ag shows and some fairs ending altogether.

“We need somebody like this. We need a change,” Myers said.

When it comes to Corbett’s dairy policy, Myers said he was pleased with what he heard.

“He acts like he is helping the dairy farmer. He wants to help us and he wants to help the fairs. We need him in there,” he said.

Clair Oberholtzer, a 75-head dairy farmer, also from Elizabethtown, said he was pleased with Corbett’s stand on lower taxes, adding that a good business environment helps his business.

“When taxes are up, it’s not a good environment for the state. Eventually businesses leave. Then the state is going backward,” Oberholtzer said. “If things go backward, it’s going to affect me indirectly. I was encouraged to see that he was going to try to cut expenses and the budget.”

Frank Stoltzfus, manager of the farm at Masonic Village and also owner of a 1,600-head hog and sheep operation, said he supports Corbett’s stance on limited government. “To me, that was important,” Stoltzfus said.

As a hog farmer, Stoltzfus said the ACRE law has helped to support the rights of other hog farmers in the state.

“I think some of that legislation has been pretty good for hog farmers. It sounded like he was able to help quite a few guys stay in business,” he said.