Apr 20, 2022 3 min read

For many years, local farmers have trekked to Harrisburg to meet with state legislators.

This year, farmers from Washington, Greene and Fayette counties tackled topics of stormwater management, minimum royalty payment and the clean and green tax assessment program with lawmakers.

“We discuss any issues that are farm-related or deal with agriculture,” explained Don Carter, whose family has a farm in Hickory. “We talk on behalf of all (county) farmers.”

Bill Zeiders, the farm bureau’s director of media communications, said the state legislative conference offers farmers from every county farm bureau in the commonwealth a chance to meet face-to-face with their legislators.

“The biggest advantage to this is (the legislators) hearing from the farmers themselves,” Zeiders said. “They’re the experts. They live it every day. Their voice is very valuable. It’s coming right from the source that is living it, and they can give examples and experience and really connect with their elected officials and put a face on the issues out there.”

Zeiders said the farmers have regional meetings beforehand to discuss what issues they will bring to the state legislators.

Carter said he was one of four from Washington County who traveled to Harrisburg, along with Gary Woodruff, Bill Black and Jim Lindley.

While in Harrisburg, the group met with Sens. Camera Bartolotta and Devlin Robinson, as well as Reps. Josh Kail, Tim O’Neal, Bud Cook and Pam Snyder.

“They reiterate their needs, their asks, their concerns and their issues to all of the legislators and ask that they get on board for different bills pertaining to their issues and problems and vocalize their concerns,” said Bartolotta, who is a longtime member of farm bureaus of Washington and Greene counties. “It works out great for everybody.”

Zeiders said a big issue being pushed by the farm bureau is to allow whole milk in schools. The bill recently passed in the House by a vote of 196-2.

“Our kids are not drinking the chalk water they call skim milk,” Bartolotta said. “Get these kids whole milk that their body knows how to assimilate and use that fat properly. It helps grow brain cells. It helps grow muscle. They’re throwing out the skim milk.”

Taking care of the farmers and agriculture is very important to Bartolotta, since there is so much of it in her district.

“A lot of our farmers are losing money hand over fist,” she said. “If you ate today, thank a farmer. We should be preserving pristine, beautiful farmland and what they do to feed not just Pennsylvania, but the nation and the world.”