Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Proclaims March 4-10 as Agriculture Week

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Corbett today proclaimed March 4-10 as "Agriculture Week" in Pennsylvania to celebrate the many contributions of the state's leading industry.

"Pennsylvania was built on fertile fields and hard work and this week we take time to celebrate our nationally respected agriculture industry," said Governor Corbett. "From our more than 63,000 farm families who produce quality agricultural commodities, to the thousands of jobs connected to the industry and the estimated $57 billion in economic impact."

Pennsylvania is a national leader in the production of many agricultural commodities, including apples, chickens, Christmas trees, eggs, grapes, milk, mushrooms, oats, peaches, pears, pumpkins and trout.

Consumers can ensure they are buying products made or grown in Pennsylvania by purchasing PA Preferred™ items.

"Pennsylvania is home to an abundant and diverse food supply," said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. "Buying PA Preferred products helps support our farmers and local businesses, while making investments in local economies and keeping Pennsylvania growing. PA Preferred makes a difference."

The PA Preferred program identifies agricultural products grown and processed in Pennsylvania to consumers and major retail, wholesale and distribution chains interested in supporting local farmers and businesses.

The program's trademark is a gold checkmark inside a blue keystone. It can be found on products year-round at farmers markets, restaurants, food processors, grocery chains, craft breweries and wineries.

The Department of Agriculture is celebrating Agriculture Week with events:

• Monday, March 5 – Greig will visit Masonic Village Farm in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County. The farm recently earned national recognition for environmental stewardship.
• Tuesday, March 6 – Greig will present a Berks County homeschooler who won the 2012 Farm Show Detectives program with free ice cream for a year and an ice cream party for 80 fellow homeschoolers at the Fleetwood Bible Church, sponsored by Turkey Hill.
• Thursday, March 8 – Greig will teach students from Steelton-Highspire Elementary School in Dauphin County how to make PA Preferred pizzas and how popular food items are grown.

For more information, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us.

Media contacts: 

Samantha Krepps, Dept. of Agriculture; 717-787-5085

Kirsten Page, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

Editor's Note: The text of Governor Corbett's proclamation follows:

AGRICULTURE WEEK - March 4-10, 2012

WHEREAS, Agriculture is Pennsylvania's leading industry, generating $5.7 billion in cash receipts and an estimated $57 billion in economic impact, making it the cornerstone of Pennsylvania's economy; and

WHEREAS, local farm businesses support on-farm and farm-related jobs, with one in seven jobs relating to the state's agriculture industry; and

WHEREAS, the state's more than 63,000 farm families are using new technologies and practices to become more efficient, making it possible for each farmer to feed 155 people, while meeting the demands of an increasingly quality- and environmentally-conscious world; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's farm families and businesses work to lead the way in the production of agricultural commodities, including apples, chickens, Christmas trees, eggs, grapes, milk, mushrooms, oats, peaches, pears, pumpkins and trout. Farmers throughout the state have established an outstanding reputation as leading suppliers of these quality products throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, many of the state's farm families are preparing the way for their operations to remain viable in perpetuity by establishing new markets, preserving valuable farmland for future agricultural production, being good stewards of the land and engaging the next generation of agriculturalists; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is home to innovative programs like PA Preferred™, the official branding program of Pennsylvania's diverse agricultural commodities that helps farmers and processors market their products and helps consumers locate products grown or processed in the state.

THEREFORE, in special recognition of Pennsylvania agriculture, I, Tom Corbett, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do hereby proclaim the week of March 4-10, 2012 as AGRICULTURE WEEK and encourage all citizens to pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of the men and women who provide us with an abundance of safe food, fiber and energy, and to recognize the vital contribution they make to the quality of life within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States of America and the world. 

Tom Corbett, Governor

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor