Vistors to the 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show, January 7-14, were able to experience a new, innovative display that brings the farm to families. "Today's Agriculture," a 10,000 square foot exhibit, coordinated by PennAg Industries Association, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Livestock Care and Well-Being and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, will help consumers understand more about how farmers feed a growing population, by opening the doors to modern livestock and crop production. Learn more about the exhibit.

Mid-Atlantic Farmers Feed Us, a program designed to introduce Mid-Atlantic consumers to the farmers who raise the food we all enjoy, recently launched. You are invited to explore the web site (www.farmersfeedus.org/ma) and learn more about what farmers do each and every day. You can tour farms, meet families and see for yourself how the food that ends up on your family's table is grown.

Also, residents of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., can register for a chance at one of four grand prizes of "Free Groceries for a Year!"* courtesy of a group of Mid-Atlantic farmers, at www.FarmersFeedUS.org. Upon visiting the site, consumers register by "meeting a Mid-Atlantic farmer" through a short video that shows how they produce safe, nutritious and affordable food. Consumers can register with each of the 10 featured farmers daily through April 3, the end of the 90-day program.

The Farmers Feed US web site features chicken, corn, dairy, egg, grain, hog, mushroom, soybean, vegetable and watermelon farmers from across the state, each sharing information about their farm and their family. In addition to guiding visitors through their registration for free groceries, each farmer also offers a brief online tour of their farm.

Since 1972, all Pennsylvania farms that produce or use manure must prevent manure runoff to streams and other water bodies from land application, spillage, storage overflow or leakage, and barnyard runoff. Barnyards and manure handling areas must be managed so that rainwater does not run through these areas and carry manure to streams or other water bodies.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, PennAg and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. have developed an overview of the Manure Management Manual.

Due to the delays in delivery of the study materials and the development of the Dealer manager examination, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has made the decision that there is not adequate time left this year to provide industry time to comply with this new regulation. We will begin the process of certifying dealer managers but there will be no enforcement of the Dealer manager requirement until after December 11, 2012. The fees for taking the examination and the certification fee for holding the dealer manager certification will not be charged until the beginning of the 2013 renewal period in November of 2012. 

Pesticide Dealerships that currently employ a valid commercially certified applicator can have those employees “grandfathered" as their dealer managers, if they wish, by sending the Department a request including the Dealership’s information and the applicators’ name and certification number. (Send information via fax to 717-783-3875.)

Dealerships that need to have a employee tested can take advantage of the study and testing sessions or obtain the self-study materials by contacting The Penn State Pesticide Education Program at 814-863-0263 and then testing at one of our regularly scheduled pesticide certification exam locations listed on our website at https://www.paplants.state.pa.us/PesticideApplicator/ExamSearch.aspx beginning in December. (Source: PA Department of Agriculture)

Looking for an indisputable way to designate that your operation is a biosecure area and that trespassing will notbe tolerated? Look no further! PennAg has 'Biosecure Area' signs available at a low cost. Download order form.