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LANCASTER, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District is home to some of the most productive farms in the state.

The district’s voice in Washington, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, wants to be sure farmers from Lancaster and York counties have a say in the next Farm Bill.

His April 12 roundtable at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center garnered three top discussion points — avian influenza, spotted lanternfly and the Chesapeake Bay.

Lancaster County is the fourth-largest poultry county in the U.S., so avian flu is a big concern in Smucker’s district.

“It’s top of mind for the entire ag community here in Pennsylvania and in this region,” he said. “That’s another component of where the federal assistance is really important to not only help the farmers who are impacted, but also to do the research to understand how we can stop the spread.

“We want to ensure the response at all levels, state and federal, are sufficient to counter the threat of avian flu.”

Smucker’s district has a fair share of orchard growers as well, and continued funding for invasive insect research — particularly spotted lanternfly — is on their minds.

“That research has been critical in combating, most recently, spotted lanternfly, but also the stinkbug and other pests that really do impact the crops,” Smucker said.

Farmers in attendance also stressed the importance of conservation, especially concerning the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

“We want government agencies to be collaborative and to help farmers solve problems rather than being punitive,” Smucker said. “We all want clean water. We want to ensure that our streams and the Chesapeake are clean, but we also want the right level of regulation. We’ve seen too much government overreach.”

All three priorities emphasize collaboration.

“Some of these larger issues can only be resolved through the pooling of resources and, in some cases, through the government assistance,” Smucker said.

All roundtable participants represented small and mid-sized family farms, which Smucker said is an important demographic for Farm Bill discussions.

“I want to hear from farmers in our region about how we can ensure that the Farm Bill is working for them,” he said. “You really cannot do this job effectively without being in constant touch with people that you represent.”

Smucker said he is looking for more input from dairy farmers. At the moment, he does not think Dairy Margin Coverage requires any major adjustments.

“I think the program has been improved pretty significantly with some of the changes that were made in the last authorization,” he said.

Smucker serves on the Ways and Means Committee, which deals with trade policy. He said trade has been an overarching concern for the dairy industry, and while it’s not part of the Farm Bill, he’s focusing on opening up more markets for U.S. dairy farmers.

“That’s a big priority for the dairy industry as a whole,” Smucker said.

He also emphasized the importance of foreign farm workers, and has introduced a bill that would create a new guest worker program for other industries.

“I think it’s really a national food security issue if we can’t find workers,” he said. “If we are not able to harvest the crops, we’re not able to milk the cows, we’re going to have issues feeding the country. So it’s important that we have workers.”

SNAP was not discussed at the roundtable, but Smucker expects it to generate a lot of attention.

“We’re fortunate to live in a country that has a safety net when people are down and need help,” he said. “But the best way to help people out of poverty is to connect them with a great job. That’s what I think should be the goal. An important part of doing that is work requirements.”

While the roundtable was not open to the media due to scheduling changes, Smucker spoke with reporters after the discussion to share his takeaways.

“I think the theme in talking to farmers today is that farmers are hardworking, they are independent,” he said. “They don’t mind some regulation, but they just want to be able to do their job effectively without a lot of unnecessary regulation and paperwork.”

Source: lancasterfarming.com