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| Inside this edition: Shapiro pitches $5.6 million to get more Pennsylvania dairy farmers on a federal insurance plan, Penn State faculty frustrated by buyout plans, and state lawmakers took big travel perks in 2023. |
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 | Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PA |
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Real quick: As part of his administration’s efforts to bolster the agriculture industry through state spending, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to use millions of dollars to connect more Pennsylvania farmers to a federal dairy program, Spotlight PA’s Marley Parish reports.
A little more: The governor’s budget pitch includes $5.6 million to create a state subsidy that would lessen sign-up costs for the federal Dairy Margin Coverage Protection Program, which gives farmers direct payments to help them deal with volatile milk and feed prices.
The dairy industry requires a large amount of initial capital investment, and there’s no guarantee that market prices will stay the same each month, so making a profit is difficult, said Jayne Sebright, executive director of Pennsylvania’s Center for Dairy Excellence. The center operates within the state Department of Agriculture.
William Thiele, a sixth-generation dairy farmer in Butler County, equated the price fluctuations to riding a roller coaster. He signed up for the federal program — which works like an insurance plan — to curb some risks.
Funded by the federal Farm Bill in 2018, the program pays farmers when the difference between the national milk price and the average feed cost falls below a certain threshold.
Coverage levels range from $4 to $9.50 per 100 pounds of milk. The most basic protection is free except for a $100 administrative fee required for all participants.
Yearly premiums can range between $118 and $7,000, depending on various factors — like the coverage level and what percentage of coverage participants want.
In such a shifting market, costs deter participation, Sebright said.
“It’s a tight business we’re in,” Ed Hartman, a dairy farmer with operations in Berks and Lancaster Counties, told Spotlight PA. “You have to watch every dollar.”
The full story: Read more here. |
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MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Earlier this week, Spotlight PA launched our annual Spring Member Drive, and we need your help today.
We need to raise $35,000 by June 1 to keep our budget on track. As a nonprofit, we rely on support from readers like yourself to produce the hard-hitting journalism about our local communities that you can only get from us.
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The view from the boardwalk at Stone Valley Recreation Area in Huntingdon County, via Amy Z.
Have a north-central Pennsylvania photo to share? Send it to us by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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Want us to list your event? Send it to us.
» May 18: Live music and interactive crafts highlight Jana’s Art and Music Festival in Downtown State College, Centre County.
» May 18: The Centre County Master Gardeners hosts its plant sale, with more than 5,000 plants on display, at the Ag Progress Days site.
» May 18: All ages are invited to Kidical Mass, a community bike ride starting at Orchard Park in Centre County that finishes with an ice cream party.
» May 19: The Mishler Theatre in Altoona, Blair County, presents Spheres Bubble Show, “a comic fusion of art, science, and magic.”
» May 21: State College Rotary Club hosts its annual auction at the American Philatelic Society in Bellefonte, Centre County. |
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An anagram is a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another. For example, “spotlight” also forms “stoplight.”
Decode the anagram and send your answer to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org. We’ll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA State College swag.
I N F E S T S
Good luck!
Last week’s answer: Raining
Congrats to Rena Z., who will receive Spotlight PA State College swag! Others who answered correctly: Susan N., Don H., Frederick H., Kevin M., Randolph J., Rick W., and Skip B.
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Do you have events, community shoutouts, questions about our region, or tips on stories that we should pursue? Email our team.
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