William O'Boyle: New state law designed to make Pa. dairy industry more competitive
Aug. 22—WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary
A recommendation of the
"Strengthening the dairy economy means strengthening consumer purchasing power of milk in the marketplace," Redding said. "Act 62 provides consumer choice. It is a commitment to freshness and transparency that makes
Introduced by
Prior to the amendment, milk followed a 17-day milk code that caused grocers and consumers to throw milk away after the 17-day sell-by date was reached. This caused viable milk to go to waste as food safety practices have proven to extend milk shelf life up to 21 days.
With laboratory testing, dairy processors can now seek approval from the
Milk shelf life dating is not considered a food safety issue by FDA or state regulatory authorities.
"Consumers rank freshness, as determined by the date code, as the most important attribute when purchasing milk," said
Vogel said the law eliminated a barrier that made it extremely difficult for processors to bid to provide
"Those suppliers typically require a longer 'sell by' date interval, which prevented
Prior to Act 62,
For more information about the
DEP announces
for small businesses and farmers
Leaders from the
"Many small business owners with an innovative mindset see the economic opportunity in energy efficiency and sustainability," said DEP Secretary
Grant funding also supports stream bank buffers, fencing to keep livestock out of streams, and other agricultural stormwater runoff management projects that reduce sediment and nutrient pollution in local waters.
The 2021 Small Business Advantage Grants program has
Last year, 212 small businesses and farms received more than
Farmers can learn about investment strategies, fraud awareness, planning, budgeting, and saving for the future.
"Future financial planning is important for all Pennsylvanians," said
The two sessions are:
—Farmers Can Retire Too: Budgeting, Planning, and Saving
Learn the best practices on the beginning stages of retirement so that you can set yourself up for success. Register: https://extension.psu.edu/farmers-can-retire-too-budgeting-planning-and-saving
—Farmers Can Retire Too: Retirement Planning
What does it take to retire? How much do I need? How will medical cost figure into my plans? We will answer all these questions, and more. Register: https://extension.psu.edu/farmers-can-retire-too-retirement-planning
"If
The program is free and open to the public. Registration is required. A third presentation will be offered by an estate planning professional.
AG DeFoor launches initiative to improve services to taxpayers
Auditor General
"We need to make sure we are doing the job taxpayers need us to do in the best and most efficient way possible," DeFoor said. "I'm very pleased to appoint
DeFoor noted that despite receiving a modest funding increase in the most recent state budget, the department continues to operate at roughly the same funding level it had in 1997, but with many fewer employees. The department's appropriation for the current fiscal year is approximately
"It's become abundantly clear that this department cannot continue to do things the way we've always done them, especially under such tight financial constraints," DeFoor said. "We'll perform a top-down review of our operations and look for opportunities to adopt continual process improvements wherever we can."
The first phase of the transformation project will involve performing a complete assessment of the organization aimed at analyzing workflow processes, skill gaps, training needs and technology requirements. It will include asking employees for their input.
To lead this effort, Auditor
"Tracie's well-established track record as an accountant and as a bureau director make her ideal in this new role," DeFoor said. "We will transform our department into a national model for how to protect accountability in government and ensure continued transparency in how taxpayer dollars are spent."
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