HARRISBURG – Hundreds of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau members traveled to Harrisburg to discuss Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s (PFB) priorities for 2025 with state lawmakers as part of PFB’s annual State Legislative Conference on Tuesday.
PFB members, legislators and their staff attended a luncheon where they heard from key state officials, including Governor Josh Shapiro, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Chair Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minority Chair Rep. Dan Moul and Senator Judy Schwank, the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minority Chair.
Gov. Shapiro reinforced his commitment to Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry at today’s conference. Shapiro also emphasized the partnership between the legislature, Farm Bureau and his administration which has been working hard to continue to keep agriculture a top priority in the 2025-26 state budget.
“I made a commitment that we would put agriculture at the center of our work to grow our economy here in Pennsylvania and create opportunities for farmers across our commonwealth to help our ag industry grow,” Shapiro said. “I told you that agriculture would be a top priority for my administration and I’m back here today to say that we delivered. That is because of the extraordinary partnership that we have with the folks in this room and the Farm Bureau here in Pennsylvania, who do incredible work representing you every single day in the halls of power.”
During a news conference at the Capitol, PFB President Chris Hoffman shared PFB’s 2025 state priorities, including the challenges that wildlife damage presents to farmers’ bottom lines. Hoffman noted that PFB has been working with legislators in both the House and Senate to help mitigate this. Other topics discussed included energy, environmental issues, dairy and the state budget.
“Today could not be possible without the support and dedication of our Farm Bureau members,” Hoffman said. “The members you see here today have either taken time away from their operation, taken off work or missed out on precious family time to spread the word of agriculture. I cannot express my gratitude to them enough for what they do day in and day out.”
-30-
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is the state’s largest farm organization, representing farms of every size and commodity across Pennsylvania.