SUMMIT TWP — The Butler County Farm Bureau called upon federal, state and county officials to support legislation and programs that impact farmers, from the return of milk in schools to the need for broadband in rural areas.

Bureau members raised the issues with lawmakers and county commissioners at the annual legislative farm tour Friday at Heasley's Nurseries, a three-generation operation that grows trees and shrubs on 500 acres.

Legislative priorities for the farm bureau were discussed under the shade cast by a tree, which, current owner Linda Heasley-Cranmer said, predates the signing of the U.S. Constitution.

Bureau members asked for support of funding for Penn State Extension services and small meat processing facilities and for legislation addressing agritourism, taxes on off-road vehicles, rural high-speed broadband service and milk in schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the effects of some of those issues, said William Thiele, who is codirector of government relations for the county farm bureau with his twin brother, James. Both work on their family's six-generation dairy farm in Cabot.

The closing of schools and restaurants due to coronavirus-related restrictions on gatherings has hurt dairy and crop farmers, William Thiele said.

He said it was difficult when he had to dump 2,400 gallons of milk in the spring due the loss of markets. “To see milk go down the drain is hard. It's heart wrenching to see that,” he noted.

He said his family farm was forced to cull some cows after reducing milk production by 15 percent. One cow was butchered, but the processor was too busy to take any more cows until January.

“There seems to be too many cows and not enough processors to process them,” he said.

Continued funding is needed in the state budget for Penn State Extension offices like the one in Butler because the office runs the 4-H program and has an agronomist who assists farmers, he said. County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the county helps fund the extension office.

Farm visitors

Agritourism, which links tourism and agriculture, is a good way for farmers to make some extra money.

“In times like these, you need to diversify,” James Thiele said.

He called for support of House Bill 1348 which raises the burden of proof required for people who sue for damages after tripping and falling or being hurt by an animal during a tour. The legislation is needed because all tripping hazards can't be eliminated and farm animals can't be removed, he said.

Farmers would be exempt from paying sales tax on all-terrain and side-by-side off-road vehicles used for agricultural purposes under Senate Bill 1041.

William Thiele said almost all farmers use off-road vehicles to check on livestock and fences. Bureau member Evelyn Minteer said older farmers rely on those vehicles.

Broadband service

Senate Bill 835 would dedicate money to provide high-speed broadband service in rural areas, James Thiele said.

Some farm machinery uses Internet service for navigation, Minteer added.

U.S. Rep Glenn Thompson, R-15th, said awareness of the need for rural broadband service was one of the “unintended positives” of the coronavirus.

“This has to be a priority as we work on the next Farm Bill,” Thompson said.

Osche said the commissioners wanted to extend broadband service to the Moniteau School District using Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money, but it would have cost $1 million to extend service lines to the area and only 24 homes and buildings would have received service.

There was no guarantee that all of those residents would have subscribed to the service and it is nearly impossible to complete the project by the end of year when the CARES funding expires, she said.

Thompson said he and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th, introduced the Leveraging Options for Counties and Localities Act, or LOCAL Act, that would extend the deadline to spend CARES money from the end of this year to the end of 2021.

Milk in schools

Thompson also said he support efforts to reinstate offering whole milk as an option in school lunches. “Flawed science” led to removal of whole milk from schools, he said.

“After 2010, when whole milk was demonized, we lost a generation of milk drinkers,” Thompson said.

Milk containing 1 percent milk fat is allowed in schools now. Whole milk contains 3.25 percent milk fat, he said.

Thompson also said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has helped farmers by creating the $16 billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

The program provides direct relief payments through the U.S. Farm Service Agency to farmers who suffered a price decline of at least 5 percent and face additional marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production and shipping disruptions.

Luke Fritz, director of the Farm Service Agency office in Connoquenessing Township, said 310 CFAP applications from farmers were submitted through his office and $175 million was distributed across the state.