SKELP — U.S. Rep. John Joyce, R-13th District, said he expects the 2023 farm bill to pass on time.

“The most important piece of legislation is the farm bill. Food security is national security. We should be able to pass the farm bill in the upcoming month. Personally, I have more dairy cows in the 13th District than any other district in the state,” Joyce said Tuesday at the Blair/Huntingdon County Farm Bureau Legislative Tour held at Spring Lane Farm and Hunt Club in Sinking Valley. “We will not finish this session without passing the farm bill. It is my commitment to work for you in that regard.”

Joyce is a co-sponsor of the Dairy Pride Act and favors the return of flavored milk to schools.

The Dairy Pride Act prohibits the sale of any food that uses the market name of a dairy product such as milk, yogurt, or cream cheese unless the food is the milk of a hooved animal, is derived from such milk or contains such milk as a primary ingredient.

Farm Bureau members and lawmakers discussed several other topics including improving broadband service in the area.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, created by the General Assembly in 2021, should help.

“We are fortunate that Brandon Carson has been named director of the broadband authority. It is important that we have resources coming to central Pennsylvania. We want our fair share, not all of the money going to the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas,” Joyce said.

“The commission created by the General Assembly has to push out dollars in a way it makes sense. We need to make sure farmers and rural Pennsylvania receive their internet service. We need to make sure the money is used in the most efficient manner,” state Rep. Rich Irvin, R-Huntingdon, said.

Another topic of discussion was the growth of solar energy throughout the area.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau supports Senate Bill 211, sponsored by Sen. Gene Yaw, which establishes decommissioning and bonding requirements for project developers who seek to install or operate commercial solar electric generation facilities in Pennsylvania. Establishing reasonable decommissioning and bonding amounts will help to address challenges as how to properly decommission a site or handle associated waste.

SB 211 passed out of the Senate in March, it was received by the house and now sits in the Environmental Resources & Energy Committee.

Farm Bureau also supports proposed legislation from Sen. Doug Mastriano to prohibit large scale solar developments on prime Pennsylvania farmland.

“Farm Bureau supports solar energy, but we want to keep it off prime farm ground,” said Blair Farm Bureau member Ken Diebold.

Irvin, who said he would be in favor of Yaw’s bill, said there are a lot of solar facilities popping up in Franklin County.

“There is quite a bit of earth moving with a solar farm, it would take a lot of work to return it to tillable soil. I am not in favor of turning our tillable farmland into solar farms,” Irvin said.

Irvin also said most municipalities do not have any ordinances on how to deal with solar farms.

“Township supervisors should look to get ordinances on the books,” Irvin said.

“Now is the time to act to provide some protection,” said Donna Fisher, Blair County Conservation District director. “We have a tremendous Farmland Preservation Program, hopefully solar will never be allowed on them.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.