Cambria County Commissioner Keith Rager looks inside of a corn bin during the Cambria County Farm Bureau’s legislative tour Friday of the Krug family’s farm in Allegheny Township near Chest Springs. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

CHEST SPRINGS — Area farmers made their voices heard by local and state officials during the Cambria County Farm Bureau’s legislative tour Friday at the Krug Family Farm along Sewing Lane in Allegheny Township, just outside of Chest Springs Borough.

Cambria County Farm Bureau President Marty Yahner introduced Bill and Joyce Krug before the farmers got into the meat and potatoes of the meeting — discussing the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s stance on a number of state and federal issues.

Bill Krug, who is an Allegheny Township supervisor, said there’s not a lot of money to be made in farming. But he and his family said they are proud to own over 700 acres of farmland, harvesting corn and soybeans.

“You’ve got to have another job to make ends meet, but we’re making it,” Bill Krug said, noting his son, Mark, owns a trucking business while his other son, Scott, works for New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Mark’s son, also named Bill, helps on the farm and is a coal miner by profession.

While she still helps out, Joyce Krug said she isn’t as involved on the family farm these days.

Joyce, a seamstress by trade, said she’s the one who gave Sewing Lane its name. The Krugs had to change their address when Mark, their youngest son, moved onto the property, she said.

“I wanted to name it Sewing Lane, so after 40-some years, I got my own way,” Joyce jokingly said.

Yahner said the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s No. 1 issue at the federal level is continuing support for the 2018 Farm Bill, which was extended through Sept. 30, 2025, when the American Relief Act of 2025 was signed into law in December 2024.

The Farm Bill is normally a five-year program, Yahner said, noting 80% of the Farm Bill was included in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, which was signed into law on July 4.

Yahner thanked U.S. Rep. John Joyce, R-Blair, for supporting the legislation. Joyce was not present at the meeting, but a member of his staff attended.

“It was close, but it got done and we at the farm bureau really pushed for it,” Yahner said.

At the state level, the farm bureau’s top priority is to “get the state budget done,” Yahner said.

Not having a state budget is “hurting everybody,” especially farmers, who “have to have certainty” for the future of agricultural programs, he said.

State Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Cambria, said Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget in February included spending an additional $3.6 billion from last year.

Senate Republicans “had to push back on that,” Langerholc said, noting the “big stumbling block” in passing the state budget involves funding for mass transportation.

According to Langerholc, Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the nation in the amount of money that the state gives to mass transportation.

“That means (there are) 46 other states that don’t spend as much as we do,” Langerholc said. “Yet it’s not enough. It’s never enough. It’s just more and more and more money.”

Langerholc said he believes state officials are getting closer to passing the budget. Nobody wins when there’s not a budget, he said.

Yahner said the farm bureau supports several agriculture items in the state budget, which includes expanding agricultural innovation grants; investing in agricultural education and research; enhancing animal health and biosecurity and strengthening food security.

Other legislative priorities include passing several state Senate and House bills, Yahner said.

Senate Bill 349 would protect farmers and local governments by requiring solar developers to pay for the full cost of removing solar equipment and restoring land when a facility is no longer in use, Yahner said.

Farmers “are getting ripped off” by not having a decommissioning clause in a lease for solar-powered equipment, he said.

Cambria County Farm Bureau member Raymond Schilling said farmers aren’t treated fairly by the state’s eminent domain process, which gives government agencies the ability to take private property for public use.

Senate Bill 225 adds compensation for “loss of goodwill” when farms and businesses are impacted by eminent domain, ensuring owners are fairly compensated for losses like reputation, location and customer base, Schilling said.

“The eminent domain process doesn’t allow for supplemental payments to vacant land. This helps correct the gap,” Schilling said. “We’re not asking for much. Help pass this through.”

Cambria County Farm Bureau Vice President Ethan Hoover said House Bill 242 provides an incentive for land owners to sell their farms to the next generation by providing tax credits to those who sell land, buildings, equipment and/or livestock to beginning farmers.

“This bill also tightens requirements for beginning farmers requiring applicants to demonstrate projected earnings and provide documentation of federal gross income and relevant agricultural experience,” Hoover said. “This aims to better support our beginning farmers.”

Carissa Itle Westrick of Vale Wood Farms spoke in support of Senate Bill 481, which would keep milk moving during weather emergencies and state-declared disasters by allowing haulers to operate safely under special permits.

Itle Westrick said an ice storm last year closed I-99 when Vale Wood Farms’ milk needed to be delivered to nursing homes.

“We crossed our fingers and made those deliveries, but this helps to have a little bit of certainty in terms of how to react to those weather emergencies,” Itle Westrick said, noting milk is a “very perishable product.”

Itle Westrick also shared support for Senate Bill 689, which improves fairness and transparency in milk pricing by giving the Milk Marketing Board the authority to establish and oversee premiums on class one milk. That would ensure milk producers get their fair share, she said.

The event concluded with a tour of the Krug farm. A homemade chicken dinner was provided to attendees following the tour.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.