On Wednesday during a press briefing outside Penn England Farms in Blair County, Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) voiced his support for using farms to create sustainable low cost energy for Pennsylvania.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning everyone. I'm Yvette Longenecker. Welcome to our farm, Penn
00:04England LLC, where I hope you are enjoying this beautiful PA spring
00:09weather we have today. I'd like to thank Mark Heater with the Farm Bureau, Steve
00:18McKnight with the Blair County Economic Development, Rebecca Countess
00:23with the office of John Fetterman, Russell Redding, and Governor Josh
00:30Shapiro for attending today. I am part of the second generation of our farm
00:37and I'm also proud to say that I am an eighth generation Pennsylvania farmer. My
00:44parents, Fred and Cindy England, purchased a 215 acre farm with no barn or
00:49facilities in 1978. They built an 85 cow size tall barn and began milking their
00:56own herd in September of 1979. Fred worked full-time on the farm while Cindy
01:02milked two times daily while also being a second grade teacher. My two brothers
01:07and I were very involved wherever we were needed, helping with chores and
01:12duties around our school schedules. Extended family also played an integral
01:17role in our operation with uncles and cousins working alongside us. In 2008 my
01:24parents formed an LLC partnership to bring in the next generation for Penn
01:28England. Over the years our farm and families grew from 85 cows and 215 acres
01:36in 1979 to today where we have over 4,000 cattle. Our 2,000 milking age cows
01:43are milked three times daily and produce about 170,000 pounds of milk
01:48which is shipped to our milk cooperative Land O' Lakes. We grow crops on 3,600
01:54acres all right here in Blair County. We strongly believe in caring for the
01:59animals and soil that provide for us. We have invested in our facilities to
02:04maximize cow comfort as well as efficiencies. We have incorporated
02:09conservation practices such as no-tilling and cover cropping for a 30
02:13plus years. Like all farmers I've spent my life working hard to produce a high
02:18quality milk product while also being a good steward of the land. That is one of
02:24the reasons why we made the decision to incorporate an anaerobic methane digester
02:28onto our farm in 2006. We were one of the first dairies in Pennsylvania to take
02:34this step. Our digester allows us to turn something we already have, manure, into
02:40something even more valuable to us, renewable energy. Instead of manure just
02:46sitting in a lagoon and producing methane which is a greenhouse gas, our
02:50digester can capture that gas and convert it into electricity or renewable
02:55natural gas. It helps power our farm and in many cases extra energy can be sent
03:01back into the grid to benefit our community. But the benefits don't stop
03:05there. Digesters also help us manage nutrients more efficiently, reducing
03:11odor and improving water quality by better utilizing nutrients, helping to
03:15keep them out of our streams and rivers. And let's not forget the economic impact.
03:20This technology provides an additional revenue stream for farms, making our
03:25operations more sustainable in the long run. For Pennsylvania, investing in
03:30digesters means cleaner energy, stronger farms, and healthier communities. As our
03:37state looks for ways to support both agriculture and renewable energy,
03:40digesters are a smart solution. By supporting policies and programs that
03:45encourage this technology, we can create a future where dairy farms not only feed
03:50our families but also help power our state. Thank you and welcome to our farm.
03:55I'd like to welcome Commissioner Burke. I'm really just here to welcome the
04:08governor to Blair County. Agriculture is our number one industry here and we are
04:12always excited to showcase that, especially a shining example like Penn
04:16England Farm. So I'll be brief. Thank you. Mark, you're up. Good morning. Thank you,
04:28Governor Shapiro, for your ongoing support of Pennsylvania's farmers. As a
04:32farmer and president of Blair County Farm Bureau, I know firsthand the
04:35challenges our industry faces, including rising costs, a need for more efficient
04:40practices. That's why today's announcement is so important. The
04:45community energy proposal provides farmers with the opportunity to come
04:48together, invest in methane digesters, and reduce energy costs. This is
04:54not just about savings. It's about improving farm operations and ensuring
04:59we stay competitive for the future. The Ag Innovation Program has already been a
05:04valuable resource for our members who took advantage of the grant opportunity
05:08during its first cycle of funding. Increasing investment in this program is
05:13critical for ensuring that farmers can access the new technologies needed to
05:18keep their businesses strong and productive in our state competitive. On
05:23behalf of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and farmers across the state, I want to thank
05:27the administration for recognizing the importance of agriculture and supporting
05:31innovation. We look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen our
05:35industry. I'd like to introduce Steve McKnight with the ABCD Corporation.
05:40Thank you. I too would like to welcome everyone here to the First Frontier
05:50Blair County. It's a real honor to be sharing the podium today with Governor
05:54Shapiro and Secretary Redding and his entire team, so thank you for the
05:58opportunity. I had the privilege of serving as president of the Pennsylvania
06:03Economic Development Association during the governor's transition, and all of us
06:07economic developers were very eager to engage and get to know what the new
06:11administration had in mind. The governor was quick to point out that the last
06:16time the state had a formal economic development plan was back in 2003, more
06:21than 24 years ago. It might have been a good plan back then, but for today's
06:26modern economy, we needed a new vision and relevant programs that helped us get
06:32things done, and that motto has rung true for the last several years. Maybe a
06:39play on words there. Since then, Governor Shapiro and his team, including
06:42Secretary of Economic Development Rick Saiger, have been working hard to develop
06:47a new, bold site development fund, housing initiatives, Main Street programs, and
06:53other innovative partnerships to include the Lightning Plan, which we're here today
06:57to highlight. Programs like these are helping to fuel growth in all parts of
07:02the Commonwealth. Our rural agricultural areas here in Williamsburg can engage in
07:08innovative energy solutions, helping them to save money, and the bottom line is to
07:12become more competitive, and that's what this is all about.
07:19Governor, we appreciate your vision, planning, and ongoing partnership. Thank
07:24you, and it's great to have you back here in Blair County. He's a frequent
07:28visitor, by the way, and with that, I would like to invite our long-term friend,
07:33longtime friend to Blair County's agricultural community, someone who
07:36served in multiple administrations, including the Randell Wolf, and
07:40continuing now with Governor Shapiro, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture
07:45Russell Redding. Governor, thank you. It's always good to be anywhere with the
07:55Governor, particularly on a farm. That's right. We say it often that we feel
07:59blessed in so many ways to be in a state that's got sort of agricultural
08:03capacity, sort of a great history steeped in so much of what we value, both as
08:11society and as citizens. Environment, food, jobs, great, great communities, and this is
08:19certainly one of them, so I just want to say thank you to the Penn England team.
08:22It is good to be here, and every time that I come back, there's change.
08:27I think that's sort of the journey you've been on, right, to look at this
08:32barn, the cows, and I'll just ask you for a moment just to listen carefully, right?
08:38Happy cows, right? Happy cows, right? I think that is a real sign of like the
08:43quality that's here, the attention to detail, the concern about both the
08:47animals, of course, and the land and the stewardship, but also the welfare of
08:52these animals, so on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, thank you for
08:56what you do, and to the entire team. You know, there's a wonderful journey, as
09:00was shared, but I just wanted to say that this is also, there's a preserved farm
09:05in this family, right? So farmland preservation is important. You heard
09:09about the connection to Land O'Lakes, which is one of the most important
09:13cooperatives we have in Pennsylvania. These folks and the family have been
09:18willing to open their farm to talk about and engage the public in what it
09:23means to be a dairy operation. They were recognized by the American Dairy
09:27Association Northeast for doing that and telling the story and engaging folks, so
09:32it's really wonderful to be here, but it's also, as noted, the contribution of
09:38this farm to this community, right? It's about the jobs that are here, the land
09:42and the stewardship, the energy that's generated, and we really appreciate what
09:47you do, just because it's not simply about the farm itself, it's how it's
09:52connected into the rest of this state and the rest of this community. So this
09:56is an amazing sort of county, agricultural county. It's an amazing
10:01dairy county. Just don't tell anybody in Lancaster County just how nice this is.
10:04They tell me all the time we're the best. Every time I come in the
10:08Cove, these soils, by the way, rival what we have in other parts of the state, so
10:12to our friends in other parts of the state, we have some really great
10:17competition here. But as noted a couple of times, just I think it's important
10:22that we're here to talk about the energy and the energy plan, the lightning plan,
10:27and from my perspective, you know, it comes at the right time. There are things
10:31you have to do first to sort of set this plan up. It's about economic development.
10:35How do we approach it? How do we think about it, right? What do we say when we
10:39talk about agriculture being one of the pillars of our economy in the
10:44state? That's there, and the governor, well, I'm sure we'll talk more about that.
10:47We've talked about and heard, you know, from Mark, sort of innovation. This
10:53facility is a demonstration of that innovation, but to think that we're the
10:56only state in the nation with an innovation fund that's allowed us to
11:00really creative things, both on facilities and food processing on the
11:04farms and the digesters, that sets the stage for a conversation about energy.
11:11We also know that we have an opportunity here with our farmer
11:16preservation program and the work that we're doing around high-path avid
11:20influenza and animal health, and the health of these animals is all part of
11:24that. It's in the governor's proposed budget as well. As noted, he's also very
11:30competitive. I've sensed that. You know, he is somebody who is competitive. He
11:37believes that Pennsylvania's future runs through our farms, and I love it when he
11:42says it, but it's also backed up by actions, right? And what we do, have
11:48continued to do and can do going forward is really, really important, but we're
11:52also thinking about this next generation. How many generations here?
11:58We're working on our third generation. So yeah, this is great, but we need to get to four and five, right, and
12:03keep moving. So he has been, the governor's been amazingly supportive and
12:08encouraging to all of us, and we saw it yesterday on food and discussions
12:14around what we're doing in the state and need to do. But we also know, based on the
12:20work that he has done, both as governor and previously as Attorney General with
12:24the Acre Law, right, I think those are foundational pieces that give us a lot
12:28of confidence about what we're doing today. He's been steadfast in his sort of
12:32support of agriculture, as noted on innovation, and encouraging us to look
12:37at Centers of Organic Excellence and supporting PA Preferred, the first
12:41economic strategy, as noted by Steve, is important, right? And we have these
12:46things that, to me, are the contributing factors to both producing energy, right,
12:50gives us energy, but also gives us a lot of confidence about the investments
12:54we're making and how that fits into both the viability of this county, the
12:59economic viability of the state, and certainly as an industry. So, always
13:04honored to be with him, stand with the governor, but also just to welcome him
13:08again to this farm, to thank the Penn England folks. So, governor, welcome and
13:13thank you. Thanks, Mr. Secretary. Thank you. Secretary Redding does an
13:19extraordinary job for our Commonwealth, and just grateful that he's a voice of
13:23agriculture, a voice of our farmers, and I want you to know, he is in the room
13:29when it comes to making big decisions for Pennsylvania, particularly when it
13:33comes to economic development. For the first time ever, as you heard a moment
13:38ago, agriculture is at the center of our economic development strategy. One of
13:45the things I love about showing up on a farm, particularly here at Penn England
13:49Farms and others across Pennsylvania, is they have a rich history. Even if
13:52they're just at three generations, it's three generations of stories, three
13:57generations of progress. You can learn a lot from the families that operate these
14:02farms, and I appreciate the fact that agriculture has played such an important
14:08part in the history of our Commonwealth, but I think too oftentimes, agriculture
14:13is ignored when we think about our future. We have changed that. No longer is
14:19talking about agriculture only in past terms or historic terms. It's about the
14:23future of what kind of Commonwealth we want to build and what kind of
14:27Commonwealth we want to deliver to the next generation. It's about doing one of
14:32the most noble things you can do on earth, and that is feeding your
14:37neighbors. It's about creating jobs and economic opportunities in all of our
14:42communities, and indeed, it's about creating energy, I believe. I wanted to
14:48be here, Yvette, at Penn England because what you are doing when it comes to
14:53creating energy with your methane digester, I think that should be a model
14:57for the rest of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to that end, we have
15:02tried to invest as a Commonwealth in helping farms stand up digesters, but I
15:07think it's time to go to the next level, and that is to make sure that we are
15:12generating more power all across Pennsylvania with methane digesters and
15:17giving farmers the opportunity to band together to be able to create this
15:23energy opportunity. Penn England, we learned, was able to get a grant, and
15:29they had the vision, and they had some engineering skills right here at the
15:33farm that allowed them to set up this digester. We got a whole lot of farms
15:37across Pennsylvania. We're blessed to have more small and mid-sized farms in
15:41any other state in this country. We think that's an important engine of our
15:45economy, but they don't necessarily have the dollars or the skill set to be able
15:50to set up their own digester, and so under a plan that I've put forth that
15:55I'm asking the legislature to come together and adopt, we would allow
16:00farmers to band together to create a methane digester and then generate
16:05energy from that to power their farms, and when they generate more than what
16:09they need, allow them to sell it back to the grid and make money for those farms
16:14to create a new revenue stream for those farms. How will we do that? We'll do
16:19that by eliminating the bureaucracy and the red tape that makes that very
16:23difficult to do right now, and we'll do it by investing more money in our
16:28farmers, on our farms, and in the development of these methane digesters
16:33so our farmers can get ahead, so they can do all the wonderful work they're doing
16:37on their cattle farms, poultry farms, you name it, and also be drivers of energy
16:43innovation and energy development here in this commonwealth. Listen, I'm an all-
16:49of-the-above energy governor. I'm proud of the fact that Pennsylvania is the
16:54second largest net energy exporter in the entire country. We have to generate
16:59more power. With more power comes more national security. More power means more
17:05independence. More power means more economic freedom, and I think freedom
17:10runs right through our farmlands, runs right through great places like
17:14PennEngland, and I want to thank you for welcoming me here today. Now I really
17:19came, as Yvette knows, for two reasons. Number one, to hold up PennEngland Farms
17:24as an example of what we want to do more across the Commonwealth, but also because
17:29apparently it's Yvette's father's birthday. Frank, where are you here? There
17:34you are. Frank is 74 years young. Fred, pardon me, Fred is 74 years young. Almost
17:43three-quarters, and he's blessed to have his daughter here, and I guess three of
17:48his four granddaughters here, is that right? Three of the four, and so I came
17:53just to wish you a happy birthday as well. I didn't bring you anything, yeah,
17:59other than warm wishes. Sorry, pal. All right, all right. Next time I'll bring you
18:05a chocolate pie. There you go, but thank you for welcoming me. Thanks for giving
18:09us the opportunity to highlight the good work here happening on PennEngland, and
18:14we look forward to many more examples of this all across Pennsylvania. Thanks to
18:20the Lightning Plan, and I'm calling on Democratic and Republican lawmakers to
18:24come together around a common-sense energy strategy that empowers our
18:28farmers, generates more power, and does good things for our economy. And so thank
18:33you for having me, and with that, if there's any questions from the media,
18:35Yvette has offered kindly to answer them for you.
18:41Good, any questions? As the snow returns, yeah, we'll try and keep it brief.
18:48Something outside of today, outside of this topic. Sure, anything on this topic? Okay.
18:54Oh, good. Yeah, so how does the initiative fit Pennsylvania's broader energy and
19:02climate goals? Yeah, we need to generate more power in Pennsylvania, and we want
19:08that power that we generate to be cleaner, and to create jobs, and economic
19:12opportunity, and reliable, affordable power. We think relying on methane
19:17digesters, like what they have here at PennEngland, and being able to have more
19:21of them across Pennsylvania, allow farms to band together to develop them, we
19:26think that that's going to achieve our goals.