Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced $300,000 in state matching funds awarded to 16 projects aimed at increasing consumer awareness of Pennsylvania agriculture products and market opportunities for agriculture producers.

“With so many appealing products produced in Pennsylvania, consumers don’t have to look far to find fresh, healthy choices close to home,” Redding said. “When aware of the options, consumers are more likely to choose local products. Promoting the story behind the food is a compelling way to attract consumers to Pennsylvania products. Once they make that first purchase, it is natural for them to become repeat customers.”

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Product Promotion, Education and Export Promotion Matching Grant is a program within the 2020-21 state budget. The Bureau of Market Development offers this grant to encourage and maximize the promotion of Pennsylvania-produced agricultural products.

Non-profit organizations based in 11 counties received matching funds for projects, many of which have a regional or statewide focus. The department prioritized projects aligned to COVID-19 recovery.

Funded projects by county of recipient are:

Adams County – Destination Gettysburg, $10,905: Launch the Adams County Crop Hop, A Farm and Market Experience. A digital pass will encourage visitors to experience working farms and farm markets and earn prizes along the way.

Allegheny County – Farm to Table Buy Local, $71,500: Strengthen and enhance western Pennsylvania’s local food system through a dedicated, year-round, public relations and marketing effort promoting buying local.

Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties – Nurture Nature Center, $39,175: Create a new Buy Local Challenge developed within a solid gamification framework by the Nurture Nature Center’s Buy Fresh Buy Local-Greater Lehigh Valley program.

Centre County – Appalachian Food Works, $2,052: Launch a continuation of a consumer and producer awareness campaign, “What’s Local?” in central Pennsylvania.

Chester County – American Mushroom Institute, $40,000: The Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania’s “Eating Better to Build Back Better” program will focus on mushroom culinary properties and health benefits, including naturally occurring vitamin D. The program will promote mushroom contributions to soil health and carbon sequestration.

Cumberland County – Farmers on the Square, $1,620: Extend reach beyond the city of Carlisle through a grassroots marketing campaign including posters, flyers, postcard-sized handouts, yard signs, flags, magnetic car decals, bumper stickers and window decals.

Cumberland County – Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation $1,159: Provide outreach and education to military veteran farmers to assist them in marketing and diversifying funding streams, while improving access to fresh, locally grown products for lower income consumers.

Cumberland County – Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, $22,640: Develop educational programs providing agriculture focused education to elementary and middle school students in unique ways. The goal is to educate more children, educators and communities to help people understand where their food and fiber originates.

Dauphin County – Keystone Wood Products Association, $6,000: Develop a social media plan focusing on the benefits of actively managed working forests, and the positive economic, social and environmental aspects of hardwood production and jobs created by the industry.

Dauphin County – Pennsylvania Wine Association, $1,500: To support the Pennsylvania Wine Association Conference and associated wine competition, bringing industry leaders together during a time that requires increased collaboration. The conference and competition aid in consumer and influencer marketing of Pennsylvania wineries and wines.

Dauphin County – Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, $18,000: For a nationwide hardwood promotion campaign to educate consumers on the beauty, durability and lifetime value of Pennsylvania-specific hardwood products. The campaign will foster purchasing decisions that ultimately improve economic and environmental outcomes, strengthening our forest products communities from rural areas where the supply chain originates to urban and suburban manufacturing centers where most of the industry’s family-sustaining jobs are located.

Dauphin County – Pennsylvania Cooperative Potato Growers Association, $60,000: Continue promoting Pennsylvania’s potato industry to help growers recover from the pandemic. Funds will offset the cost of advertising, supplies and equipment to attract interest in Pennsylvania grown potatoes.

Dauphin County – Pennsylvania Friends of Farm Show Foundation, $9,547: Fulfill educational needs associated with the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Dauphin County – Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program, $8,900: Produce new roadside signs, crop stickers used on the roadside signs, styrene price cards, clip-on price cards and price stickers to promote Pennsylvania vegetables.

McKean County, Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, $5,000:  Produce PA Hardwood Species Sample Kits. Much like paint swatches, these kits will allow recipients to explore, in tactile fashion, the various colors, grain patterns, hardness and other qualities that are unique to each hardwood species, and for which there is no substitute. These samples will showcase the exquisite quality of Pennsylvania wood products.

Mercer County – Helping Hands Ministries, Inc., $2,000: Address health and nutrition concerns by increasing access to healthier food options from local Pennsylvania farmers to individuals who live in impoverished neighborhoods and food deserts.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced today that after a successful Fall Food Fest this past November, the department has scheduled another opportunity for Pennsylvanians to get their PA Farm Show food fix at an outdoor Spring Food Fest in May.

The Spring Food Fest will take place in the North Lot of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center from Friday, May 7 through Sunday, May 9. Vendors will be open from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily.

“While our virtual Pennsylvania Farm Show in January was an absolute success, we all missed the opportunity to taste Pennsylvania agriculture,” said Redding. “We’re excited to host a second Farm Show Food Fest this spring to satisfy cravings for the Farm Show foods that give us comfort.

“We’ll once again welcome Farm Show fan favorites to the fest – including milkshakes, fried mushrooms, potato donuts, pulled pork, maple products, and more,” added Redding. “We hope Pennsylvanians will come out for this unique opportunity to support Pennsylvania agriculture.”

While the fest will not include the full offering of the traditional Farm Show food court, many fan favorites will be available from the following vendors:

• PA Dairymen’s Association
• PA Livestock Association
• PA Mushroom Farmers
• PA Potato Cooperative
• PennAg Industries
• Snyder’s Concessions
• FFA Pizza
• Pennsylvania Maple Syrup Producers

The fest will also include a small PA Preferred^® marketplace which will include:

• Blind Spot Nutbutters
• Buffalo Valley Spice & Supply Co.
• The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey
• CM Bars LLC
• Hillbilly’s Jerky
• Lancaster Trading House, Inc.
• Main Line Pretzel Company
• Pleasures of the Palate, Inc.
• Stroopies, Inc.
• Tastie Teas
• Torchbearer Sauces LLC
• Whispering Brook Farm
• Wild LLC
• Uglie Acres
• Happy Valley Winery
• Christina Maser Company
• Chatty Monks Brewery

A full menu of product offerings is available online.

“Hosting an outdoor Food Fest is a great way to safely welcome guests to our region and to support local vendors,” said Visit Hershey & Harrisburg President & CEO Mary Smith. “The versatility of the PA Farm Show Complex is an incredible asset to our region, and we congratulate the staff for organizing an event that will benefit the state’s agriculture industry, local businesses, and the entire community. Let’s eat!”

Parking is free for this outdoor event, where food and beverages will be available for purchase to grab-and-go only. Onsite seating will not be available. Masks are required onsite and patrons are asked to be respectful of social distance while waiting in vendor lines.

The virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show took place in January and reached more than 800,000 unique individuals from all 50 United States and Washington, D.C., the U.K. and Canada, with repeat visits near 2 million. A variety of educational virtual exhibits remain available to peruse in the Farm Show’s Virtual Exhibit Hall. Pennsylvanians are also encouraged to explore the Pennsylvania Farm Show Trail for further opportunities to support local agriculture and build a stronger commonwealth.

Effective December 27, 2020, migrants under the Compact of Free Association (COFA) may be newly eligible for Medicaid if they meet all of the eligibility criteria in their state. COFA migrants are generally citizens of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of Palau who are lawfully residing in one of the U.S. states or territories. Under the new eligibility criteria, COFA migrants are now considered qualified non-citizens (QNC) for the purposes of Medicaid eligibility and do not have to wait for five years after receiving their status before qualifying for Medicaid coverage, if otherwise eligible. This policy change does not apply to coverage through separate Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs, except for states that have elected to cover children and/or pregnant women in CHIP under the CHIPRA 214 option.

Currently, COFA migrants who apply at the Federally-Facilitated Exchange (FFE) will not be found eligible for Medicaid, as the system does not consider COFA migrants to be QNCs for purposes of Medicaid eligibility. Instead, COFA migrants may be found eligible for Marketplace coverage with advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) or cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), if otherwise eligible. CMS is actively working on system changes to determine correct eligibility for these consumers at the Marketplace, and anticipates a release in early summer 2021.

Until the system changes at the FFE are finalized, CMS recommends that consumers apply directly with their state Medicaid agencies to determine their eligibility for Medicaid. Once consumers receive a determination of eligibility for Medicaid, they should return to the Marketplace to end their QHP coverage with financial assistance if they are found eligible for Medicaid and do not want to pay full cost for their share of the Marketplace coverage. This is because consumers who are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP that counts as qualifying coverage (also known as minimum essential coverage, or MEC), are not eligible for APTC or CSRs to help pay for the cost of a Marketplace plan premium and covered services. The FFE will not take action on a consumer’s behalf to end their Marketplace coverage if they are found to be Medicaid eligible by their state due to this policy update.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced commitments from national organizations to support Latino outreach and enrollment efforts during the current Special Enrollment Period (SEP) made available on HealthCare.gov by President Biden due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. As part of the Latino Week of Action April 18 – 24, these organizations and HHS will share information with Latino consumers and use social media to encourage them to enroll in affordable, quality health plans through HealthCare.gov.

“Helping communities take advantage of reduced costs on quality health care coverage is a priority for this Department. In addition to putting our money where our mouth is, we are partnering with key organizations representing the Latino community to engage their knowledge and network to promote enrollment in quality, affordable health insurance coverage during this Special Enrollment Period,” said HHS Secretary Becerra. “To the many Latinos who may have lost health care coverage during the pandemic, I am here to tell you that ‘help is here.’ Health care coverage is more affordable for people and assistance is available if you need help finding a health plan that best meets your needs.”

• To read the HHS press release in Spanish, visit: HHS Press Release Spanish.
• To read the HHS press release in English, visit: HHS Press Release English

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced the availability of $2.7 million in funding for entities to deliver employment support services to individuals in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) seeking to enter the workforce.

“A key component to an individual’s sustained recovery is steady, reliable employment,” said DDAP Secretary Jen Smith. “To date, we have significantly expanded access to treatment, and we are starting to shift our focus to the entire continuum of care. These grants will enable organizations to give individuals the necessary tools to succeed after treatment and empower their recovery.”

The grants are part of $55 million in federal funding awarded to Pennsylvania through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental Awards. The funding spending plan submitted by DDAP is currently pending approval by SAMHSA. More information will be shared about this funding and supporting projects as it becomes available.

Eligible applicants can find the grant application and project summary on the DDAP website here. Five to eight grants will be awarded up to $400,000 for a wide variety of eligible items, including:

• Vocational assessments;
• Resume writing;
• Interviewing skills;
• Job placement; and
• Transportation assistance related to employment.

All applications must be submitted via email to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov by 12:00PM on Monday, May 17, 2021. Applications will be competitively reviewed and scored based upon the applicant’s adherence to the funding announcement guidelines, and timely submission to DDAP. Additionally, awarding of the funds is contingent upon the approval of DDAP’s funding spending plan by SAMHSA.

Questions regarding the grants and the application process should be forwarded to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov.

Throughout the Wolf Administration’s second term, DDAP is placing a heavy focus on reducing stigma associated with substance use disorder, intensifying primary prevention efforts, strengthening treatment systems, and empowering sustained recovery. The aim of these efforts, laid out in DDAP’s 2019-2022 State Plan, will be to positively influence the knowledge and behavior around the topic of addiction.

For more information about the work the Wolf Administration is doing to combat the opioid crisis, visit pa.gov/opioids.