Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced grants totaling $1.287 million to eight organizations for research on issues critical to sustaining and growing Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry. Grant recipients include Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, American Mushroom Institute, Baarda Farms, Coexist Build, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture and Team Ag, Inc.

“Meeting the challenges of feeding a growing population amid rapid changes in climate, technology and animal and plant diseases demands investment in research and development,” said Redding. “These investments hold the promise and potential to spur the innovation we need to increase productivity; advance human and animal medicine; and support cleaner water, healthier soil and a safer food supply.”

The grants, awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, focus on a broad range of research topics including detecting COVID-19 exposure in livestock, increasing farm productivity and profits, protecting pollinators, safely controlling Spotted Lanternfly and other invasive species and improving soil and water quality and sustainability through regenerative farming.

This funding supplements $900,000 in agricultural research support through the department’s budget to Rodale Institute, the Penn State University Center for Agricultural Law, Penn State Extension, and the Centers for Beef, Dairy, Poultry and Livestock Excellence.

Following is a list of 27 grantees, amounts awarded and project titles:

• American Mushroom Institute, Avondale, Chester Co. – $42,242 – Carbon Sequestration through Spent Mushroom Compost
• Baarda Farms, Mt. Bethel, Northampton Co. – $6,000 – Refrigeration to Expand Capacity for Fresh Food Access
• Coexist Build, Blandon, Berks Co. – $4,500 – Developing Marketing Strategy for Agritourism Highlighting Regenerative, Organic Farm Featuring Hemp-based Construction
• Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Millheim, Centre Co. – $87,791 – Soil Health and Economic Benchmarks for Conservation and Climate Resiliency
• Pasa Sustainable Agriculture – $91,179 – Understanding Keys to Direct Market Success through Collaborative Financial Benchmarking
• Pasa Sustainable Agriculture – $79,533 – Linking Soil Health and Nutrient Density for Improved Specialty Crop Marketing
• Pennsylvania State University, State College, Centre Co. – $89,044 – Assessment of Farmers’ Adoption and Implementation of Conservation Plans: A Case of Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania State University – $86,862 – Re-envisioning Multifunctional Buffers to Improve Water Quality, Profitability and Manage Risk
• Pennsylvania State University – $34,987 Pennsylvania State University – Establishing Pennsylvania’s First Digital Pollen Library
• Pennsylvania State University – $130,300 – Drug Delivery Systems Using Milk Proteins
• Pennsylvania State University – $87,999 – Protecting Bees from Fungicides Applied to Tree Fruits and from Insecticides Used to Control Spotted Lanternfly
• Pennsylvania State University – $104,236 – Impacts of Spotted Lanternfly Feeding on Tree Health
• Pennsylvania State University – $87,614 – Are bee pollinator populations declining in Pennsylvania?
• Pennsylvania State University – $60,291 – Spotted Lanternfly Monitoring Pole Traps; Saving Labor and Increasing Monitoring
• Pennsylvania State University – $9,906 – Spotting and Stopping Spotted Lanternfly in Vineyards: Economic Impact and Decision Management Tools
• Pennsylvania State University – $42,953 – Innovative LIPS Assay to Evaluate Exposure of Livestock to COVID-19
• Pennsylvania State University – $22,080 – Dynamics of the Respiratory Resistome in the Pre- and Postweaning Dairy Calf
• Pennsylvania State University – $11,870 – Improving Molecular Characterization of C. Perfringens and Correlating Strain Type with Histology
• Pennsylvania State University – $25,000 – Molecular Serotyping of Avibacterium Paragallinarum Using Next Generation Sequencing
• Pennsylvania State University – $28,800 – Establish a Metagenome-based Surveillance System to Determine Prevalence and Distribution of Commercial, Backyard and Wildlife Birds in PA
• Team Ag, Inc., Ephrata, Lancaster Co. – $60,000 – Connecting Capital with Pennsylvania Farmers using Regenerative Farming Practices to Draw Down Carbon
• Temple University, Philadelphia – $24,455 – Detection and Genotyping Method Targeting the Apicomplexa Mitochondrial Genome: Piroplasmida
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia – $25,000 – Targeted Next Generation Sequencing Panel for Equine Pathogen Detection
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine – $10,000 – Evaluation of Reproductive Efficiency on Pennsylvania Dairy Farms
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine – $9,348 – Novel Implementation of FARM on Dairy Farm: A Pilot Project
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine – $14,432 – Development of Sensitive Method for Analysis of Cannabinoids in Bovine Serum and Hemp Seed Samples
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine – $10,578 – Comparison of Different Management Strategies on Quality of Reclaimed Sand Used for Bedding

With hunting and other outdoors activities increasing at a time when woodlands and brush can become tinder dry in just a few days, the Wolf Administration is urging all residents to guard against increased wildfire dangers in Pennsylvania’s 17 million acres of forestlands.

State officials noted a sustained dry period over much of the state comes at a time when wildfire dangers normally are high, and critical conditions can develop almost overnight in many forested areas of Pennsylvania.

“With rainfall varying greatly across the commonwealth, a dry windy span of just a few days quickly can make wildfires a very real threat,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “Amid the pandemic we know so many are seeking outdoors pursuits. Hunting soon will be popular and fall foliage is a joy to behold, but when the leaves begin dropping and drying, they become added fuel for woodland fires.”

“Amid these conditions, it takes only a careless moment to ignite a devastating wildfires. We know debris burning is leading cause of wildfires throughout the state and more than 95 percent of Pennsylvania wildfires are caused by people,” Dunn said.

“While most Pennsylvanians are used to wildfires being confined to relatively far off places, these catastrophic events pose an escalating risk to communities throughout the commonwealth,” said State Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego.  “Increasingly, our state is being affected by weather patterns that turn fields and forests into accidents waiting to happen.”

The wildfire warning comes amid sparse rainfall and drying conditions, and as drought advisories are widening in Pennsylvania.

DCNR is responsible for administering a grant program paid through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. This program has awarded more than $14.5 million since it began in 1982. In 2019, more than $617,800 was awarded to 133 volunteer fire companies. Both Dunn and Trego encourage eligible departments to learn more about this important program for future grant opportunities.

With several deer and small-game hunting seasons opening in the coming weeks, both Dunn and Trego urged hunters and other woodlands visitors to be especially careful with smoking and fires amid dry vegetation.

Dunn noted the need to guard against wildfires increases each year as more development encroaches on heavily wooded tracts. Homeowners always should be diligent when burning trash and debris, she said.

Property owners should always consider the weather and conditions when burning outdoors. If it’s windy or dry, burning should be postponed until conditions change. A hose, rake, and shovel should be handy when burning outdoors, and any burnable materials cleared within 10 feet of a fire.

The Bureau of Forestry is working through state agencies and local fire companies to educate Pennsylvania citizens on procedures to make their homes in forest environments safer from wildfires. Information can be obtained from the Bureau of Forestry, county Emergency Management Office, or the Office of the State Fire Commissioner.

Details on wildfire prevention can be obtained at local forest districts and the Bureau of Forestry also maintains information on county burn bans in effect.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded over $35 million to more than 50 rural organizations across 33 states as part of a sustained federal effort to increase access to high quality care in rural communities.  The awards reflect investments in key areas including telehealth, health workforce training, health research, technical assistance for vulnerable rural hospitals and HIV care and treatment.

“President Trump has made it a priority to strengthen rural health infrastructure and promote the health of rural Americans,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan. “As someone who grew up in rural America and with rural healthcare providers in my family, I know the challenges they face, and I know there’s a need for transformation. These awards are in line with the actions the President called for in his Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access and are part of our overall effort to improve rural access to care in sustainable and innovative ways.”

The awards through HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) include:

• $8.8 million awarded to 30 organizations across 23 states as part of the Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP). Awardees will promote rural tele-emergency services by enhancing emergency care consults from health care providers via telehealth through increased access and training.
• Nearly $2 million to support the Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Center (TF RHRC) Program. TF RHRC awardees will carry out a comprehensive evaluation of nationwide telehealth investments in rural areas and populations, and conduct research to expand the evidence base for rural telehealth services.
• Nearly $1 million to establish the new Rural Telementoring Training Center (RTTC). The RTTC will train academic medical centers and other centers of excellence to create technology-enabled telementoring learning programs to disseminate best practice specialty care to primary care providers in rural and underserved areas.
• Over $8 million to support the Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program across 10 states. Each awardee will focus on strengthening its health care workforce through the development of newly accredited, sustainable rural residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine and psychiatry.
• Nearly $5 million to support the Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) Program. Each awardee will conduct rural research to assist providers and policymakers at the federal, state and local levels to better understand problems faced by rural communities. The research will inform population health improvement efforts, including health care access and delivery.
• $10 million to support vulnerable hospitals in rural communities through the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program. This funding will provide specialized technical assistance to 30 hospitals across 252 counties and parishes served by the Delta Regional Authority, which often have the highest number of hospital closures or hospitals in financial distress.
• Over $680,000 through the Rural HIV/AIDS Planning Program to develop an integrated rural network for HIV care and treatment in four out of the seven states with the heaviest rural HIV burden. Awardees will implement the Administration’s Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America initiative to target gaps and challenges that stand in the way of early HIV diagnosis and treatment.

“The HRSA programs highlighted today put in practice HHS’ broader vision and plan for transforming the nation’s rural health care system so that it can better support the unique needs of rural communities,” said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. “Through these HRSA programs and by working hand in hand with our rural partners across the nation, we can improve access, quality and outcomes for rural communities.”

You can view the full press release here

For a list of today’s award recipients, visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/fy20-awards

To learn about the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health

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