Some Farmers Fear New Raw Dairy Regs, Drilling
Other issues that the Ag Secretary will have to keep an eye on are looming federal oversight of raw milk and cheese, and the impacts of the booming Marcellus gas industry on Pennsylvania farms and farmers. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture held its 20th anniversary conference last weekend in State College. The Allegheny Front's Anthony Brino checked in with PASA director Brian Snyder.
Transcript
BRINO: Raw milk and cheese are growing more and more popular, with reported black markets cropping up in the more than 20 states where unpasteurized dairy is banned. But the Food and Drug Administration is considering tighter regulations on raw dairy. Brian Snyder says PASA worries about the financial and logistical burden this could pose. He says Pennsylvaniaís rules are fair, and have let the stateís raw dairy industry blossom.
SNYDER: We are probably the leading state in overall sales of raw dairy products. And the major reason is because of the organic dairy industry here in Pennsylvania. And that's been a big part of saving a lot of dairy farms.
BRINO: Pennsylvania is also fast becoming one of nation's the top natural gas producers, thanks to the Marcellus Shale. Snyder says he's hearing a lot about Marcellus gas drilling from farmers across the state.
SNYDER: There certainly have been reports of water contamination. There have been reports of mysterious diseases occurring to livestock. Even though it's returning a lot of money to some people, for many of our farmers that are smaller and focused on food production, they may not be benefiting from the actual drilling and are very concerned that they'll be left with the mess to clean up.
BRINO: Snyderís farm is in the part of Centre County not under underlain by the shale. But he says that he and PASA will keep in touch with farmers in the western and northern parts of the state where drilling is concentrated.