Waugh Questions Agriculture Secretary on Drastic Cuts in Governor's Budget Proposal

HARRISBURG – In today's Senate Budget Hearing with Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff, Senator Mike Waugh (R-York) expressed his sincere disappointment with the Governor's proposal to reduce or eliminate the majority of the Department's line items in the 2009-2010 state budget.

Waugh acknowledged the difficult job Secretary Wolff has been tasked with in justifying the Governor's proposal to reduce 23 of the 27 line items in the Department's budget, with 11 of those 23 line items being eliminated completely, but he went on to make known his disappointment with the proposal.

"Rural Pennsylvania and Agricultural Pennsylvania are taking it right on the nose, and I resent that," said Waugh in his opening comments to the Secretary.

Many of the programs Waugh discussed with Secretary Wolff include funding for state and county fairs, which would be reduced by $1.9 million; funding for the Farm Show and related programming, which is proposed to receive a slight increase of $604,000; the elimination of funding for activities such as livestock, dairy, and 4-H shows; grants for Conservation Districts, which could face a 28% reduction; and a $261,000 proposed reduction in administrative costs for the state's farmland preservation program, most likely resulting in job losses within the program.

While recognizing that budget cuts must be made considering the state's current financial situation, he stressed to his fellow Senators the need to look closely at the Department of Agriculture's budget compared to other Departments' budgets.

"We tout agriculture as our #1 industry, but I think we really have to be careful, and I implore members of this committee, as we go through this process to not take this for granted," said Waugh.  "We need to get serious this year, and take a look at the total scheme of things in this huge budget of where we place our priorities with respect to our rural communities and our agriculture in Pennsylvania."

 

Audio and video files of Senator Waugh's comments and questions can be obtained on his website at:
http://www.senatorwaugh.com/multimedia.htm.