March 2012 - Senator Toomey Supports Preserving America's Family Farm Act (Source: U.S. Senator Pat Toomey)

Recently, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey co-sponsored the bipartisan Preserving America's Family Farm Act (S. 2221) to prevent the U.S. Labor Department from enacting its controversial restrictions on children and teens working on family farms. Last year, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis proposed rules that would restrict family farm operations by prohibiting youth under the age of 18 from being near certain age animals without adult supervision, participating in common livestock practices such as vaccinating, hoof trimming, and handling most animals more than six months old. The language of the proposed rule could even potentially ban them from operating a battery powered screwdriver or a pressurized garden hose.

"Ninety-nine percent of Pennsylvania's farms are family owned and operated, and this new rule will impede their ability to operate," Sen. Toomey said. "With this rule, the Obama administration takes its regulatory zeal to a new level. Not only does the administration assume the right to tell farmers how to run their farms, but also the right to tell parents how to raise their children. That is an affront to all Americans. I am proud to sponsor this bipartisan bill to start rolling back some of the most egregious regulations hurting our farmers and our economy."

March 13, 2012 - Senator Toomey Praises Passage of Farm Truck Amendment (Source: U.S. Senator Pat Toomey)

U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) today praised Senate passage of a bipartisan amendment he co-sponsored to the pending highway bill that would free farmers from onerous red tape.

The amendment, which passed by voice vote, would clarify that the federal government may not require farmers to comply with the same red tape reporting requirements that apply to long-haul truckers. Farm truck regulations would instead be left to states to decide, without interference from the U.S. Transportation Department. The amendment is sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and co-sponsored by Sens. Toomey and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).

Farmers and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau reached out to Sen. Toomey for help cutting through this red tape. Sen. Toomey’s constituent services campaign, Had Enough?, asks Pennsylvanians to tell the senator their experiences with red tape, government waste and overregulation. Had Enough? is focused on helping Pennsylvanians, finding solutions, and making the federal government work more effectively.

Constituents can submit their ideas through the senator's Had Enough? website at www.toomey.senate.gov/hadenough. The senator will select the best ideas and work to resolve these issues for Pennsylvanians.

Sen. Toomey spoke on the Senate floor today in support of the farm truck amendment.

A full transcript of his remarks is below:

“Thank you very much. I want to thank the senator from Missouri and the senator from Oregon for working together on this amendment.

“You know, under current regulations, the states are essentially required to adopt rules that would force a family farm that's driving a tractor across the street to follow the same kind of rules and regulations that a cross-country, long-haul truck driver has to comply with in terms of hours of service and regulations and logbooks.

“It’s a solution in search of a problem. It’s costly. It’s unnecessary. So I would urge adoption of the amendment. And I yield back to the gentleman from Oregon.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

March 8, 2012 - Red tag, regulations leave farmers plowed under - By Senator Pat Toomey (Source: The Patriot News)

Today on National Agriculture Day, I hope we’ll all take a moment to celebrate and appreciate the hard work of Pennsylvania’s farmers.

With more than 63,000 farms, agriculture is one of Pennsylvania’s largest industries and a major job creator. From chicken and dairy farms to mushroom and apple growers, our farmers put food on our tables and play a critical role in our statewide economy.

Throughout my first year in office, I have visited many farms and met with dozens of farmers to get their firsthand take on the challenges they are facing.

Their message has been clear and unambiguous — Washington’s deluge of new regulations is impeding the growth and success of our farms. All too often, the bureaucrats in Washington are oblivious to the real-world implications of their actions. There is a growing bipartisan consensus that we should be pushing back against these excesses wherever we can. READ MORE

March 2011 - A recent article from the Dairy Herd Network (www.dairyherd.com) noted that the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) 'hasn't spent a lot of time in recent years inspecting farm operations for worker safety compliance, but that's about to change.' Although the article spurred from the annual meeting of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, all those in the agribusiness community need to be aware of current OSHA regulations. As an employer, your responsibilities include:

     1. To find an minimize workplace hazards to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards.

     2. Be familiar with and comply with OSHA standards and regulations.

     3. Inform your workers of OSHA and their rights under OSHA.

     4. Give workers safe tools and apply appropriate protection.

     5. Train workers if standards require it.

     6. Establish, update and communicate operation procedures so workers are safe.

     7. Report to OSHA within 8 hours of an accident that is fatal or results in three workers in the hospital.

     8. Keep OSHA reporting logs.

     9. Post OSHA posters, citations and allow workers access to their employee medical and exposure records.

     10. Do not discriminate against workers who exercise their OSHA rights.

     11. Correct cited violations in prescribed period.

Visit www.osha.gov for additional information regarding OSHA regulations.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 2011 - The Lancaster County Agriculture Council is a group, which was formed in January of this year, working to deal with current and future issues affecting the county’s farmers and agribusinesses. The council board consists of 11 farmers and 11 representatives from the agribusiness community, each of whom will have a vote on matters brought before the board. In addition there are 11 nonvoting members. Interested in further information about the council - read this informational piece, printed by Lancaster Farming.

_____________________________________________________________

 

March 14, 2011 (Source: MeatingPlace.com) - A new certification program for the poultry industry is the first in the nation to provide training on the proper techniques for handling and transporting poultry. The Poultry Handling and Transportation Quality Assurance Program (PHTQA) will offer single-day training sessions for poultry transportation and catch crews in methods of biosecurity, disease recognition, emergency planning, and the safe and humane handling of birds before, during, and after transport. The certification involves transportation and handling of several species including day old poultry, breeders, pullets, spent fowl, broilers and turkeys.

A team of scientists from Penn State University and USDA, as well as industry specialists, will conduct the training and certification for the program, which is similar to the Pork Transportation and Quality Assurance Program. Multiple training sessions will be held in 2011, although the dates have yet to be determined. Visit the PHTQA web site at www.poultryhandling.org for further details.