On Monday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) delivered remarks on his administration's investments into agriculture innovation.
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00:00Pennsylvania and to the beautiful Higgins and Likens Valley, where now eight generations of
00:05the Mosser family have farmed this land with pride, purpose, and passion. I'm Dave Mosser,
00:10CEO of the Mosser Family Companies, and it is truly a privilege and an honor to host Governor
00:15Shapiro and all of you here today as we showcase Pennsylvania's thriving and essential potato
00:20industry. I'd like to begin by extending a warm welcome and offering my sincere thanks to many
00:25of the elected officials who have joined us. Schuylkill County Commissioners Gary Hess, Larry
00:30Podoya, Boots Barron Hetherington, Township Supervisors Keith Mosser, my dad, thank you,
00:37and Representative Joanne Stare. So thank you so much for being here today. Your leadership and
00:43support are vital to the future of agriculture in Pennsylvania. I'd also like to take a moment to
00:48proudly introduce the seventh, my parents, the eighth generation, my sister and I, and the ninth
00:53generation, our children, of the Mosser family, my family, who are here with us today to celebrate
00:59and carry forward our legacy. None of this would be possible without the dedication of our incredible
01:05team. Many of the members are here. Over 440 people work tirelessly to grow, pack, process, load,
01:12and deliver fresh potatoes to our retail, food service, and ingredient partners nationwide. As
01:19Pennsylvania's leading potato grower and one of the largest potato shippers in the country,
01:23we proudly distribute over 7,000 trailer loads annually, enough to provide every American
01:28with more than two and a half servings per year. From 50-pound bulk boxes to consumer bags,
01:35dehydrated potato products, value-added products like microwave potatoes with seasoning and sauces,
01:40our work feeds families, supports jobs, and strengthens communities. At Mossers, we care. We care about
01:47our team, our partners, our environment, and we care about our state. We deeply value the Commonwealth's
01:53investment in agriculture and its recognition of farmers as the foundational economic pillar,
01:58not only for Pennsylvania, but for the region and the nation. We are strategically located within
02:05a day's travel of 40 percent of the U.S. population, roughly 132 million people, and we believe that
02:11Pennsylvania is uniquely positioned to meet the rising demand for the nation's number one vegetable,
02:17the nutrient-dense and versatile potato. At Mossers, we strive to lead through innovation,
02:23committed to continuous improvement, research, and adopting new technologies to shape the future of
02:29farming. Pennsylvania once grew over 100,000 acres of potatoes, and today it's fewer than 7,000.
02:37We believe it's time to reverse that trend by growing more potatoes here and at home and reducing
02:42reliance on imports from other regions. As an eighth-generation farmer and a third-generation
02:47business leader, I'm honored to host this event on behalf of Governor Shapiro. We're proud recipients
02:52of an ag-innovation grant which will help us invest in a modern eight-row potato planter,
02:57improving planting efficiency across our widespread and variable fields. This critical support will help
03:04boost in-state production and advance Pennsylvania agriculture. At this time, I have the distinct
03:10honor and privilege of introducing the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro.
03:18Governor, we are grateful for your leadership, your strong support of Pennsylvania agriculture,
03:24and your recognition of the vital role that farming plays in our communities, the economy, and the future.
03:30Your administration's commitment to innovation, investment, and rural development is deeply
03:35appreciated, and it's essential. Thank you for believing in Pennsylvania farmers and fostering
03:40the partnership that help us grow and lead. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me in joining
03:45welcoming Governor Josh Shapiro. Thanks, Dave. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Thanks, Dave.
03:51Dave, it is awesome to be here at Mossers. It's great to be back in Schuylkill County.
03:56And I've learned a whole lot today. Let me say I love your competitive spirit. I'm competitive as hell.
04:03I want to be number one at everything. And I love that you brag about Mossers being number one.
04:09And I want you to not only be number one as you're situated today, I want you to be number one with an
04:15even bigger lead over whoever the hell is number two. And so we're going to work together to make sure
04:20that happens. It's an incredible story that we learned about here today. But I think for me,
04:28the thing that is really so incredibly special is that this is our eighth generation. And I think what
04:35is so unique about Pennsylvania agriculture and Pennsylvania farming is how so many of our farms
04:42that are producing wonderful foods, produce, you name it, are family owned. You know, I'm proud of the
04:48fact that we've got more small and midsize farms per capita than any other state in the entire country.
04:54I don't want our farms just to be taken over by big corporate interests. I want family owned farms to
05:00thrive here in Pennsylvania. And Mossers is a great example of that. And so it's very special to be with
05:07you. It's awesome to be here with your folks. And very, very cool to be here with the next generation.
05:13I was already making sure that they've got plans to come work here and maybe you could follow
05:18grandpa's footsteps and run for township supervisor to don't run against him. You can run when he's
05:23done and then we'll go from there. But I'm really grateful for the fact that this is family owned and
05:30and that you have such a rich legacy and a rich tradition. I want to just say, Lila, here you are.
05:37Thank you very much for coming and joining me in Harrisburg for a conversation about the way our
05:43farmers support our food banks about a month or so ago. And I told you then I wanted to come visit
05:49and I stayed true to my word. And we're here today. I also want to bring greetings from Secretary Russell
05:55Redding who couldn't be with us today. His wonderful wife, Nina, who basically uses all of the butter
06:03produced in Pennsylvania for her peanut brittle around holiday time. She unfortunately hurt her
06:08ankles. So she's dealing with that today. So Russell sends his best. And I also just need to say
06:15to one of Schuylkill County's own and a former employee here, Katie Wieshock,
06:20we stole her from monsters. She works for us at the governor's residence and is doing amazing,
06:26amazing work. And I know sources, the potatoes that we eat at the governor's residence from right here.
06:32So I want to say it just feels wonderful to be here with all of you and to be at a company that
06:39has been growing potatoes here in Schuylkill County for over five decades. And to hear about the plans
06:46that Dave and others have here for the next five decades is really, really, really exciting for us.
06:52And I think puts Pennsylvania in a unique position to dominate the market on potatoes,
06:59particularly as the company in the east. And we want to push as far west as we can and as far north
07:06into Canada as we can as well. Not just for the increasing, hopefully the number of employees
07:13from over 450 here and harvesting more acres of potatoes, but because it makes Pennsylvania the
07:20leader when it comes to ag and when it comes to potatoes. And I think it is really important that we
07:25grow upon that. And monsters is a key reason that we're going to be able to do that. I say this all
07:31the time. Ag is big business here in Pennsylvania. 600,000 of our fellow Pennsylvanians work in agriculture.
07:39We generate $132 billion annually for ag. Yet sadly, too often times when politicians or folks in Harrisburg
07:49talk about ag, they talk about it as though it's something historic. They talk about it as something,
07:54as part of our heritage. And yes, it is a critically important part of our heritage,
07:59but it is absolutely vital for our future. And I think to disrespect that, to not honor the future
08:07of ag is something that we can't allow anymore. That's why for the first time in 20 years,
08:14Pennsylvania now has an economic development strategy written by my administration,
08:20adopted by my administration. We're carrying it out in my administration. Why do I mention
08:24economic development? Because for the first time ever, agriculture is central to our economic
08:30development efforts. In fact, we're focusing on five key areas, everything from life sciences to
08:36energy, manufacturing, robotics, and agriculture. So ag is now at the center of everything we do from an
08:43economic development perspective. So no longer are we just funding our high rises in our cities or our
08:49suburban sprawling office parks. That's important, don't get me wrong. But I think the future of
08:54our commonwealth, the future of our economy runs right through farms and companies like Mossers,
09:00and we've got to invest again. I spent a whole lot of time listening to farmers, listening to our
09:05agriculture interests, and they talked to me about the need for more capital and more innovation,
09:10more opportunity there. And so I called for in my first budget, the creation of a new ag innovation fund,
09:19a fund that will allow places like Mossers and others to deploy technology in ways to enhance their
09:27farming. We're now the only state in the nation with such a fund, thanks to the fact that we were able to
09:34bring Republicans and Democrats together in the legislature to support my vision, to support our budget,
09:40and to get a new 10 million dollar ag innovation fund off the ground. I'm here today because
09:47Mossers, well hey I want to be here because I thought it was cool and I want to learn more, but
09:51also because Mossers is one of the first recipients of an ag innovation grant that's going to take
09:58that machinery right there and basically double its capacity, allowing more acreage to be farmed,
10:05more potatoes to be able to make it to market, and more opportunities for Mossers with their new
10:11eight row planter. I understand once it's fully up and running you'll go from about a thousand acres,
10:16you could go all the way up to two thousand acres, and we're excited about that. I'm excited not just
10:22for Mossers, but I'm excited for what this says to other ag interests, other farmers across Pennsylvania,
10:28that if you're committed to making sure, if you're committed to farming here in Pennsylvania,
10:33we're committed to helping you do that and bringing the best technologies to bear
10:37to allow you to increase your product and increase your capacity. In this year's budget,
10:44I'm calling for doubling the ag innovation fund. We started at 10 million dollars, we were overrun with
10:50applications, Mossers just really stood out, that's why they were one of the first recipients,
10:55we've got to now double that to 20 million dollars, so more and more of our farmers can benefit from that.
11:03In addition to funding ag innovation, we're going to fully fund the Pennsylvania Farm Bill again.
11:09We're also looking, and we've done this already and we want to expand on this, to increase the number
11:15of people working in agriculture, and I think one of the best ways to do that is to have more apprenticeship
11:21programs across Pennsylvania, specifically focused on ag. So while you can go to an apprenticeship
11:28program and learn how to be a welder, we think that's great, we also want you to have an apprenticeship
11:33program that allows you to learn dairy herd management, for example, and other skills that are
11:38needed on our farms across Pennsylvania. So what we're trying to do is start in our schools exciting
11:44people about ag, showing them the way to a future in ag, and you all better do that, right, when you
11:50graduate, learning how you can take a nutrition degree from Penn State, bring it here and adopt that
11:57in ag, using the technology skills that you have, using the apprenticeship program that you went through
12:03to gain the skills necessary to complement our ag industry and to sustain it going forward. So we think
12:10those apprenticeship investments are really, really important. We're also working with our farmers
12:15through critical investments to improve soil health and the quality of land that they steward. We learn a
12:21lot from our farmers about what they need and we invest in that. We're also really pushing hard on
12:27organics. I'm proud of the fact that on my watch we've started an organic center of excellence. We've also
12:33started a center for plant excellence to drive new research, innovation and business growth to ensure that we
12:39remain a national leader in the green industry and that PA preferred logo that you see on different
12:46things at the supermarket. We've expanded that to have PA preferred now PA preferred organic. I want
12:53people in other states seeing that PA preferred logo and knowing that's the best quality that came from
12:59our farmers in Pennsylvania. It must be the best and so I'm going to choose that at the grocery store
13:05over something else. Listen, we're doing well on ag. We've got some challenges and we're addressing them
13:11as well. I brought Democrats and Republicans together to support my budget that included a fund for high
13:16path avian influenza, both detection and to help us deal with it. We're actually the only state in the
13:22nation with a fund to help our poultry farmers whose flocks have been wiped out, making them whole again.
13:28That's really, really important. We also know that we've got to do more testing to help in ag and so
13:35I'm proud after I think 20 years of folks talking about this, we finally got a western lab funded and
13:40we're getting that built to help our testing capacity and mitigate future disease outbreaks. We think all of
13:48those investments are really important and it's important to have partnerships, not just with the
13:53folks who vote for the budgets in the state and allow us to drive dollars out like this, but also
13:58to make sure we're working with our federal counterparts as well. And so we work closely with
14:03them to try and make sure that Pennsylvania gets its fair share. Talk to Senator McCormick and our
14:09congressional delegation. I've worked with Secretary Rollins as well to make sure that Pennsylvania gets
14:14its fair share of dollars. And listen, I'm also going to stand up to them when they do something
14:19that hurts our farmers. Unfortunately, the Trump administration recently, and this is where Lila
14:25and I first got to know each other, they cut a really important program that funded 189 farms to
14:32provide produce and whatever it is that they farm to local food banks for folks who are hungry.
14:39Unfortunately, this was an incredibly successful program and I understand about 10% of the potatoes
14:45that you sent out to market was making their way into these into these food banks. We have got to
14:52make sure that that program gets restored. We had a three year contract with the federal government,
14:58with USDA, and they cut it after just three months. So they've got a legal process we're going through
15:03now. I'm hopeful that the secretary will rethink that, stop hurting Pennsylvania farmers, stop hurting
15:09Pennsylvania food banks and get those dollars to flow again to Pennsylvania farmers and to
15:14Pennsylvania food banks. It's super important that that be part of the work that is being done by
15:21our farms. We have an abundance of food that is farmed in Pennsylvania. No one should have to go
15:27hungry. And I think it is one of the most noble things in the world you can do to feed your neighbors.
15:33That's what masters is doing. And I want to make sure that the initiatives at the federal level
15:39aren't hurting their ability to do just that. So we're going to stay on that as well. And we're going to
15:44continue to make sure that investments are made in places like this on the technology needs they have,
15:51on the expansion needs they have to make sure, as you said, when you put that finger up at the
15:55beginning, that we are not only number one, but that we are number one by a long way. And I think
16:01monsters has the ability to do just that. And I couldn't be more proud to be here today to announce
16:07this investment to see the incredible work that's going on here and to be able to be part of helping
16:14you all dream big things about your future here. So thank you for welcoming me here. It's good to be
16:19back in Schuylkill County. Guys, thank you for all the good work that you're doing in the community.
16:24Proud to partner with you on a number of economic development fronts. And I look forward to taking a
16:29few questions from you in a few moments. But first, I want to invite Lila up to talk a little bit more
16:34about the initiative she's working on here at monsters. Again, it's been a privilege to get
16:39to know her and to learn more about the important initiatives she's worked on to help feed those
16:45who are hungry with the delicious potatoes coming from here at monsters. Lila, the floor is yours.
16:50Thank you. Thank you, Governor Shapiro. Thank you. And thank you to the monster family and to all
17:00of those on our team that have made this possible because it wouldn't be possible without the family,
17:05the leadership and the team with us. So if we can give a big round of applause to all those who made
17:09this day possible.
17:13We'd also like to recognize our elected officials, county representatives, county leaders and I
17:20give a shout out to our Tri Valley High School Superintendent who's been a champion of ag and who's
17:25helped building the workforce of tomorrow, investing in apprenticeships and giving us an opportunity to
17:31build ag from the ground up. It's my honor and privilege on behalf of the Mausser family of
17:37companies as the vice president of marketing to share with you a little bit today about this ag
17:42innovation grant. So honored to be one of the recipients of this brand new economic investment into
17:49the future of ag for Pennsylvania as a lifelong farmer, a resident of not Schuylkill County Adams
17:56County. I am proud to see it championed right here in a place that we say grown where it matters.
18:02Would you all agree growing where it matters in Schuylkill County? We would like to also share
18:09that this wouldn't be possible if we didn't have the opportunity to know what it was like to have
18:14our four row planner trying to cover not only three counties, be crossing 130 farms, 1400 individual
18:23fields. We appreciate the opportunity to take ag innovation and invest it in an eight row planner.
18:31One of the first ever to come to our operation to allow us to be more efficient, be more mindful of
18:38our conservation means to do a job that doesn't impair the soil. It minimizes compaction and it provides
18:46us an opportunity to use liquid fertilizer versus dry fertilizer. We're working with Spudnik to put
18:52together this new opportunity planner that will bring our workforce to a precision planning with this eight
19:00row planner. Now many of you already know this but I will share there's a Mausser advantage. We call it
19:07you plant to conditions not the calendar and we know in farming you get a sliver of a window of
19:14opportunity to get the seed in the ground. Many of you know today is beautiful but tomorrow is rain
19:20forecasted. We need to plant our potatoes some between mid to late April to the very beginning of June.
19:27If we plant too early we have a frost risk. If we plant too late we see declined yields. So for us
19:36speed and efficiency with precision matters and while we have one of the best farm teams anyone could
19:43have with almost 30 team members working tirelessly to ensure that crop the machinery will make all the
19:50difference for us. It's also important because we service retail partners not only in this state but
19:57across the country and I too like being part of a winning team right? That's right. We want to lead the
20:02nation's spud production and this innovation ag innovation grant allows us to take advantage of
20:08an opportunity to build for the future. As you look at the ninth generation sitting in the audience with
20:14us today we are investing not in today but we're investing in the future of tomorrow for agriculture in
20:20Pennsylvania. It's significant for us as we know competition is all around us but is impaired for us as a
20:28family owned and operated eighth generation business building for tomorrow. We need to do it and get it done
20:34today.
20:37So in conclusion I would like to also recognize all of those who have fought for the support of governor
20:45Shapiro and his administration to bring egg to the economic pillar that it is today and the future is
20:51impaired impaired impaired that we do the right thing by investing in tomorrow for local food and local
20:58growers. Again a shout out to governor Shapiro and his team secretary reading and our local officials for
21:05your leadership and unwavering support of the future of Pennsylvania and to the incredible farm families
21:13that we work with across this state the region and the country that allows us to make sure that we're growing
21:19experiences that nourish to make a difference for tomorrow. Again thank you for the opportunity to
21:26lead the way with egg innovation and for making our state first in the nation to invest in egg innovation.
21:32Together we are sowing seeds for a brighter and prosperous future in Pennsylvania agriculture.
21:41And with that I'd like to introduce Kyle Hefner from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
21:54Mr. Governor, distinguished guests, it is indeed an honor and privilege to stand before you today
22:01to thank for your support through the Ag Innovation Grant Program. My family operates a diversified dairy
22:08farm in Pine Grove, Schuylkill County. We milk 220 cows, we grow fruits and vegetables, and we produce wine, and we
22:17sell it in our roadside market. The farm has been in our family since 1910. My three children represent the
22:25fifth generation to operate the farm. As with any business, the need to innovate is extremely important.
22:34In agriculture, we continually face challenges such as weather, increasing expenses, and labor shortages.
22:43We are also a recipient of this money. We plan to use the grant to install robotic milkers on our farm,
22:53which will free up family labor to do other labor that needs to be done.
23:01We also received some money from the Center of Dairy Excellence.
23:05It's that money we used to develop a transition plan to bring the fifth generation into ownership.
23:15When I was in high school, one farmer fed about 25 people.
23:20Today, that number has escalated to over 150 people. The need to increase our efficiency will also grow.
23:31I believe that the future of agriculture will also focus on smaller farms doing on-farm processing and
23:39selling directly to the consumer. This will increase the need for funding to get the projects up and
23:47running. Everything from fruit and vegetable processing to meat and milk processing.
23:54The need for this program is going to be great. We've entered a new era, the era of sustainability,
24:05where we need to get food from farm to table more efficiently to more people than ever before.
24:13Thanks to the Ag Innovation Grant Program, Pennsylvania is on the forefront of this era.
24:24Mr. Governor. Thank you, Kent. Thank you. Thank you.
24:27You know, I love beginning with Dave talking about this place being number one and Kent talking about,
24:35close the program with Kent talking about us being on the forefront when it comes to Ag.
24:39I think for a lot of years, Pennsylvania either fell behind or we were kind of treading water.
24:45We're moving again and we're being innovative and this Ag Innovation Grant being the first in the nation
24:50is an example of that and it is working and we're going to keep coming back here to see your success
24:56and holding that up, not just to highlight and celebrate the work you're doing, the work your
25:01pop and mom and others did before you. But to make sure that we are using this as an example to
25:06encourage other farmers and other Ag interests across Pennsylvania, we think you're a terrific role
25:12model for others and grateful for the chance to be with you here today. I'll take a few questions from
25:17the media. Unfortunately, I have to go back to the Capitol. I'd rather just wander around here all day.
25:22It's way more beautiful. But if the media has got any questions, we're happy to answer them.
25:26Are you concerned there could be more cuts of federal funding than programs that support agriculture?
25:33I am. Look, I mean, they're obviously going in a new direction in Washington. Certainly,
25:39they're right to do that. But I'm going to work to make sure that they understand that if you're cutting
25:45rural health care, if you're cutting funding for agriculture, if you're cutting these vital lines
25:51that help our farmers, if you've got a tariff policy that hurts our farmers, I'm going to let them know
25:57that that's hurting Pennsylvania. I'm going to try and push back on that and try to do my best to
26:02convince them not to make those cuts. I want to be really clear that when they cut funding in Washington,
26:08D.C., whether it's for rural health care or funding that goes to our farmers,
26:12we don't have the capacity to make that up. So that will be felt in rural communities. It'll be felt by
26:18our farmers. So I'm doing everything I can behind the scenes to try and talk to our lawmakers in D.C.
26:25and let them know that the path they're on would have really, really devastating cuts that would,
26:31I think, disproportionately harm rural communities.
26:38Yeah. Welcome back to Schuble County. I believe this is your second time here as
26:43sitting governor. Yeah. Before that, I think it was Wolf in 2014-ish or 15-ish. Wow. You're a
26:49student of Pennsylvania government. Good for you. More local history. Yeah. I love local history.
26:57We're seeing a lot more state investment here than I've seen in my lifetime or that I've seen,
27:02look, reading through old archives of the Shenandoah Evening Herald. Yeah. Like here, this grant,
27:07the grant of his dairy farm down the road. Higgins has got a new municipal building thanks to a state
27:13grant. And back home in Shenandoah, we're building the first new building downtown since Rite Aid in 2000,
27:20thanks to a state grant. Do you want to talk about the commitment of Schuble County and
27:25why it's important to be here and why it's important to invest in a county like ours?
27:29You know, when I was campaigning to be governor, I said there were too many communities that oftentimes
27:34were forgotten, ignored, left behind. And I made clear that I was not only going to show up in those
27:40communities, but I was going to listen. I was going to learn from the people in those communities
27:44and I was going to deliver for them. To me, that was a central point that I was trying to make to
27:51people all across Pennsylvania. I gave you all my word I was going to do that. And now I'm delivering
27:56on my word. Now understand that it is a two-way street. And let me explain what I mean by that.
28:01There's no investment here in potatoes in Schuble County if there's not a monster. So we find,
28:09whether it's the private sector or our public sector leaders who have their acts together,
28:15we find partnerships that we can invest in. When your county commissioners come to us and say,
28:20hey, this is particularly important, we've worked out all the kinks, we've worked out the details,
28:25we've got bipartisan support, then that's something we want to invest in. When a company comes to us and
28:30says, look, we're doing great and we've got our act together, but we can do even greater with a
28:35little bit of help on an ag innovation grant, we want to make that investment. So I think it's a
28:40combination of one, I give a damn about this community and two, I've been here enough to listen,
28:46to learn and to find the folks that are working together and support their work. One thing, look,
28:52I used to be a local elected official. I was a county commissioner. I don't want to show up in a
28:57community and tell them what they ought to do. I want to come to a community where they're working
29:01together and they've got a plan and I want to make sure that we are helping and investing in that.
29:07I think it's also really important to note that the dollars that we are investing here,
29:13like this grant here today for ag innovation, come as a result of my work with a divided legislature.
29:20In fact, when this passed, I was the only governor in the whole country with a divided
29:24legislature, Senate led by Republicans and House led by Democrats. I don't share that to be partisan,
29:30I just share that to tell you my reality. So for these things to get to my desk, for this funding to
29:35be available, the only way that happens is by bringing Republicans and Democrats together to make
29:42those investments. And that is something I'm really proud of, that we've been able to do that. And I
29:47think that's the way we need to focus more in government, finding common ground, listening to people
29:52on the ground who have their act together, working with the private sector, because government doesn't
29:57have all the answers, and then delivering on something that can have a real and tangible impact.
30:02When they open the wings on this thing, it won't be this one, but it'll look like it. They open the
30:06wings and they've got eight rows instead of four, and they can increase their capacity. That means more
30:12jobs, more potatoes, more revenue, and more opportunities for Pennsylvania to be on the map for ag.
30:17It's a big deal, and I'm proud that we can play a part in that.
30:23Anything else? Yep. Governor, what kind of programs would be funded by the Ag Innovation
30:28Fund as of right now? We've seen a lot of cuts with the USDA specifically when it comes to the
30:33Climate Smart program. I've had farmers reach out to me saying that they have lost the ability to plant
30:38blueberries and other plants that would be resistant to Pennsylvania's changing climate.
30:43What kind of programs could they possibly get funding for for their farms?
30:48Well, again, we're investing in ag at a time where seemingly the federal government is divesting
30:55and taking money away. We're putting dollars in, and we think it's really important to make these
31:00kinds of investments. I want agriculture to be the center of our economy in Pennsylvania,
31:06and one of the best ways you do that is by cutting taxes, something that I've worked hard to get done,
31:11and make the kind of investments that we're making here at Mossers. I think part of those investments
31:18have to also contemplate climate. You mentioned that in your question. The climate change is real.
31:24Anybody who works the lands knows that climate is having an impact on the way they farm and the
31:31impact on agriculture. And what we need to do is arm our farmers with the best information,
31:36the best technology, the best research in order to do that. Some of it comes through our investments.
31:43Some of it comes, you go to Penn State, right? Some of it comes from our great institutions like Penn
31:48State that are studying this, doing the research to help our farmers be able to work within the limitations
31:56that climate change puts on us. So it's all investment for us. It's all cooperative for us.
32:04It is going to be made harder if the federal government walks away from rural communities,
32:10walks away from our farmers. So if I give a dollar to a farmer, but they lost two because of federal
32:15cuts, that's going to hurt that farmer. We're not going to cut. We're going to keep investing. We think
32:20this is important. And I'm going to do everything in my power to let our federal officials know now's the
32:25time to be investing in ag, not taking dollars away. Go ahead. Sorry. And then also last month,
32:35the FDA canceled the milk testing program, specifically as refers to high path avian
32:41influenza. Where is Pennsylvania on that testing? I know obviously we have that plant in Western PA.
32:47Will we be still be testing raw milk for high path avian influenza? Yeah. And look,
32:52this is another example. We are, by the way, you should be asking your federal officials these
32:57questions, but I'm happy to happy to answer them and they're fair questions. But here's the thing.
33:02We are the only state in the nation who created a high path avian influenza fund
33:07to support our poultry farmers when their flocks get wiped out. I think we have about 60 million bucks,
33:1362 million bucks, if memory serves me correct, sitting in the bank available for our poultry farmers
33:20when the worst crisis hits their poultry farms. The best way to stop that worst case scenario
33:27is to do the testing, is to try and make sure you're testing these flocks. If you get a bad test,
33:34you're able to isolate that as quickly as possible so it doesn't spread either throughout that particular
33:41farm or to others. And so the federal government removing dollars and removing capacity to test
33:50just makes it harder for our poultry farmers, just makes it more likely that high path avian influenza
33:55is going to spread. I shared this directly with Secretary Rollins in a meeting. Secretary Redding
34:01and I were both there together with governors from other states. I mean, it was bipartisan. I might
34:07have actually, I think, been the only Democrat in the room, maybe one of only two, because the point
34:11is like ag shouldn't be a partisan exercise. Ag shouldn't be about, you know, helping one state
34:16over the other. Ag should be about something that lifts everybody up. And we've got to make sure that we
34:22are stopping the spread of things like high path avian influenza, which hurts our farmers. And I,
34:28I pleaded with Secretary Rollins not to make those cuts. Unfortunately, they did. So on that front,
34:35because we have this fund available, we're able to help our poultry farmers. But it's going to be
34:40harder and harder to sustain that over the long run if the feds roll back the investments that they had
34:46previously been making in rural communities. Okay, we good? Hold on, we got to let Mr. Mosser
34:54get the last word here. Sir, the floor is yours. This is part of a comment. Kent and I sit on
34:59Schuylkill County's farmland preservation board. We're appointed by the commissioners and we have
35:05great support from the commissioners for that program. And we appreciate your continued support
35:10from the Department of Agriculture on that program. We've got a lot of farmland around here that
35:14we have in the program. And that helps preserve the land we need to produce the food we need.
35:23Thank you. And by the way, thank you for not just running a heck of a business,
35:27but thank you for your willingness to go and represent your community as a supervisor. That is
35:33hard work. And by the way, you don't need to do that work. And the fact that you do says a lot about
35:39the kind of culture you have here in this in this company in this community. So appreciate that.
35:44And of course, your leadership at Penn State and many other things. So thank you. All right. Thanks,
35:50everybody.