Nearly 100 policymakers and agricultural practitioners from the five states in the Mid-Atlantic region joined PSPA on December 5, 2024 virtually for “A Conversation with the Secretaries of Agriculture in the Region”, a panel discussion with the Secretaries/Commissioners in these states that are critical for the food supply chains that feed people on the East Coast…
- Kevin Atticks, Secretary of Agriculture for Maryland
- Richard A. Ball, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- Russell C. Redding, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture
- Michael T. Scuse, Delaware Secretary of Agriculture
- Edward D. Wengryn, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture
PSPA President Jessica McAtamney welcomed the members and guests, noting how much leadership from the state departments is needed to provide a structure for the ag and food industry. She introduced Dr. Scott Sheely, Secretary of PSPA, who moderated the discussion around three questions…
- Briefly profile agriculture in their state.
- Describe a project from within the Department of which you are particularly proud.
- Tell us what challenges keep you up at night.
From the descriptions by the Secretaries, poultry and dairy continue to have a large footprint across the region but each state has other niches that are important to the overall ag picture…hardwoods and mushroom in PA; watermelon in Delaware; blueberries and vegetables in New Jersey; yogurt, cottage cheese, and sour cream in New York; and fruits and vegetables in Maryland. This specification means that the region provides commodities as well as much more focused products.
As expected, the Secretaries described initiatives that focused on markets, provided strategic leadership around articulated goals, supported weakness in the charitable food system, liaised with policymakers on items of health and safety, and advocated for public support for issues that ranged from dog licensing to avian influenza prevention.
Two issues – AI and workforce – seemed to be among the items that worried the Secretaries most. The recent documented cases of AI being found among dairy workers seems to have taken the conversation to a new level with California leading the way but with all of the other states attending to what happens. Federal partners provide some support but state government bears much of the burden. The other issue is workforce. Increasing skill levels among ag occupations is on everyone’s mind but the bigger problem appears to be a concern for the number of workers available to work in larger ag operations…farms, packing houses, orchards, meat processors, and many others.
Takeaways from the session concluded that…
- the close collaboration of the states can help offset some of the larger, more structural problems that develop,
- ultimately, the weaknesses in infrastructure of the food supply chains that showed themselves during the COVID epidemic will drag down the industry if not fixed, and
- the issues of immigration must finally be addressed after decades of ignoring it.