SHAP President Andrew Schwalm (left) and PVGA President Rita Resick with Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and PVGA Executive Director William Troxell (right).
The Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association and the State Horticulture Association of Pennsylvania together recognized a special friend of Pennsylvania’s fruit and vegetable growers – Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding – on January 31, 2023, at the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Banquet at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey.
When the two groups voted to give this recognition, they were expecting it to be a farewell to Redding’s time as Secretary but both groups were more than glad to learn that he will be continuing as Secretary under Governor Joshua Shapiro.
One could go on at great length about his accomplishments and his in-depth understanding of complex agricultural issues like dairy pricing, crop insurance and workforce development. He has led the initiative to develop the first state-level Farm Bill in the nation and is recognized nationally as an agricultural leader by his peers in other states. Mr. Redding has not only served longer as Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary than anyone in recent history, he has done so with a dedication that is unmatched. Anyone who follows him on social media knows how many events each week that he attends across the state highlighting, promoting, and advocating for Pennsylvania’s farmers. The Pennsylvania agricultural community is truly blessed to have a leader like Russell Redding and both organizations wanted to express in this small way their gratitude to Mr. Redding for his work on behalf of Pennsylvania farmers.
The Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association periodically likes to recognize individuals who have demonstrated a longstanding record of service and dedication to either the vegetable, potato and/or berry growers across Pennsylvania or the Association with a Life Membership. The PVGA Board of Directors voted to also grant Secretary Redding a Life Membership in the Association in recognition of his service to not only Pennsylvania vegetable, potato and berry growers, but to all of Pennsylvania Agriculture.