The following policy resolutions were adopted by the General Membership at the Annual Meeting of the Association on January 29, 2014, to set forth the position of the Association on various issues that impact the vegetable, potato and berry industries of the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania State University
Supporting the current practice of six trustees being elected by the agricultural societies.
Supporting an option for agricultural trustee election delegates to vote online from the Extension Offices.
Local Government
Supporting legislation that exempts landowners from requirements for septic service or septic fees on tracts that have no septic systems on the property.
CRP/CREP
Supporting the limitation of the CREP Program to highly erodible land of 6% or more slope and/or Class III or higher soils, not to exceed 50% of the cultivated farm acres of the farm and include all environmentally sensitive areas.
Transportation
Supporting legislation to prohibit local municipalities from exceeding PennDOT regulations and arbitrarily lowering road weight limits to prevent the establishment of agricultural operations that have entered into a verifiable planning process.
Supporting changes to the vehicle code that would authorize issuance of annual over-width permit for farmers and agricultural custom operators which would exceed the current width allowed by law to transport farm equipment on highways.
Supporting provisions to allow farmers and agricultural custom operators to move implements of husbandry 14 to 18 feet wide on public roads during daylight hours without a permit if escorted.
Supporting changes to the vehicle code that would authorize issuance of annual excessive weight permits for vehicles hauling all crops during harvest.
Supporting requirements that the corridor of travel be clear of limbs and branches for 25 feet from the center of the road.
Supporting proportional reductions in Liquid Fuel Tax reimbursements to local municipalities for each road that local authorities reduce the weight limit below 80,000 pounds for agricultural use.
Supporting increasing the current cap on taxable value of fuel subject to the Oil Company Franchise Tax to $1.75 per gallon, provided that additional revenues generated through an increase in taxable value above the current level be used exclusively for road and bridge repair and improvement.
Public Utilities
Supporting requirements that a minimum of 15 feet height of all utility lines be required.
Supporting requirements that any above-ground gas/utility structures on agricultural lands be marked at a minimum height of six feet and be a visible reflective color.
Supporting requirements that all new permanent land survey markers be buried four feet deep and be GPS activated and all temporary markers be at least six feet tall and reflective.
Uniform Construction Code
Supporting changes to the Uniform Construction Code (Section 403121) that would exempt small business structures which are less than 2,500 square feet and do not exceed an average of 25 vehicles per day.
Conservation Districts
Supporting requirements that when ag structure plans are submitted to the conservation district there should be a time limit no longer than 45 days for a decision.
Supporting requirements that Conservation Districts be required to inform landowners who inquire if their properties potentially contain wetlands.
Supporting the ability of all conservation districts to opt in or out of their compliant policy (DEP Agricultural Enforcement) with the State Conservation Commission every three years.
Solid Waste Management
Supporting the development of a recycling program for ag plastics by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Taxes
Supporting the exemption of high tunnels from real estate and sales taxes.
Supporting a prohibition for counties to change the assessment value of any individual parcel of real estate, solely on the basis of sale or conveyance of the parcel.
Supporting the expansion of the farming exemption from inheritance tax provided under Act 85 of 2012 to include transfers by will of any farm being commercially operated at the time of death that will continue to be operated under ownership or lease of the succeeding owner for a period of seven years after transfer.
Food Safety and Good Agricultural Practices
Supporting the following provisions in the rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act:
- a 120-day interval between the application of raw manure if incorporated and the harvest of a crop unless there is scientific evidence show the need for a longer interval;
- involving state departments of agriculture in the enforcements of the Act;
- provisions to allow farm packing houses to pack produce from other farms if their main purpose is to pack their own produce without registering as a food packing facility subject to the Preventative Controls rules;
- using the only the sales of covered produce to determine whether a farm is exempt from the Produce and Preventative Controls rules;
- traceability alternatives that are feasible for small growers;
- exemption of produce auctions from being registered facilities subject to the Preventative Control rules;
- development of agricultural water quality standards that are science-based and are feasible for growers with multiple sources of water;
- reasonable allowances for wild animal intrusions;
- clarification of how variances and alternatives to the rules can be obtained;
- resources for the development and testing of variances and alternatives specific to regions or classes of growers;
- flexibility in the rules to allow for advances in knowledge and technology;
- exemption of retail farm markets from registration as a facility and the Preventative Controls rules; and
- requirements that imported produce meet all the same food safety standards that domestic produce is required to meet.
Supporting the publishing of a second draft of the Produce and Preventative Controls rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act that would be open for further public review and comment.