Ag Progress Days a chance to hear, and be heard by, policymakers

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- If you have an interest in learning about or influencing laws, regulations, policies and government programs related to agriculture, food and natural resources, Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 15-17, will present opportunities to do just that.
 
A variety of events and exhibits will feature state and federal agencies, state legislators, state cabinet secretaries, a congressman and the governor of Pennsylvania.
 
--At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, and Rick Roush, dean of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will host a "town hall" forum in the College Exhibits Building theater. They will discuss priority issues facing Pennsylvania agriculture, with a special focus on water quality regulations and Penn State research and extension programs designed to help farmers comply with state and federal requirements.
 
--At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, the Pennsylvania House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees will hold a joint informational meeting in the College Exhibits Building theater. The committee will discuss and hear testimony on Phase III of the state's Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan. Phase III plans will provide information on actions the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania, intend to implement between 2018 and 2025 to meet federally mandated bay restoration goals.
 
--At noon on Wednesday, Aug. 16, in the Ag Progress Days Special Events Building, Gov. Tom Wolf will join Penn State President Eric Barron, legislators, local officials and agricultural leaders for the annual Government and Industry Day luncheon. Wolf, Barron, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Penn State Dean of Agricultural Sciences Rick Roush will speak at this invitation-only event.
 
--At 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, in the College Exhibits Building theater, U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson will hold a "Barnyard Discussion" focusing on policy issues, the federal farm bill and the state of Pennsylvania agriculture. This forum will provide an opportunity for the 5th District congressman, who is vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, to hear directly from stakeholders representing various sectors of Pennsylvania agriculture.
 
In addition, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Building will house exhibits and presentations covering a variety of state programs, including the industrial hemp research program recently enacted by the General Assembly. Plant scientists also will offer a free bus tour to Penn State industrial hemp research plots at the surrounding Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, daily at 2 p.m.
 
Other state and federal agencies represented at the event will include the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Farm Service Agency and National Agricultural Statistics Service.
 
Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 15; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 16; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 17. Admission and parking are free.
 
For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can share information about the event using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and Facebook users can find the event at http://www.facebook.com/AgProgressDays.