A 38-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 15,1986 HARRISBURG - State Agriculture Secretary Richard E. Grubb said today that Governor Thornburgh’s 1986-87 budget proposal is “good news for the state’s agricultural community.” .“Everyone involved in agriculture, from the farmer to the food processor, from the agribusiness owner to the retail grocery clerk received good news from the Governor’s proposed budget,” Grubb said. “The $141.5 million in personal and business tax cuts have a positive effect on all phases of the state’s leading industry.” The Governor’s budget request also seeks a four percent increase in direct program support for the Department of Agriculture, more than twice the rate of the state General Fund budget increase. Grubb said the budget request for the Department totals $30,017,000 in General Fund ap propriations to the Department, to cover the wide range of services provided by the Department. The current year’s budget provides $28,790,000 for similar services. “Governor Thornburgh has included several major new initiatives for agriculture in his budget request,” Grubb said. “These initiatives include $300,000 in funding for an export development initiative with the Department.” “Calendar year 1986 has been proclaimed by the Governor as the ‘Year of the Exporter’,” Grubb said. “This initiative will establish a mentor program to provide direct assistance to individuals and companies entering the export marketplace, expand the Department’s data base to support export development, and enable Agriculture to work much more closely with the Commerce Department in coordinating export programs.” Another major initiative in the budget is a $75,000 request for funding of a long range agribusiness strategy. “This long range planning effort will be conducted in conjunction with the state’s agricultural and academic communities,” Grubb said, “and should outline strengths. Announcing the Blue Halter Sale The Pennsylvania Guernsey Breeders’ Association recently announced their annual Blue Halter Calf Sale and Annual Meeting Bred Heifer Sale. This is the eighth consecutive year for the Blue Halter Cale Sale, which is run as a promotion for the Guernsey breed. This sale enables and encourages young exhibitors who wish to show Guernsey cattle by presenting a group of cows that has type and conformation. These animals entered in the sale are animals that will do well a two year old and can compete with the best in the show ring. A bonus of this sale is the 10 percent discount given on any heifer purchased for a youth project. The sale is managed by the Pennsylvania Guernsey Breeders’ Association and The Merryman Company. Both sales will occur as the conclusion for the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Guernsey Breeders’ Association on March 15,1966. Grubb says Thornburgh’s budget is “good news” weaknesses and options to insure the future growth of Pennsylvania agriculture.” Grubb said that the budget also sets aside $174,000 for an Agricultural Network, to establish a computer link for the Depart ment, its regional offices and laboratories to provide more ef ficient service to the farm com munity. “Animal health problems have continued as a focus in the Governor’s budget proposal,” Grubb noted. “He has requested a $500,000 supplemental ap propriation to help pay indemnities to poultry farmers whose birds were depopulated to control spread of avian influenza. He has also requested an increase in animal indemnities funding for next year of $125,000 to include indemnity payments to swine producers whose animals are infected by pseudorabies.” Grubb said an increase of $229,000 has also been requested for Agricultural and Animal Research funding. In his seventh annual budget address, Governor Thornburgh told the General Assembly, “We have a right to be proud, but not complacent. We must remain open to new ideas to meet the new challenges and opportunities of a changing world.” The Governor’s budget calls for a reduction in the personal income tax from 2.2 to 2.1 percent, the lowest rate in eight years; a reduction from 9.5 to 8.5 percent in the corporate net income tax; and an exclusion of the first $25,000 from the capital stock and fran chise tax, which will benefit all small agribusinesses. The state’s $9.4 billion spending plan refocuses economic development programs and provides a number of other agriculture related initiatives; * a new Renaissance Com munities Program combines a variety of state programs to provide up to nearly $lOO million in aid to assist areas of persistent high unemployment. * a new emphasis on helping Pennsylvania businesses and farmers export their products. * a |lOO million, 20 year strij mine cleanup program to reclain 15,000 acres of abandoned surface mines. * a Phase II Bridge Restoratioi and Replacement Program in volving 2,000 state and loca bridges at a cost of $1 billion. * substantial increases foi Customized Job Training, the Pennsylvania Industria Development Authority, the Bei Franklin Partnership and othei programs which spur business expansion and job creation. The Governor also recom mended establishment of a new governor’s school on agriculture al Penn State, to provide training al an advanced level in the state’s number one industry.
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