A2o*Lancnt»r Farming, Saturday, Dacambar 10, 1994
Master Farmer was to spend his
days during the next eight years in
the capital city.
“At the time I had good advice
from back home,” Wolff said.
“They told me, ‘Use common
sense and always tell the truth.’
Yet, I was not ready for the partisan
politics and the scrutiny that goes
with public life. Being ag secretary
is hard work. You do as many
things behind the scenes as you do
in public accomplishments. I cer
tainly have a greater respect for
public workers. There are a lot of
good people in government.”
As a farmer, Wolff received rec
ognition as a conservationist and
for his service to many farm orgni
zations. Through the Pennsylvania
Farmers Association, now the Pen
nsylvania Farm Bureau, Wolff was
exposed to the workings of govern
ment through this organization’s
legislative agenda in both Harris
burg and in Washington, D.C.
When it became apparent that
some of the people in the Democra
tic Party seemed to have written off
all the area of the state between
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to the
Republicans, Wolff started a rural
organization of farmers to have
some influence on the Democratic
Party. This effort gave Wolff the
opportunity to be named to Pen
nsylvania’s top ag post
Wolff lists a number of accomplishments in his tenure that give
him satisfaction in his work. The farmland preservation program,
started in 1989, has permanently protected more than 58,536 acres
of prime farmland in the state. And the animal health commission
and the ground work for the new animal health laboratory adjacent
to the department of agriculture has been the result of this admi
nistration’s efforts.
Retiring Pennsylvania Ag Secretary Boyd Wolff and his
wife Peggy share a moment at home. Wolff served in Gov.
Robert Casey’s cabinet for the last eight years.
For Boyd Wolff, A Farm Perspective
Adds Real Value To His Professional Achievements
In addition, a most recent
accomplishment is the food pro
cessors residual management
program that took a lot of coordina
tion between many agencies and
the legislature.
On the other side, Wolff lists
two major disappointments. The
effort to reform real estate taxation
did not pass. And all the milk
promotion organizations in the
state could not be brought together
to work as one unit
Wolff believes the ag secretary
should be a fanner. “If you have
been a farmer, you bring a different
perspective to government than a
person does from academia or
political circles. I believe a farmer
can make a difference in govern
ment,” he said.
New regulatory responsibilities
have recently been placed in the
Pennsylvania Department of Agri
culture (PDA). This means not
only does the secretary speak for
farmers but also this person helps
regulate what they do.
Wolff believes it makes sense to
have these responsibilities com
bined. For example, in July,
restaurants will be inspected by
persons under the jurisdiction of
the secretary of agriculture. This
makes sense because all the other
points in the food chain are regu
lated by PDA. Also, sometimes the
regulations help keep the problem
of one farmer from hurting another
farmer. PDA may quarantine one
herd with tuberculosis so many
other herds ate protected.
“When I came to Harrisburg, I
was fortunate to have known some
thing about how government oper
ates from my work with PFA,”
Wolff said. “You don’t come here
and expect to change everything in
a few weeks. You need to work
within the system, but you can’t
lose patience. You just go back and
try again. In the eight years I have
been here, it never entered my
mind that I wanted to quit In fact I
never thought about it until some
one recently asked me the
question.”
“I have had two very fortunate
things happen to me in my career,”
Wolff said.
The first happened when he was
a college student He said, “My
parents struggled to keep the farm
going until I could take it over after
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I graduated from Penn State.”
The second happened when he
needed to retire from the farm
because of health reasons. “Then 1
had the opportunity to become sec
retary of agriculture.” he said.
To survive in farming, Wolff
believes you need to master four
concerns, first being government
regulation related to the environ
ment Federal and state laws must
be made so they are tolerable to
fanners.
Second. GATT and NAFTA
make farming a world economy
with a competitive scope to mark
eting. “We may not be as competi
tive as we should be,” he said.
Third, how we handle biotech
nology will determine our future
existence as farmers. These new
innovations such as BST are here,
and we can’t ignore them if we are
to survive.
And fourth, we need strong con
sumo* advocacy. “We don’t mis
treat our animals, and we are con
cerned about the environment The
consumer needs to know this,” he
said.
“I have been very fortunate to be
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ag secretary, and I believe we have
accomplished much in the last
eight years,” he said.
“You ask, ‘What am I going to
do now?’”
“I must say I don’t have any idea
what I will do when I leave office.
I’m only 63 and not ready to quit. I
have a standing joke with Gene
Shenk (press secretary) that he
should make me a sign for my
office that says I will work for any
one who will supply me with good
Pennsylvania food.”
On Jan. 17 when Wolff leaves
office, he and his wife Peggy will
continue to live in Harrisburg near
their three daughters and families
that include a granddaughter. And
he will find someting to do. But for
now this chapter in his life has
come to a close. For this ag secret
ary, subjective insights added
greatly to the importance of his
professional achievements.
Best wishes, Boyd!
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