A3MHiCMI>r Farming, Saturday, july 1,1995
Busy Week For Pennsylvania Agriculture De j
(Continued from Pago A 1)
Groundbreaking
During the groundbreaking
event for the new diagnostic labor
atory, Bnosius shared the stage
with Secretary of the Department
of General Services Gary Crowell,
and Maria Keating Tltleman, the
governor’s deputy chief of staff for
government affairs and cabinet
liaison.
Crowell talked about how this
project was significant because of
the cooperation within govern
ment, the agricultural industry and
the private sector to move Pennsyl
vania toward. (
Titleman, who represented Gov.
Ridge for the ceremony, talked
about the importance of the project
not just to die animal agriculture
industry, but to all Pennsylvanians.
She also cited a fact that 70 percent
of thes3.6 billion state agriculture
industry business comes from ani
mal agriculture.
Saeaking last, Brosius reiterated
Titlonan’s observation of the eco
nomic importance of the animal
agriculture to the state and to all of
its residents.
“It becomes obvious what an
Gov. Tom Ridge talks to Dorothy Brosius, mother of the
Secretary of Agriculture Charles Brosius, while the secret
ary’s wife Jane looks on.
From the left, Secretary of Agriculture Charles Brosius,
Maria Keating Titleman, deputy chief of staff for govern
ment affairs and cabinet liaison, and Secretary of the
Department of General Services Gary Crowell symbolically
break ground forthe construction of a $6.7 million diagnos
tic laboratory adjacent to the state agriculture building. The
lab is actually to be located on the north end of the building,
not on the south side.
integral part this new laboratory
will play in maintaining the inte
grity of the health of the animal
population in the
Commonwealth.”
He explained that the new $6.7
million lab. expected to be com
pleted next summer, has “primary
responsibility for the regulatory
testing of the Department (PDA),
and is the primary site for import
export testing an increasingly
important component for Pennsyl
vania’s animal industry.”
When the state’s Summerdale
Laboratory, built in the 19205, lost
its accreditation, other, out-of
state facilities had to be used for
necessary health certification tests,
sending money out of this state’s
economic system.
Further, the animal agriculture
industry has changed in all aspects
since the 1920 s and the threat of
spread of disease between animals
and between animals and people
has been gready increased.
“ With the very dense popula
tions of animals (in close proximi
ty to large populations of people)
in Pennsylvania, the threat of dis
ease is real and ever present
From the left, District Justice Thomas Martin Jr. administers the oath of office to
state Secretary of Agriculture Charles Brosius who holds his left hand, unseen, on his
mother’s 75-year-old bible. In the background, looking on is Sen. Earl Baker.
“We have had some tragic
experiences with diseases, and the
ability of this lab to respond in a
timely way to assist the producers
in the state is essential.”
In recognizing those who helped
bring about new laboratory, Bro
sius said, “It needs to be made per
fectly clear that I am here reaping
the benefit of the very hard work of
a lot of dedicated people.”
He recognized the facilities
designer, the members of the the
state’s Animal Health Commis
sion, and the cooperating universi
ty laboratories with whom PDA
has the tripartite Animal Health
and Diagnostic System.
Specifically, Brosius mentioned
Animal Health and Diagnostic
System partners. Dr. Alan Kelly,
dean of veterinary medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania New
Bolton Center, and Dr. Channa
Reddy, acting head of the Veterin
ary Science Department of the
Penn State University College of
Agricultural Sciences.
Brosius also made a special
point of recognizing former Sec-
Sitting at a table after signing into law an act which splits and renames the Depart*
ment of Environmental Resources, from the left, Brenda Shambaugh, lobbyist for the
Pennsylvania State Grange, Gov. Tom Ridge, and Secretary of Agriculture Charles
Brosius. Shambaugh actually shouldn’t be sitting there. The seat should be occupied
by DER Secretary James Seif, who is standing at the left.
retary of Agriculture Boyd
Wolff ”... under whose leader
ship the project was conceived and
developed.”
He also recognized Robert Bit
tenbender, secretary of the budget,
”... without whose support and
approval this project could not
have become reality.”
A drawing of the proposed
laboratory building was displayed
during the event, but details, such
as the specific types of services,
number of square feet, number of
people employed, etc., were not
made available by presstime.
Swearing In
The administration of the oath
of office to Secretary Brosius was
even more well attended.
The lobby of the agriculture
building was packed with
people senators, lobbyists, rep
resentatives and leaders of the
state’s agricultural organizations,
friends, family, department staff,
camera crews, photographers,
journalists all crowded around
a platform where Gov. Ridge and
'artment
Secretary Brosius sat with Sen.
Earl Baker, chairman of the Senate
Labor and Industry Committee,
who presided over the.ceremony.
Rep. Joseph Pitts, chairman of the
House Appropriations Committee,
and District Justice Thomas Mar
tin Jr., who administered the oath.
Not only did Martin and Gov.
Tom Ridge go to Dickenson Law
School together, but Brosius was
Martin’s 4-H advisor when Martin
was growing up on his family
farm, the fourth oldest family farm
in the state.
Also on stage was Brosius’s
mother Dorothy and his wife Jane.
Nearby were his sisters Peggy and
Elinor, one of his sons, Harold, a
grandson Kyle, a daughter-in-law
and two granddaughters.
Brosius took the oath of office
by swearing on his mother’s
7S-year-old bible.
At least a couple hundred people
couldn’t fit inside the lobby, but
were pressed up close to the lob
by’s large glass windows, and
almost completely occupied the
(Turn to Pago A 39)