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Agriculture

Free workshop hosted by Penn State Extension

LEWISTOWN — Penn State Extension Mifflin County officials say older farmers are often concerned about how they will step away from their businesses and still pass them along to the next generation or operators. They also worry about their retirement living expenses and how Social Security or Medicare fits into the picture. That’s why Penn State Extension is hosting a free in-person workshop, “Setting the Stage for Succession: Retirement Planning,” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Penn State Extension office, 152 E. Market St., Suite 100, Lewistown, to assist ...

Ensuring that your first Thanksgiving feast is food-safe

UNIVERSITY PARK — Hosting your first Thanksgiving gathering can be a challenge, whether it is for a party of four or 20. Planning and preparation are key, and as part of that, first-time cooks should be sure to incorporate good food safety practices, according to a food safety expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “Food safety considerations are always important but can be challenging for those who are planning their first holiday event, especially when they are preparing more food than they normally prepare,” said Martin Bucknavage, senior food safety ...

Minimum dairy pricing policy could expand production, affect water quality

UNIVERSITY PARK — A dairy pricing policy originally proposed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic could have resulted in dairy farmers getting 10% more for their products if the policy had been passed, according to a Penn State study. The research, led by College of Agricultural Sciences researchers and based on a model of livestock production in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, found that this price increase could have led to an approximately 13% expansion of the local dairy industry. Additionally, the model suggested that an increase in livestock production also would lead to ...

$1 million in grants to boost sales of Pennsylvania crops

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is accepting proposals for $1 million in grants to increase the competitiveness of the state’s horticultural specialty crops including fruit, nut, vegetable, nursery, honey, and floral products. Projects will be funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant program, which is administered by the state. “Pennsylvania leads the nation in floriculture, mushrooms, and other specialty crops,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “These grants feed Pennsylvania grower profits by increasing ...

Research finds WIC vital — but is vastly underutilized

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, is vital to the health and well-being of nearly half of our nation’s babies, along with millions of young children up to age five and their mothers. Yet, recent research based on 2021 data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service shows more than six million of those who are eligible for the program are missing out on its proven health benefits. The just-released study reports that an average of 12.13 million moms, babies, and young ...

Select microgreens in custom diet may help deliver desired nutrients

UNIVERSITY PARK — A diet including a carefully selected assortment of microgreens may help address an individual’s nutritional deficiencies, according to a Penn State researcher who led an international team that evaluated the mineral content in young specimens of many different plant species. “Under controlled environmental conditions, we grew 17 different species of microgreens — which are simply the young seedlings of edible plants — belonging to seven different botanical families, and we analyzed those for their yield performance,” said Francesco Di Gioia, assistant ...