Letter: Pa. budget stalemate threatens farming

ISSUE | PA. BUDGET

Farming threatened

We are all hidden victims of the state budget crisis and lawmakers who refuse to compromise, but now we're facing deep cuts to programs that help put food on our tables.

Penn State's agricultural extension programs are national leaders in innovation, and the state's small investment pays off massively. Universities such as Penn State do the research and provide modern methods to our farmers - and the savings are passed on to us.

These agricultural extensions are not funded through tuition, but through the state's annual budget. With a lack of funding, not only will more than 1,000 direct jobs be lost, but also countless others in industries related to agriculture.

The budget crisis also could end the 4-H program, meaning even fewer young people will choose agriculture as a career.

As minority vice chair of the House Agriculture Committee, I urge you to contact your lawmakers and tell them we need to act on a balanced budget before it's too late. The lack of a state budget is putting pressure on our schools, our social service agencies, and now Pennsylvania's number-one industry. We can't afford to lose any of them.

|Sid Michaels Kavulich, Democratic state representative, 114th District, Taylor, Pa.