Initiative 6: Expanding Farming to Reduce Food Deserts
As Governor, Stacy Garrity will cut red tape so local farmers can sell directly to their communities, with faster permits and simpler rules. She will build real partnerships between farmers, nonprofits, and members of the community to get fresh food where it’s needed most. Stacy Garrity will turn Pennsylvania’s farms into the solution for Pennsylvania’s food deserts.
Initiative 5: Increased Funding for Disaster Relief
Disease outbreak for livestock is costly for the farmer and is time sensitive for containment once it is identified. The avian influenza outbreak of 2022, which is still unfolding, has shown that an outbreak can be damaging to family poultry farmers. As Governor, Stacy Garrity will work with the legislature to preserve and strengthen the PA Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account to assist in quick responses in the event of another outbreak for both livestock and plant disease.
Initiative 4: Preserving Farmland
Governor Josh Shapiro has welcomed multi-billion-dollar out of state data center developers into Pennsylvania with open arms. As Governor Stacy Garrity is going to ensure that data centers are not built on farmland, as these projects threaten Pennsylvania’s agriculture or agribusiness. The Garrity-Richey Administration will take the following steps for data centers:
Step #1: Pause Future Development so local communities understand the impacts,
ask questions, and provide input.
Step #2: Give Local Residents Final Say because the people who live in the
community should determine its future.
Step #3: Prioritize Brownfields to limit problems in neighborhoods and increase
land value.
Step #4: Bring Your Own Energy and water so local ratepayers do not get stuck
with the tab.
Step #5: Lead on AI to continue Pennsylvania’s legacy of innovation and for the
betterment of the Commonwealth.
Initiative 3: Protecting Pennsylvania Farmland from Bad Actors
400,000 acres of Pennsylvania farmland in the Commonwealth are foreign owned.
Stacy Garrity will advocate for legislation that prohibits foreign entities, especially those that pose a threat to the United States’s national security, from purchasing
any of Pennsylvania’s farmland.
Initiative 2: Cutting Government Red Tape
As Governor, Stacy Garrity will launch a new F.A.R.M (Farmers Aid and Rural
Management) office at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. This one stop
office will be directly coordinating with other Government Agencies, so farmers
do not have reach out to multiple parties when trying to accomplish one goal. This
office will also be the center of all filings for farmers There will no longer be a
need for farmers to submit different filings to multiple agencies. Additionally,
agencies will focus on rolling back regulations in three key areas:
Initiative 1: Building the Next Generation of Farmers
Pennsylvania has only 150 FFA programs across 501 school districts, limiting agricultural education access. As Governor, Stacy Garrity plans to double the number of FFA programs in schools to ensure all students can pursue agriculture careers.
Additionally, to support workforce development, she will expand tax credits and grants for professional education by building on existing programs like the Penn State Extension partnerships. A proposed Farmer Education and Training Tax Credit would provide refundable or non-refundable credits to active farmers to offset costs of approved training, certifications, and workshops.
Stacy Garrity for PA Governor vists with Farmers and Ranchers at KYLE (Keystone Youth Livestock Exposition)
