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Local legislators and representatives of the county conservation district gathered to share a breakfast and their thoughts on programs offered by the state to help those in the farming community.
Thanking the legislators for the increased funding conservation districts have received statewide, Matthew Long, district manager for the county's conservation district, said, "This funding allows us to attract and retain talent and staff that we have."
"Conservation districts are grassroots conservation. We're boots on the ground across the county and across the state," he said.
"We're now helping residents with concerns, projects, issues and education," he added.
Long detailed the many programs offered through the county's Conservation District which is headquartered at the Lysock View Complex.
"We've been in the county for a long time helping with a lot of local knowledge," he said.
"We've worked with a lot of local ag owners and we've worked with some for many years," he said.
"Conservation districts were founded on the principle of working with landowners to protect land and improve water quality and that's what we're here to do...we have a great history of working with the residents of Lycoming County and we hope to continue growing that," he said.
Long mentioned the $1.94 million in Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) grant funding the county has received. So far they have used $3.23 million of the funding on various projects.
Because grant monies come with specific timelines for when they have to be used, which can cause issues with finding contractors who are available within that timeline to do the work.
"There's only a handful of people in the agricultural scene that are doing those types of designs and that type of construction, so we have to work with them with what they're able to do," he said.
"The ACAP is going to be a fantastic program moving forward and I truly hope that they will find a dedicated funding source so that we can keep it moving forward in perpetuity," Long added.
Brenda Shambaugh, Executive Director for the PA Association of Conservation Districts (PACD), also addressed the need for dedicated funding for conservation programs.
A dedicated funding source is derived from an ongoing source, such as taxes or fees.
Shambaugh pointed to state and federal monies coming to the state for the conservation districts.
"We have for the last two years or so an additional $6.8 million in the state budget for conservation efforts and that was incredible to have that opportunity to have all that extra funding," she said.
"But, much of that funding on the state and federal level will come to an end in 2026. What we need is some kind of dedicated funding to continue all the great programs that not only are happening here, but happening across the Commonwealth," she added.
Sen. Gene Yaw, (R-Loyalsock), offered a solution-tax and regulate skill games and use part of that revenue for conservation projects, such as clean streams.
"The estimates are if we taxed and regulated skill games we would generate $300 million a year," Yaw said.
He touched on energy in the state, stating that the emphasis is on solar, which he called "the flavor of the month."
"Right now we're not planning for what happens at the end of their useful life," he said.
He noted that a bill passed in the Senate and is now sitting in the House.
"A lot of people say, well, it doesn't go far enough, well, okay, then the solution is to do nothing," Yaw said.
"That's kind of the attitude a lot of people have. One of the things that we hear in Harrisburg all the time is don't let the perfect get in the way of the good. The perfect piece of legislation has never been written. We need to do something and sitting back and doing nothing about the decommissioning of solar arrays and disposal of solar panels is, in my opinion, irresponsible, because it's coming and it's coming probably faster than what we'd like," he said.
Pennsylvania has the most diverse energy portfolio in the country and a lot of opportunities, Yaw said, adding, "I don't think we're taking advantage of all of them."
Yaw noted that the state has more young farmers than any other state in the country.
Rep. Joe Hamm also referred to what he called the "logjam" in the House referring to a lack of action on legislation.
"We're allowing politics to get in the way of common sense. Common sense has got to prevail. We've got to get things done. We've got to move Pennsylvania forward and the only way we do that is by working together," Hamm said.
Also speaking at the event were Rep. Jamie Flick, who spoke of his background in farming. Lycoming County Commissioners Scott Metzger and Mark Mussina, offered brief comments. Commissioner Marc Sortman also attended the breakfast.
The commissioners have allocated $1 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards agriculture in the county because of wanting to spend the funds on things that were "generational."
"We're still looking for ways to spend that money and I heard some great ideas this morning," Metzger said.