More young people, women taking an interest in Pennsylvania's agriculture

Centre Co., PA (WJAC) — Farming and agriculture-related work always face challenges, ranging from weather conditions to the economy, but here in Pennsylvania, it remains one of our top industries, generating billions of dollars every year.

Thousands of people were once again on hand for opening day at Ag Progress Days, including many from the younger generation.

In fact, Pennsylvania tops the nation with its number of young farmers.

“We have more young farmers under the age of 35 than any other state in the nation which I think is a vote of confidence. It should encourage us to think about public policy that we are adopting.”

At Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, classes are full, with a recent trend emerging.

“I think one of the most interesting things about our college right now is that two thirds of our undergraduates are women. That’s a continuing trend.”

Pennsylvania's Agriculture Secretary and the dean of Penn State's Ag Sciences say that farming, production, distribution and the related fields are all continuing to evolve, as they have always have, but one of the biggest challenges now is an international issue.

“We are challenged by what has happened by the grain market, and directly connected to what happened in Ukraine, the unprovoked war by Russia. It’s driven all those commodity markets.”

Here at home, farmland, the fertile soil and how more of it is being lost are concerns of the state’s Ag Secretary.

“Yeah, I worry about it. It’s much like the conversations on preservation and what gets preserved from the standpoint of accommodating single family housing. We have business demands on it.”

Pennsylvania is among the nation's leaders in farmland preservation programs.