Briefing to focus on farming’s impact
Chester County Economic Development Council hosting Friday event
UWCHLAN » The Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) will host an agriculture breakfast briefing this week to talk about the economic impact of agriculture and its future in Chester County and Pennsylvania.
Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Team Pennsylvania and the Chester County Economic Development Council, the event will be held on Friday, Oct. 12, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the council’s headquarters, 737 Constitution Drive, Uwchlan.
The event is geared for business leaders from non-agricultural industries, according to Gary Smith, president of the Chester County Economic Development Council.
“We want to inform and enlighten the non-agriculture community about the challenges farmers are facing,” Smith said, adding that the message is to talk about the importance of agriculture and what is being done to elevate the issues.
Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry yields $135.7 billion in annual economic impact and employs nearly 580,000 Pennsylvanians, according to the Chester County Economic Development Council’s website.
Chester County has more than 1,700 operating farms, which Smith said makes agriculture — in terms of landmass — the largest business in the county.
Across Pennsylvania, there are more than 5,000 preserved farms, whose owners face pressing issues that range from tariffs to unprecedented market conditions, according to the release.
“It’s tempting to romanticize the life of the local farmer. But just as with any other industry, if we cannot develop our farms into viable and growing businesses, they will disappear,” added Smith, a life-long farmer. “This issue is becoming even more critical as we preserve
more and more open space for farming, and we must pinpoint economic development solutions that help those existing farms to operate profitably.”
During the meeting, Team Pennsylvania will present findings of the “PA Agriculture: A Look at the Economic Impact and Future Trends” report alongside private-sector members of the PA Ag Advisory Board. The panel will include: Michael Smith, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Executive Deputy Secretary; Kelly Kundratic, manager of Agriculture Policy & Programs, Team Pennsylvania; Gale Ferranto, president of Buona Foods Inc.; and Scott Hauseman, senior vice president, Agriculture Financial Services, Fulton Bank.
Friday’s meeting is the first of a series of meetings to be held across Pennsylvania to identify issues and work with local partners to implement potential solutions.
Among the topics to be discussed are: the economic impact of agriculture and its future in Pennsylvania; viable economic development efforts for Pennsylvania and the region’s next generation of farmers; and public policy that enables a sustainable living for farming families.
Smith was born and raised on a 112-acre Chester County dairy farm, a farm he still operates. He has also been with the economic development council for 42 years. He describes himself as a “rare hybrid person,” with both a strong agriculture and economic development background.
Smith said people sometimes ask him if economic development is “contradictory” to the operation of a farm.
“I say, no, farmers are business people. We operate factories without walls,” he said. “We are growing and producing things on open land that people happen to enjoy.”
Breakfast and networking Oct. 12 begin at 7:30 a.m.; the program begins at 8 a.m. Registration will be taken up to the day of the event, and walk-ins are welcome.
“It’s tempting to romanticize the life of the local farmer. But just as with any other industry, if we cannot develop our farms into viable and growing businesses, they will disappear.”
— Gary Smith, president, Chester County Economic Development Council