Bloom Video Highlights PA Agriculture

State Representative Stephen Bloom
199th District, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abbey Fosnot RepBloom.com
[email protected] Facebook.com/RepBloom
717.260.6222

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2012

Bloom Video Series Highlights Future of PA Agriculture

HARRISBURG – A series of four new short videos exploring the future of Pennsylvania agriculture in the 21st century is now available online, said Rep. Stephen Bloom (R-Cumberland).

"At the 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show I had the opportunity to speak with current and future leaders in Pennsylvania agriculture, as part of my ongoing ‘Your Connection w/Rep. Bloom’ video series," said Bloom. "In these clips, I interview some key people at the forefront of government, agri-business and agricultural education about the impact the ag industry has on our economy today and how it is likely to evolve in the future."

The first new video titled "Growing PA Preferred Jobs," features an interview with Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary George Grieg about the impact of the PA Preferred program on growing jobs and economic success in the agriculture industry. Bloom was the prime sponsor of the Pennsylvania Preferred Act, signed into law in 2011, which strengthened the PA Preferred brand and established permanent status for the market-driven PA Preferred initiative.

"I think sometimes people don’t realize the high quality and diversity of our state’s agriculture products," said Bloom. "In this video, Secretary Grieg discusses the wide variety of Pennsylvania products and businesses that contribute to our job climate and economy, and the boost they’ve gotten through the use of PA Preferred marketing."

The second video, titled "Today’s Agriculture Tour," features an inside look at modern farm technology through a tour of the popular Today’s Agriculture exhibit at the 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show with PennAg Industries’ Executive Vice President Chris Herr.

"This new, unique exhibit helps to show how farmers feed our growing population by opening the barn doors to display typical day-to-day farm operations in modern animal agriculture," said Bloom.

In the third video, Bloom asks the question, "How will local 4-H Scholarship winners impact the future of PA ag?" Two 2012 Farm Show 4-H Scholarship winners from Cumberland County talk about their future careers in and around agriculture.

"Agriculture has one of the highest career placement rates of any type of college major right now, and is an excellent field in which to get a job," said Bloom. "The students in this video are representative of the many exemplary youth who have demonstrated a strong commitment to Pennsylvania agriculture through programs like 4-H."

The final video in the new collection asks the question, "What is the future of agriculture in the 21st century?" Bloom speaks with agricultural educators from Big Spring High School and Cumberland Valley High School as well as a statewide FFA officer about the impact Pennsylvania youth will have on the future of the agriculture industry.

Interested citizens can access the four latest videos, by visiting Bloom’s website, RepBloom.com, and clicking on the "video" tab, or by visiting YouTube.com/RepBloom. DVD versions are also available by request from Bloom’s office at (717) 249-1990.

# # #