Agriculture is related to almost every aspect of the Pennsylvania economy, but the industry’s role is changing.
“It is a big part of our economy; agriculture and agriculturally oriented businesses, which include everything from food processing to animal nutrition, farm equipment sales to landscape design and installation, generate significant cash receipts in the region,” says Judith Schwank, Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Delaware Valley College.
Smart Business spoke with Schwank about how the agriculture industry is changing and how those changes will affect other businesses and the economy.
How does agriculture affect area businesses?
Agriculture is extremely important in this area. The region is blessed with a temperate climate, good soils and a long history of farming as a valued contributor to the local economy.
There is a production side and a consumption side to agriculture. Production includes farming — the production and processing of food and fiber. The consumption side is the marketing and sales of those products, everything from grocery stores and farm markets, to consumer-supported agriculture outlets, restaurants and food service operations.
How is the role of agriculture changing?
Fewer people have direct ties with agriculture and most of the population has little understanding of how their food is produced and processed. That has an impact on consumers’ understanding of the importance of agriculture and how it affects their lives. Nevertheless, people are becoming increasingly interested in how their food is produced.
They have legitimate questions about the environmental impacts of agricultural production. Food safety has been an issue of great importance for some time. However, concerns about food security, or the availability of wholesome food products to consumers of all income levels, are also being raised.
In addition, the idea of purchasing and consuming locally produced foods versus food products that have been shipped long distances has also generated great interest.
Many of our best farmers and others involved in agriculture are taking this recent interest in food production and turning it to their advantage.
What are some of the challenges the agriculture industry faces?
People worry about environmental issues related to production practices in agriculture, the use of pesticides, how waste products from agriculture are handled and how they may impact our water, soil and air quality. Dealing with these issues can be challenging. In an area where there is so much development, farms are not isolated from residential areas and neighbors occasionally experience inconveniences related to modern farming practices. Suburbanites may be disconcerted by these issues if they have no prior knowledge or experience related to agriculture.