Center for Rural Pennsylvania

𝐎𝐜𝐭. 𝟏𝟔 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚 💊 📢 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors, Center staff, and other state and local officials and stakeholders are holding a public hearing at Kutztown University in Berks County to address the pressing challenges of the opioid crisis and substance use disorders in the Commonwealth. This will be the Center’s 20th hearing focused on opioid and SUD issues, coinciding with its 10-year anniversary of addressing the public health emergency. 📆 Wednesday, October 16 ⏰ 10:00 a.m. 📍 Georgian Room of Old Main at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 15220 Kutztown Rd., Kutztown, PA 19530 🎥 www.SenatorGeneYaw.com

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently announced the launch of its first-ever $10 million Agricultural Innovation Grant Program! 🌱 This program aims to help support new solutions and technologies to build the future of American agriculture in the Commonwealth. Learn more at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gDjv-72V. Applications must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2024.

The Pennsylvania Rural Population Revitalization Commission recently held its first Listening & Learning Session, hosted by the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission, at the Bradford County Community Center in Towanda. This session brought together regional stakeholders and community members to address demographic challenges and explore key issues affecting rural communities in the Northern Tier. Commission Chairman Dr. Kyle Kopko, along with Commission members Drew Popish, Northeast Regional Director for the Office of Governor Josh Shapiro, and Mark Critz, Western Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, outlined the Commission's goals and led discussions during the session. Thank you to the Northern Tier for organizing this event and to everyone who participated. The Commission looks forward to hosting more sessions and continuing its engagement with rural areas across the Commonwealth.

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently announced the launch of READY Grants to Grow. This new $9M funding opportunity will award grants of up to $500K to organizations seeking to build individual, organizational, or community capacity in Appalachia. Any organization that is eligible to apply for an ARC grant is eligible to apply for READY Grants to Grow. To learn more, join ARC for a pre-application webinar on October 10 and register at this link ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eMn8EF8m, or visit its website at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gDqjYQTu.

Participation in the National School Lunch Program decreased by 3.9% from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2018 to FFY 2023, reflecting changes in student enrollment and food security. #DataGram #HungerActionMonth 🍎 https://lnkd.in/egDpzRMi

The Penn State Law Rural Economic Development Clinic provides law students with practical legal experience in the food and agricultural sectors. Working under the close supervision of law faculty and staff attorneys who are licensed Pennsylvania attorneys, student attorneys can provide assistance to farmers and agricultural businesses in a variety of legal matters. The Rural Economic Development Clinic is now accepting applications for its Fall 2024 semester. This semester, the clinic is looking to assist farmers and agricultural businesses with legal issues, including the following: ☑️ Agricultural labor issues arising from children and youth working on-site; ☑️ The provision of worker housing for agricultural laborers; ☑️ Liability protection for agritourism operations; ☑️ Compliance with the American with Disabilities Act in agritourism operations/accommodation of service animals; ☑️ Solar leases; ☑️ Carbon contracts; and ☑️ Liability protection for farm or value-added products sold at farmers’ markets or other direct sales outlets. To take advantage of this opportunity, interested individuals and organizations should send an email to Ross Pifer at rhp102@psu.edu providing a detailed explanation of the specific legal services desired along with appropriate background information. The Clinic may not be able to provide services to all who request them, but we will do our best to serve the greatest number of clients possible, consistent with our resources and the legal expertise of the student attorneys. Any questions regarding the Rural Economic Development Clinic can be directed to Ross Pifer at rhp102@psu.edu. Learn more at ➡️ aglaw.psu.edu.

📑📊💧 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg, is conducting a survey of municipal wastewater treatment plants focused on the beneficial use and disposal of wastewater treatment solids. The results will help update the Center’s 2007 report, "Biosolids Disposal in Pennsylvania” (https://lnkd.in/gPtJiSn4), and assess current biosolids management practices. 📨✍🏻 If your municipality has received the survey via mail, we kindly ask that you complete it at your earliest convenience. Your input is crucial for accurately informing the General Assembly about trends that impact our wonderful municipalities across the Commonwealth. If you have already submitted your survey, thank you for your participation. We look forward to sharing the findings with you!

📢💬✍️ 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘀: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 ✅ The Center for Rural Pennsylvania welcomes proposals to revise its Community Planning Handbook to address community planning and visioning in light of rural population change. As noted in a 2023 report by the Center and the Pennsylvania State Data Center, rural Pennsylvania’s population will shrink by approximately 5.8% by 2050. ✅ Currently in its Fourth Edition (2013), a revised and significantly updated Community Planning Handbook will incorporate new community planning materials consistent with best practices, informed by the scholarly and/or community development literature and the practical experiences of the authors. Furthermore, the revised Handbook will focus on addressing population change within rural communities. ✅ Proposals are welcomed from independent stakeholders, nonprofit groups, and any entities eligible to enter into a contract with an agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in addition to higher education institutions. ✅ The review of proposals will begin on October 21, 2024, and continue until a successful proposal is accepted. Final proposals should be submitted to commission@rural.pa.gov. ✅ Learn more and download a proposal submission form here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ed5diwfA.

With a focus on enhancing community well-being and economic growth, Pennsylvania is benefiting from $16.9 million in Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) funding allocated across 10 Appalachian states. These investments will support projects to modernize electrical grid infrastructure, establish micro-venture and angel investment funds for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and expand job skills matching and career support services in PA’s rural communities. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gwvZAGRs  #PAGetsItDone 

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 💻 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is hosting a webinar discussion with researchers on its recently published reports analyzing utility-scale solar energy in Pennsylvania. 🗓⏰ This webinar is scheduled for Monday, October 7, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., online via Zoom. Featured speakers are authors of two recent Center reports, including: ✍️ Hannah Wiseman, J.D., Penn State University, "Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Solar Development on Pennsylvania Farmland." ✍️ Russell Hedberg II, Ph.D., Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, "Baseline Assessment, Development Process, and Regulatory Context of Solar Power in Rural Pennsylvania." 📝📲 To register for the webinar, click this Zoom link ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ekMrVRic, or scan the QR code in the flyer below. USDA Rural Development PA, Daniel Blottenberger