Press Release - Congressman Murphy Honored by Pennsylvania Farmers

Congressman Murphy Honored by Pennsylvania Farmers

Washington, Oct 11 - Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) was awarded the "Friend of Farm Bureau" award last night by the American Farm Bureau Federation for his support of policies helping farmers. He was presented with the award during a town meeting of the Washington County Farm Bureau.

"With more than 250,000 acres committed to farming, Washington County is the third largest agricultural county in Pennsylvania," Congressman Tim Murphy said. "The more than 2,500 farms in the County account for more than $30 million production, making agriculture a vital part of Southwestern Pennsylvania's economy. America must have an agriculture policy that promotes families and allows small farmers to compete."

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The Friend of Farm Bureau award is given to members of Congress who have been nominated by their state Farm Bureau and approved by the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors. Congressman Murphy's support of repealing the estate tax, protecting farmland from the government exercising eminent domain for economic development, and eliminating our dependence on foreign energy earned him the award.

"Decades of hard work and memories are lost because of the estate tax," Murphy continued. "Over time a farmer can increase his assets by building barns, raising more livestock, and purchasing new equipment, but have very little in terms of cash assets. When the farmer passes away, his children are forced to sell the farm to get the cash to pay the taxes. We must end the death tax once and for all to keep family farms in business.

"Last spring, the price of fertilizer increased by 50 percent because of the high cost of natural gas used to produce it. The energy bill passed by Congress will increase oil and gas exploration in the United States, and promote the use of alternative energy sources. This will have a direct impact on lowering the costs for farmers."

Today's award also reflects the efforts by Congressman Murphy and the local farmers, to keep the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office at its present location, serving Washington and Greene counties.

"Washington County is a regional center of the state's farm production," Murphy concluded. "More than 900 farms have benefited from FSA subsidies and received close to $8 million in assistance. Keeping the Washington County office at its current location ensures the needs of local farmers will continue to be met."

http://murphy.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=51445