Student Farm Club members are taking action to advocate for their University, as Penn State, and particularly its agricultural programs, are being hit hard by the ongoing Pennsylvania budget stalemate.
At a meeting in early March, Student Farm Club members wrote letters to state legislators, urging them to pass Penn State’s appropriation for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, which is currently nine months overdue.
Hayly Hoch, co-director of the Student Farm Club, said it was important for students to write to their legislators because the future of Pennsylvania agriculture is tied to the budget crisis.
“As future leaders in the agricultural industry it is important for our group of students to stand up and demand action to ensure that sustainable agriculture education continues to thrive in Pennsylvania,” Hoch said.

Student Farm Club members wrote state legislators in Harrisburg, asking them to approve funding for Penn State
Penn State’s agricultural extension program is one that has been particularly adversely impacted by the budget crisis. The University announced recently that it will need to make major cuts and layoffs to the extension program, which provide invaluable services to communities across the Commonwealth, if it does not receive the state appropriation soon.
Hoch said that while established programs are forced to make cuts, administrators cannot consider allocating new funding for new and emerging programs, like the Student Farm Initiative.
“We are at a critical point in our program development where we are seeking sustainable funding sources,” Hoch said. “And without a budget, University officials are scrambling to fund current educational programs like extension and research, let alone commit funding towards building a brand new program, like ours.”
By halting the progress of programs like the Student Farm Initiative and others, the legislature is stalling development of sustainable agriculture and food systems education, which will negatively impact Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry — the largest industry in the state — in the long-term, Hoch said.
The Student Farm Club’s letter writing was in coordination with an initiative of the University Park Undergraduate Association (student government) to lobby the state legislature to pass Penn State’s appropriation from the state. The Student Farm Club members’ efforts in taking a stand for their University were recently recognized during a staff webinar by the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, who pointed to the Student Farm Club as organization doing its part to help in this crisis.