Because Pennsylvania is losing farmers each day, the Department of Agriculture is funding various programs to help retain farmers in the state, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff told a group of young students yesterday.

"Some of the best future opportunities [for farming] are right in this room," Wolff told the crowd. "It brings us renewed hope as we try to bring agriculture to a higher level in Pennsylvania."

Wolff spoke to 64 students from the Pennsylvania Governor's School of Agricultural Sciences yesterday morning about issues facing the state's farmers.

With the number of farmers in Pennsylvania decreasing and 300 acres of open space being lost to development every day, Wolff said it is especially important to focus on young people interested in agriculture.

Wolff, who is a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, said he is concerned about Penn State not receiving its requested appropriation amount to fund agriculture research and cooperative extension programs throughout Pennsylvania because the department values the impact that extension has had on the state's farmers.

"We will try to help [the programs] in any way we can to carry out that mission," Wolff said. "We look at them as a partner... we will consolidate our resources with them."

Katie Hetherington, assistant to the Governor's School, said the school invited Wolff to speak as part of an agriculture-related speaker series. Each year, 64 of 250 applicants are chosen to attend from throughout the state based on grades, letters of recommendation and their resume.

Wolff was on campus primarily for the Agriculture Awareness Foundation of Pennsylvania Ag in the Classroom program, in which he gave two lectures to secondary education teachers on the current policy of agriculture, said Department of Agriculture spokesman Michael Smith.

Wolff has been a dairy farmer his entire life, and owns the well-known Pen-Col Farms, a 600-acre, 400-head dairy cattle operation that specializes in purebred Holstein genetics in Millville. He said this hands-on experience has helped him to best represent the farmers of Pennsylvania.

Wolff said the Department of Agriculture receives excellent support from the state legislature to offer programs to help farmers be profitable.

"We are very fortunate to have a budget like we have to offer programs to our farmers," he said.

Among the programs discussed, Wolff told the students about a tuition loan "forgiveness" program, from which students can receive up to $10,000 in tuition breaks if they pursue agriculture in Pennsylvania as a career. The program offers the benefits to students interested in agricultural education, veterinary medicine, production agriculture and public service, he said. Scholarship recipients must stay in Pennsylvania for five years post-graduation.

J.C. Hammond of Corry, a high school student who attended the lecture, said he plans on going to veterinary school and owning a dairy farm in Pennsylvania.

"I think [Wolff's speech] let people know the opportunities and programs within the Department, and give them a broad look at agriculture," he said.

Hammond said he plans to take advantage of the scholarships available through Penn State rather than the scholarships through the Department of Agriculture.