At the end of each Congressional session, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) presents American Farm Bureau Federation’s Friend of Farm Bureau Award. It is given to members of Congress who have supported Farm Bureau policy as shown by their voting records and based on American Farm Bureau Federation priority issues as determined by its Board of Directors.
The Friend of Farm Bureau Award is not a political endorsement – it’s a recognition of a lawmaker’s support for agriculture as demonstrated over the past two years.
This year there were seven recipients, one of whom was Rep. John Joyce (PA-13), a long-time supporter of agriculture. Joyce recently visited JoBo Holsteins, owned by the Hess family in Gettysburg, where he was presented with the award.
Joyce talked with John Hess about the role of dairy products. “What you do is important to me personally,” said Joyce. “It’s important to me as a medical doctor. We’re one of the sponsors of the Dairy Pride Act, which is a simple piece of legislation that says ‘Only dairy products should be in the dairy case.’ There’s a misrepresentation when there’s soy or nut – anything that competes with milk.”
As he watched a group of cows go through JoBo’s double-18 rapid release parlor, Joyce commented that many consumers recognize that nut products don’t carry the same nutrition as milk. He pointed out in Congressional hearings that milk must come from a lactating mammal.
“The FDA has a responsibility to make sure that the dairy counter has milk products,” he said. “People on both sides of the aisle are embracing that.”
In addition to accurate labeling of milk, Joyce is a proponent of whole milk for children. “Kids need it for their brain, their bones and muscles,” he said. “You don’t have to be a doctor to know that – you just have to be a parent.”
Joyce said it’s unfortunate that a previous administration was responsible for taking whole milk out of schools, forcing kids to drink something that doesn’t have the same nutritional value.
“Kids need milk,” he said, “and we lose milk drinkers if we expose them to something that doesn’t have the same flavor.”
After discussing dairy and other ag-related issues, Dr. John Joyce was presented with American Farm Bureau Federation’s Friend of Farm Bureau award. (L – R) John Hess, founder of JoBo Holstein Farm; Joyce; Brock Widerman; and PA Farm Bureau’s Federal Affairs Specialist Bailey Fisher. Photo by Sally Colby
He noted the 13 vitamins and nutrients in milk and cited valid studies that show people who have three to five dairy servings a day have a decreased incidence of stroke and heart attacks.
Farmers are concerned about the upcoming Farm Bill, and Joyce has asked the Speaker to get the bill to the floor for a vote before the session finishes in December. “In all honesty, I think there will be a two-year extension,” he said. “That’s disappointing to me – we’ll have to come back and address it again. Agriculture is the number one issue for me in the legislative body, and that vote should occur. If the Farm Bill was ready for a vote, I’d return immediately and vote on it.”
For his colleagues who aren’t yet on board with the Farm Bill, Joyce’s message is that food security is national security. “If we don’t have the ability to grow wholesome, nutritious and affordable food and get it right here at home, we’re putting ourselves at national security risk,” he said. “That message should resonate with everyone. I wish it had been brought up in the debates – it would have been a great question to put in the discussion.”
In addition to Joyce, Friend of Farm Bureau recipients for the 118th Congress from Pennsylvania include Sen. John Fetterman and Representatives Dan Meuser (PA-09), Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) and Mike Kelly (PA-16).
by Sally Colby
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