Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) received the Friend of the Farm Bureau Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). 

The prestigious, bipartisan award is given to Members of Congress who have supported farmers, ranchers and agricultural communities in the 117th Congress. Congressman Cartwright was nominated by the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and approved by the AFBF Board of Directors.

“I am honored to receive the Friend of Farm Bureau award from the American Farm Bureau Federation,” said Rep. Cartwright. “Pennsylvania farms and agricultural businesses play a vital role in our region’s economy, history and future. I will continue supporting policies and legislation that will benefit our farmers and the millions of Americans across the country they feed.”

Rep. Cartwright was presented the award by Don Salak, a member of the Wayne-Pike County Farm Bureau, earlier this morning in Wayne County at the Martzen family dairy farm in Waymart.  

 “On behalf of the Pennsylvania and the Wayne-Pike County Farm Bureaus, I  congratulate Congressman Cartwright and thank him for supporting legislation that benefits agriculture in our community,” said Salak. “Throughout his time in Washington, D.C., he has been a staunch partner to agriculture and farming in Wayne and Pike counties.”

The Friend of Farm Bureau awards are presented at the end of each Congress to lawmakers based on individual voting records on Farm Bureau priority issues which, in 2021 and 2022, included emergency COVID assistance for farmers, rural broadband access, funding for infrastructure, inflation reduction and ocean shipping reform.

Congressman Cartwright also advocated for a $35,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study for a new dairy processing plant in Wayne County.

In Wayne County, the dairy industry serves as an engine of the local agricultural community, generating about $18 million annually in economic output. 

According to the completed study, the proposed plant would have enough capacity to support the equivalent of eight, 75-cow dairies and would pay farmers a $2 per hundredweight premium for their milk, a great financial benefit for farmers.

Using the existing dairy farms as suppliers, the plant would process milk into cheese, with a focus on specialty cheeses that would appeal to Hispanic communities in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston.

The plant would turn a profit by the second year of operation, according to the study.

“As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am a strong supporter of programs and opportunities that fund economic and community development,” said Rep. Cartwright. “The Wayne County dairy processing center has the potential to stimulate a vital industry, contribute to the growth of a sustainable local food economy, and preserve an important part of our regional cultural heritage.”