James, Hutchinson Congratulate Mitch-Hill Dairy Farm on Receiving $50,000 State Grant

January 22, 2020

HARRISBURG – Rep. Lee James (R-Venango/Butler) and Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-Butler/Clarion/Forest/Venango/Warren) announced that the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) today met and approved a $50,000 grant to assist Mitch-Hill Dairy Farm with the creation of an on-farm milk processing facility.

Mitch-Hill Dairy Farm, located in Pinegrove Township in Venango County, will create an on-farm milk processing facility adjacent to its current milk house to process milk and flavored milk for commercial sale.

The site of the new facility will be excavated, and a concrete pad will be poured. A container dairy processing plant with pasteurizer, bottle filler/capper and walk-in cooler will be purchased and installed on the concrete pad. By placing the container plant next to the milk house, the safety of raw milk handling will be maintained as it will be able to be pumped directly into the processing room without having to use a milk truck for transport.

“As Pennsylvania’s dairy industry has been challenged in the last few years, it’s more important than ever for us to support our hard-working farmers who are trying to boost our local economy,” James said. “Avoiding the need to use a milk truck not only saves money but also provides greater convenience.”

The total cost of the project is $122,624 with Mitch-Hill Dairy providing the outstanding funds.

“I am so pleased that Mitch-Hill Dairy was selected to receive this grant from the Pennsylvania Dairy Investment Program,” said Sen. Hutchinson. “In recent years, consumers have been inundated with all sorts of advertisements and claims about other products in the grocery store. We must do all we can to support our dairies and help them promote their healthy, natural and locally produced dairy products. Drink milk!”

The CFA was established as an independent agency of the Commonwealth and holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth.

Representative Lee James
64th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
RepJames.com / Facebook.com/RepLeeJames