PENNSYLVANIA New insurance program available for farmers

The program will target farms with a 5-year average of $200,000 or less of gross income.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
Pa. state Rep. Chris Sainato of New Castle, D-9th, announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is offering farmers whole-farm revenue protection.
The new program, called Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite, is designed to give Pennsylvania farmers the ability to cover their entire farming operation with one policy.
Under AGR-Lite, all crops and animal production can be protected with one policy and only one set of historical records.
The policy is limited to maximum protection of $100,000 annually.
The target will be farms with a five-year average of $200,000 or less of gross farm income.
AGR-Lite will be available through sign-ups in mid-December with Jan. 31, 2003, as the enrollment deadline.
Purchase will be made through crop insurance agents.
For more details visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us on the Web or call (717) 787-2376.
Water project grant
Pa. State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th, announced that the state awarded a Small Communities Block Grant to New Beaver Borough.
The $500,000 grant will be used for the Old Route 18 water project, allowing the installation of approximately 3.6 miles of waterlines along Old Route 18 in North Beaver Township and New Beaver Borough.
The lines will provide water service to 106 people who have no service.
Twenty of those homes had lead-contaminated well water from an abandoned underground fuel tank, LaGrotta said.
This grant is part of the department of community and economic development's ongoing effort to stimulate economic development in Pennsylvania.