News You Can Use

May 11, 2007

2007 Farmers Market Nutrition Program Set to Kickoff 

The PA Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), annually providing nearly 300,000 low-income seniors, women, and children with healthy, locally-grown fruits and vegetables, will kick off the 2007 season on June 1 and will continue through November 30.

Low-income seniors, women that are pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum, and children ages two through five may be eligible for the FMNP administered by the PA Department of Aging and the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program.  Potentially eligible residents should contact their local Area Agency on Aging or WIC agency for information including locations, dates, and times of check distribution.

Access contact information for the Area Agency on Aging that serves your community. See the PA Department of Agriculture announcement for details.

Access a list of the nearly one thousand farmers, 182 farm markets and 794 roadside farm stands participating in the program.  Farmers wishing to participate in the FMNP can get started by accessing the following information. 

Child Labor Laws & Summer Employment

As the kids line up summer jobs, the PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) offers teens, parents, and employers the basics on child labor laws.  Minimum age, number of hours worked per day and week, nighttime restrictions, and types of labor permitted by those under 18 are provided for under the Child Labor Law.

Before assuming a job, a person under 18 must secure an employment certificate issued by school authorities.  The employer must keep the employment certificate on file and detailed records of the minors at the work site.  The employer is also required to notify the issuing school districts in writing within 5 days when a minor begins or terminates employment.

Minors under 14 years of age may not be employed or permitted to work in any occupation, except children employed on farms or in domestic service in private homes.  No minor under 14 years of age may be employed on a farm by a person other than the farmer.  Under certain restrictions, caddies may be employed at the age of 12, news carriers at 11 years of age, and juvenile performers in the entertainment field at the age of 7.  Minors and infants may be in the cast of a motion picture if a special permit is obtained.

Employers should remain informed to avoid fines and penalties.  Anyone convicted of violating, or permitting any violation of the Child Labor Law, is subject to a fine of not less than $200 or more than $400 for the first offense and not less than $750 or more than $1,500 and/or imprisonment for 10 days for any subsequent offense.  Under the PA Workers' Compensation Law, fifty percent additional compensation must be paid to any minor injured while illegally employed, all of which is paid by the employer.

Are you familiar with the minimum training wage for employees under the age of 20? Get answers to this and related frequently asked questions.  Access the Abstract of the Child Labor Law. Link to mandatory workplace posters.

The March/April 2007 edition of "Agricultural Safety and Health News" published by the Penn State Cooperative Extension looks at youth and agricultural work restrictions on page 3.

May is Older Americans Month

Among the biggest challenges confronting the U.S. is preparing for the aging of grandparents, parents, and loved ones, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging (AOA).  A diverse wave of seniors is going to hit the country in 2011 when 78 million baby boomers turn 65.

Older Americans frequently express the desire for choice and control over where and how they live.  As their ranks continue to swell, the 44th annual Older Americans Month is dedicated to "Making Choices for a Healthier Future.

The AOA and the PA Department of Aging are encouraging us to think differently about health and long-term care while working to rebalance and modernize our current systems to adequately plan for and address the needs of current and future generations.

Maintaining a healthy quality of life and reducing the risk of disease, disability, and injury will help you individually prepare for aging.  The PA Department of Aging is launching a new user-friendly website on the eve of "Older Americans Month."  Find information to promote health and wellness, locate prescription assistance, and become familiar with long-term care options.  The site is filled with brochures on topics such as consumer protection, elder abuse, and older drivers.

See the Older Americans Month Announcement.  Access information and resources from the U.S. Administration on Aging.  Download a copy of the PA Department of Aging's "Programs and Services" Guide.

Macular Degeneration Awareness

Maintaining independence and mobility are hallmarks for older Americans.  Vision impairment contributes to their inability to drive and move freely about the community; for others the severity restricts ones ability to navigate within their own home.  The number one cause of vision loss in adults over 60 years of age is macular degeneration.

As many as 15 million Americans have impaired vision due to macular degeneration.  This progressive eye disease attacks the macula of the eye where the sharpest central vision occurs, robbing the individual of all but peripheral vision.

Today macular degeneration is often a treatable disease.  Research indicates new treatments and prevention along with genetic discoveries appear possible in the future.

The Pennsylvania Senate is promoting awareness of macular degeneration with the passage of Senate Resolution 120.  Increase your awareness and understanding of macular degeneration through the following resources:  National Institutes of Health Fact Sheet – Macular Degeneration

Causes, risk factors, symptoms, detection, treatment and more frequently asked questions.  NIH Institute and Center Resources – Macular Degeneration

Controlling Gypsy Moths

Did you know the gypsy moth can discriminate between an oak and an ash tree?  In fact, the gypsy moth feeds on over 300 species of trees and shrubs in PA while leaving others untouched.  Armed with accurate information, a property owner can plant trees and shrubs spurned by the gypsy moth.

Maintaining healthy vigorous plants will avoid giving the gypsy moth caterpillar easy prey.  Sick and stressed trees will have difficulty resisting attack and recovering from an infestation.  Remove objects around your property that may shelter the gypsy moth, such as tires, lumber or junk piles, and cinder blocks, to name a few.

If you notice an invasion of gypsy moth, mid-May is the time to take mechanical control of the problem.  A simple band of burlap 12 to 18 inches wide and long enough for the ends to overlap when wrapped around the trunk at chest height is the key element to mechanical control of the gypsy moth.  Once tightly secured, the burlap should be folded in half, providing shelter during the day while the gypsy moths await nighttime and their return to the tree canopies for their nightly feeding.

Check under the band each day by lifting it and scooping all resting gypsy moth caterpillars and egg masses into a jar of detergent solution using a spoon.  Your collection should remain in the detergent solution at least a day before discarding to ensure that all the gathered gypsy moths have been killed.  Each nickel to quarter-sized egg mass that you destroy eliminates from 500 to 1,000 caterpillars from next year's gypsy moth population.

Get the details on what you can do if you have gypsy moth on your property.  Learn more about the gypsy moth.

Keep up with the progress of the state's daily gypsy moth spray program while taking action on your own property.

Proud Peregrine Parents Ready for Mother's Day

One by one, Pennsylvania's newest celebrities are debuting on a ledge of the Rachel Carson Building high above the hustle and bustle of downtown Harrisburg.  The five-member clutch began pecking its way out of the brown speckled eggs on May 3, 2007.

The hatchlings are scheduled for banding on May 24.  Last year, nearly 200 students and teachers signed up to attend the event.  The nestlings are weighed, examined to determine sex, and banded with both an alphanumeric falcon specific band and a U. S. Fish and Wildlife band.

Web viewers can visit the DEP Falcon Page at to view the proceedings and to learn how and why biologists attempt to keep track of these endangered raptors.  The PA Game Commission devotes space on its website to endangered species, including the peregrine falcon.