Sep 21, 2024 By Rick Shrum 4 min read

The Farm Service Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture has loans available for the purchase of a farm or downpayment on a purchase. It also has operating loans for Targeted Underserved Groups and beginning farmers.

“With these loan programs, FSA hopes to help reverse the declining number of farmers and ranchers across the United States and especially here in our area,” said Amanda Mosholder, Indiana-based farm loan manager for the FSA. The FSA serves nine Southwestern Pennsylvania counties: Allegheny, Bedford, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland.

The USDA defines a Targeted Underserved Farmer as “one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of the group without regard to their individual qualities. For purposes of this program, targeted underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, and Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Applicants must meet eligibility requirements for a given program. For more information or applications for FSA direct loan programs, contact the local FSA office at 1432 Route 286 Hwy. E, Indiana, PA, 15701; or call 814-445-6174.

84 Lumber

North Strabane Township-based 84 Lumber has expanded into the multifamily sector.

A single-family housing supplier since its inception, the company is expanding its multifamily projects.

Maggie Hardy, 84 Lumber owner and CEO, said in a statement: “Our projects now encompass a wider range of structures, including apartment complexes with three to 500 units, hotels spanning 100,000 square feet, and townhomes or condominium buildings for existing residential builders.

“84 Lumber’s expansion into the multifamily sector is a natural progression of our business model.”

The company also has made investments in its component plant capabilities. Since 2014, it has increased its number of component plants from and is on course to have 21 by the end of 2024. Recent openings include a new door shop in Pittsburgh and facilities in Atlanta and Winter Haven, Fla.

“Our investment in component plants is a key driver of 84 Lumber’s growth,” Hardy said.

CEPM

Registration is underway for the Pittsburgh Regional Carbon Capture Conference Pittsburgh Regional Carbon Capture Conference, which will take place Oct. 22 at Yost Auditorium on the Washington & Jefferson College campus.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. with registration, and go until 12:30 p.m. at Yost Auditorium with registration and conclude by 12:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public. To register visit Eventbrite.com/.

W&J’s Center for Energy Policy and Management will present the conference, which will include panel discussions on the basics of carbon capture and sequestration; the state’s efforts to regulate this emerging industry; and CCS activity proposed in the Appalachian region.

There also will be an overview of the latest advancements, strategies and solutions in carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies.

A representative of Tenaska will speak about its Tri-State CCS Hub project in the Appalachian region. Kurt Klapkowski, state Department of Environmental Resources deputy Secretary for Oil and Gas Management, will be on a panel that will discuss recent state legislation that set a framework for carbon sequestration regulation.

Medical device plant

A German company plans to construct a 100,000-square-foot facility in Imperial, near Pittsburgh International Airport, that, according to a news release, will be for “cutting-edge medical device sterilization.”

BGS Beta-Gamma-Service, based in Wiehl, is targeting a mid-2025 opening. This will be the company’s first location in the United States.

Matt Smith, chief growth officer at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, said, ​​”We are thrilled to welcome Germany-based BGS to the Pittsburgh region – already a hub of German investment with more than 80 German-owned firms driving foreign direct investment into southwestern Pennsylvania and underpinning Germany as the region’s leading country for such investment which includes job creation.

“Everything we do in the Pittsburgh region is ultimately touched by tech and innovation which spans industries, including health care and life sciences.