Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding has announced $501,123 in state Farm Bill Agriculture and Youth grants awarded to 58 organizations in 29 counties, funding projects that will empower youth to succeed in Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

Labor and Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker joined Secretary Redding in the 2025 Pennsylvania Farm Show’s So You Want to Be a Farmer area, where anyone can learn how to raise food or flowers for fun, profit, or a new career.

Berks County grant recipients, funded projects, and funding amount are as follows:

·Kutztown Area School District, Classroom to Cafeteria, Hydroponic Growing Towers, $6,676; and

·Greenwich PTO, Cultivating a Curiosity in Agriculture, $7,401.

“Our young people hold the energy and potential that will power Pennsylvania tomorrow,” Secretary Redding said. “The Shapiro Administration is committed to empowering young Pennsylvanians by investing in opportunities for them to succeed. Our investments in agriculture education today will help Pennsylvania agriculture businesses meet increasingly complex challenges tomorrow.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget funds a sixth year of Ag and Youth grants through the PA Farm Bill.

Since 2019, Ag and Youth grants have invested $3 million in 315 projects statewide.

Among projects funded by grants awarded in January 2024, funding for Variety — the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley is supporting gardens and greenhouse that are living classrooms, where young people with disabilities learn valuable skills to prepare them for permanent employment in the community.

In the School District of Philadelphia, elementary students at Fox Chase Farm are learning firsthand about raising poultry using innovative, cutting-edge technology in their automated, mobile chicken house.

Since taking office, Gov. Shapiro has invested $13.8 million each year in the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, continuing support for Pennsylvania’s Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence, and supporting youth education and workforce development initiatives, including the largest increase ever in basic kindergarten through grade 12 education funding, increasing Pennsylvania’s Career and Technical Education funding by $30 million in 2024-25, and continuing to expand broadband internet access to allow students and employers in rural communities to compete.

“By investing in our young people through education and workforce development initiatives, the Shapiro Administration is investing in powering Pennsylvania’s bright future,” Secretary Walker said. “We are setting our Commonwealth up for success by making targeted investments in programs that teach students the skills they need for careers with family-sustaining wages and benefits in growing fields, including and especially, agriculture.”

Pennsylvania Farm Bill Ag and Youth grants provide direct funding of up to $7,500 and matching grants of up to $25,000 to support projects, programs, and equipment purchases by youth-run organizations, and those with programs that benefit youth or promote agriculture, community leadership, vocational training, and peer networking.

Past funded projects include agriculture career seminars and field trips, agricultural safety training, capital projects, and equipment purchases aimed at leading students to opportunities in agriculture and building the future workforce Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry needs.