Governor Josh Shapiro’s Administration continues to invest in feeding hungry minds and expanding career opportunities in Pennsylvania’s world-class agriculture industry.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Shapiro Administration welcomed more than 1,300 K-8 students and educators from across southcentral Pennsylvania to the PA Farm Show Complex for hands-on agriculture career exploration during 2025 Farm City Day. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding toured career exhibits with Acting Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe and students learning firsthand about careers ranging from dairy farming and beekeeping to sustainable forestry, and technology making our planet and food healthier.
“Agriculture today is not what it was at the beginning of this century, or even this decade,” Secretary Redding said. “We haven’t even dreamed up the technology that will be shaping agriculture when these students get out of school, and we will need workers who can change along with the field — flexible problem-solvers who can imagine how new technology can make agriculture better and more efficient, food safer, and our planet healthier. Farm City Day is about sparking student imaginations and broadening their minds to aspects of agriculture they may have never thought of — how plants, and trees, can end up as fabric, plastics, and building materials, and how food waste can become fuel and electricity.”
Farm City Day brings elementary and middle school students to spend a day interacting with horses, rabbits, lambs, goats, and pigs, and the innovative people who raise animals and crops on Pennsylvania farms, along with others whose work helps ensure healthy food and other products that enrich their daily lives.
“PDE is proud to support learners exploring interests and careers in agriculture,” said Acting Secretary Rowe. “Giving students the opportunity to explore all the facets of agriculture while learning about how and where different products and materials can be used is a great way to expose students to new ideas and careers they may not have otherwise considered. Events like Farm City Day help to inspire students to pursue jobs in agriculture, ensuring we have a skilled workforce to grow, feed, and nourish Pennsylvania for generations to come.”
The Shapiro Administration is committed to connecting Pennsylvania students of all interests and abilities to meaningful career opportunities that will be waiting when they graduate. Part of international Remake Learning Days, Farm City Day is the first in a series of events across Pennsylvania exposing students to careers in agriculture, a field that supports one in ten jobs in the state and feeds our economy $132.5 billion every year.
Governor Josh Shapiro has made historic investments in our public schools, students, and teachers and empowered parents to put their children in the best position to succeed, delivering the largest increase in K-12 education funding in Pennsylvania history and delivering free universal breakfast for 1.7 million students and free lunch for 22,000 eligible students so students can start the day with a full stomach, ready to learn.
The Governor has increased funding for vo-tech, career and technical education, and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million, which is 50 percent more than the day he took office.
The Shapiro Administration is focused on creating economic opportunity in every community, creating the first statewide economic development strategy in nearly two decades with agriculture at the forefront, and feeding agriculture’s future by investing $10 million in the first-of-its kind Agricultural Innovation Grant program, along with a full range of investments to continue Pennsylvania’s legacy as an agricultural leader.
The Governor’s 2025-26 budget continues to feed hungry minds and support Pennsylvania’s future workforce, increasing Ag Innovation Grants by $13 million, and continuing to fund PA Farm Bill initiatives including Farm to School Grants, earn-while-you-learn agriculture apprenticeships, the Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence, and more. For more information on Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal, visit shapirobudget.pa.gov. For more on Pennsylvania investments to build a world-class agriculture workforce, visit workforce development at agriculture.pa.gov.
Find photos and video of today’s event at pacast.com.
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