The Shapiro Administration is committed to creating meaningful career opportunities for Pennsylvanians and investing in the skilled, innovative workforce ag employers need to keep Pennsylvania a national leader in the future.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture hosted more than 1,600 K-8 students from across southcentral Pennsylvania to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex for Farm City Day to learn how agriculture touches their daily lives and brings their science and technology lessons to life outside the classroom.
Farm City Day is just one example of Governor Josh Shapiro’s Administration’s commitment to creating meaningful career opportunities for Pennsylvanians of all ages and investing in the skilled workforce ag employers need to keep Pennsylvania a national leader in the future. With 12.7% of Pennsylvania farmers under 35 years old, the Commonwealth leads the nation.
“The students here today may be the ones who dream up the technology and innovation that will shape our agriculture industry and feed our families tomorrow,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “We need to feed their minds now by inspiring them to imagine what is possible. Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry needs flexible problem-solvers who can imagine new technology that will make agriculture more efficient, food safer, and our environment healthier.
“Farm City Day is designed to spark student imaginations, to help them connect the dots from where they are to where they could be and learn what goes into caring for land and animals and how plants become not only food, but plastics and building materials, and how food waste can become fuel and electricity.”
During the two-day event, elementary and middle school students are spending a day interacting with horses, rabbits, sheep, goats, and alpacas up close, as well as trying out ag drones, learning to weld farm machinery, “milking” a life-size cow simulator, and learning how worms, chemistry, and trees on farms make soil and water healthier. During the two days, students have the opportunity to meet people whose jobs on farms and in labs and businesses across the state help make their food and environment heathy, plentiful, and safe.
“It is important that our young people recognize that Pennsylvania agriculture does not begin or end on your grocery store shelf,” said Shannon Hawkins, director of culture and climate at Harrisburg Steam Academy, whose students were enthusiastically diving into activities. “It is also important that they also recognize the wealth of opportunity within the agriculture industry and Pennsylvania’s importance to our nation. We need our students to participate in the preservation and restoration of agriculture.”
The Shapiro Administration is committed to connecting Pennsylvania students of all interests and abilities to meaningful career opportunities that will be waiting when they finish school. Farm City Day is the first of two day-long field trips aimed at 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. A second event will be held later this month in collaboration with Variety – The Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley, where Shapiro Administration funding is helping to ensure that agriculture is accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability.
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. Nearly 93 million breakfasts served during the 2024–25 school year — a 13.8 percent increase over two years — has included over 70 million meals for students at risk of hunger.
Since day one, the Shapiro Administration has supported youth and career training programs in the agriculture industry by:
- Creating four new apprenticeship programs serving the agriculture industry.
- Increasing funding for career and technical education and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million — a 50% increase since the day he took office.
- Calling for a dedicated $12.5 million Workforce and Economic Development Network appropriation, leveraging $10 million in existing funds and $2.5 million in new state funds to train additional workers.
Governor Shapiro understands that Pennsylvania’s economic success depends on our rural communities and farms. The Shapiro Administration has prioritized long-term agricultural growth and resilience by creating the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation Program and investing $20 million to help build the future of American agriculture right here in Pennsylvania. 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.
Ag Innovation Grants are at work funding solutions on 186 farms across Pennsylvania. Applications are under review for the second $10 million round of grants, which has drawn more than 317 applicants requesting a total of $73 million. The Governor proposed a $9 million increase to the program in his 2026-27 budget proposal, due to incredible demand from farmers.
Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget proposal also calls for funding the historic PA Farm Bill for an eighth year. Since taking office, the Governor has invested $13.8 million each year in the PA Farm Bill, supporting youth education funding and initiatives like Farm to School Grants and Agriculture and Youth Grants, aimed at helping young people seeking ag careers and ultimately, Pennsylvania ag businesses compete and succeed.
Read more about investments to keep Pennsylvania agriculture competitive and thriving in Governor Shapiro’s 2026-‘27 budget proposal and continued support for Pennsylvania farmers at pa.gov/governor.
Photos of today’s event can be found on the Department of Agriculture’s FlickR page.
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