Gov. Shapiro recognizes Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry is key to the Commonwealth’s economic development and has prioritized investments in agriculture.
The Administration created the first statewide economic development strategy in nearly two decades with agriculture at the forefront.
Secured $20 million in state funding for the first-of-its-kind Agriculture Innovation Program driving investments in cutting-edge solutions and technologies that will shape the future of agriculture. In the first year, the program awarded funding to 88 farms and organizations in 45 counties across the Commonwealth.
Invested $1 million to create a new, one of the first-of-its-kind Organic Center for Excellence to empower and support organic farmers and businesses and signed legislation creating a PA Preferred Organic brand for locally grown organic agricultural products.
Secured $13.8 million each year since taking office for the PA Farm Bill, which makes critical investments in rebuilding the workforce, processing infrastructure, and marketing opportunities for the industry.
Secured $6 million for the Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), an initiative that connects low-income communities with fresh, healthy, affordable food produced by local farms to strengthen the capacity of local food supply chains.
Delivered a major increase in food security investments in Pennsylvania by securing $40 million last year – an $11 million increase – to combat hunger and connect Pennsylvanians in need to the noble work of our farmers and ag producers.
Streamlined the permit, license, and certification processing times by reducing food establishment renewal times by 88% and cutting overall permit, license, and certification times by 70% since 2022 in an effort to support Pennsylvania farmers and allow them to move more quickly in their business ventures.
If we keep a vibrant dairy economy, farming economy in the state of Pennsylvania, we assure that we can provide locally grown food and supply it in a timely manner to the entire Northeast.
- David Poole, PA Dairy Farmer
The Shapiro Administration protected Pennsylvania farmers’ livelihood and historic farms.
Worked with Pennsylvania farmers to mitigate the impact of the avian flu outbreaks and invested nearly $15.6 million in 302 farms from the Department of Agriculture to help farmers to offset losses, sustain operations, and strengthen biosecurity protections.
Secured nearly $60 million to support Pennsylvania poultry farmers impacted by the avian influenza crisis to pay for testing and get reimbursed for losses to their flocks in his first two budgets.
Followed through on his budget proposal, providing $6 million to fund a new state animal diagnostic laboratory in Western Pennsylvania that will provide testing capacity to help with rapid disease diagnosis and mitigation of future avian influenza outbreaks.
- Continued Pennsylvania's strong leadership in farmland preservation by preserving more farms than any other state in the nation.
- Challenged the Trump Administration’s unlawful termination of the $13 million Pennsylvania’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program agreement in court, which directly supported 189 Pennsylvania farms that supplied 14 food banks with fresh, locally grown food.