Pennsylvania Furnace, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the second round of grants through the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation Grant Program.
The $9.7 million investment will support 97 projects and leverage $4.8 million in private investment — putting innovative technology into practice to help Pennsylvania agricultural businesses improve efficiency and increase production, protect soil and water resources, and generate clean, renewable energy.
“For the last three years, I’ve visited farms across the Commonwealth to hear from our farmers and see firsthand both the challenges they face and the noble work they do,” said Governor Shapiro. “Agriculture is the backbone of our Commonwealth and this important funding will help Pennsylvania farmers, growers, and producers innovate and grow, while building on three years of historic investments that have delivered commonsense solutions to lower costs, open new markets, and strengthen the entire agricultural industry.”
Lt. Governor Davis made today’s announcement at a gathering of more than 800 Pennsylvania agriculture industry and government leaders during Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences’ annual Ag Progress Days.
“Pennsylvania is leading the way in agricultural innovation, and we want to continue that progress, which is why this year’s bipartisan state budget once again includes $10 million for the Ag Innovation grant program,” said Lt. Governor Davis. “The Shapiro-Davis Administration will always stand up for our farmers, who work hard, 365 days a year, to put food on our tables.”
Agriculture is critical to Pennsylvania’s economy, with more than 48,800 farms supporting 600,000 jobsand contributing $132.5 billion annually. Governor Shapiro’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy places agriculture at the forefront, recognizing that a thriving agricultural industry is key to powering the Commonwealth’s economic growth. Since taking office, the Governor has prioritized supporting new businesses and reinforcing Pennsylvania’s national reputation as a leader in agriculture.
“Over 250 years, Pennsylvania farmers have shown unwavering commitment to caring for our land and water, while feeding a growing population,” said Secretary Redding. “Our industry has been a model of responsible growth, despite ever-increasing challenges from extreme weather, erratic supply costs, changing consumer preferences, and rapidly changing technology. This is another Shapiro-Davis Administration investment to help ensure Pennsylvania’s ag industry has the tools to thrive and innovate for years to come.”
Grants will reimburse expenses for project completion or planning and include individual projects as larger-scale projects with a regional or statewide impact. Projects include technologies that improve efficiency, generate energy while reducing food and nutrient waste, and support crops that store carbon or replace non-renewable resources.
The program received an overwhelming response, with the Department of Agriculture receiving more than $68 million in funding requests. The grants will help to accelerate the adoption of innovative practices that will benefit not only farmers but the long-term sustainability and productivity of the entire region. As a result of this response, the 2026-27 budget Governor Shapiro signed last month continues funding the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program with $10 million — for a third year.
Secretary Redding announced that applications for the third year of the grant program will be accepted beginning September 1.
Read more about Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, including eligibility criteria here.
Recipients of the 2025-26 Agricultural Innovation Grant, by county and amount received, are listed below. Projects that will benefit producers statewide, as well as projects spanning multiple counties are listed first. Projects that will have a regional impact are noted among those listed by county.
Statewide Projects
Association for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation – $43,000
Planning for a precision meat, poultry, and seafood innovation hub
Augean Robotics – $238,000
Ag-robotics production facility
Multi-County Projects
Allegheny and Butler Counties
Soergel Orchards – $24,584
Agricultural drone purchase
Armstrong, Cambria, Clearfield, Indiana, Somerset Counties
Arial Applications – $310,000 (regional impact)
Drones for agricultural services in a regional corridor
Bedford, Bradford, Franklin, Fulton Perry, and Tioga Counties
Country View Family Farms – $174,117 (regional impact)
Energy-efficient farrowing systems to enhance safety and swine health
Bedford and Westmoreland Counties
Bella Terra Vineyards – $29,047
Vineyard mechanization system
Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties
Pennsylvania Saffron – $116,807 (regional impact)
Development of an AI-enabled weeding system for small farms
Butler and Lawrence Counties
Dream, Invent, Inspire – $5,247
AI system for vertical garden and crop management
Chester and Indiana Counties
HyO Technologies – $231,743
Hydrogen-rich irrigation for mushrooms and specialty crops
Philadelphia and Northumberland Counties
PA Flax Project Cooperative – $291,971 (regional impact)
Building harvest-to-market infrastructure for flax, with a flax-to-linen facility
Adams County
Pennsylvania State University – $14,600
Evaluating an adaptive, precision spray control system for tree fruit orchards
Mt. Ridge Farms – $65,800
Vacuum-assisted, automated harvest system
Rice Fruit Company – $33,160
AI smart radio system with real-time translation for multilanguage workforce
Fruit Hollow Farms – $12,493
First-in-U.S. implementation of Grunner Grizzly precision orchard-thinning technology
Fairview Dairy Farms – $36,048
Milking parlor evaporative cooling system
Piney Apple Acres – $102,381
Precision harvest technology
Adams County Nursery – $33,800
Adoption of drone and robotic technologies across nursery and orchard operations
Allegheny County
William Scott – $38,920
Smart irrigation and solar efficiency project
Grow Pittsburgh – $45,808
Agricultural systems and efficiency upgrades on Wilkinsburg urban farm
Pravin Michael Boscha – $11,372 (Planning)
Photochromic shade cloth technology designed to respond to changing sunlight conditions for grazing systems
Beaver County
Epoch Fields – $10,120
Continuous on-farm measurement system for regenerative grazing management
Tiny Seed Farm – $31,690
Automated specialty crop system
Berks County
F.M. Brown’s Sons – $129,800
Bin automation and ingredient-handling upgrade
Rodale Institute – $31,380
Scaling precision weed management for organic farmers with photo-guided cultivation systems
Third Place Processing – $34,405
Sorting and quality control system for perennial nut processing
Alvernia University – $16,200
Aeroponics greenhouse project
PA Hemp Industry Council – $50,000
Planning for a hemp grain cooperative
Clover Farms Dairy – $310,000 (regional impact)
Automated milk-handling and tracking system
Earthcare Bethel – $127,874 (regional impact)
Food-waste processing and reduction system
Blair County
Kulp Family Dairy – $97,800
Dairy cooling system for livestock wellness
Penn England – $129,800
Enhancements and repair of dairy farm anaerobic digestor
Bradford County
Robert W. Brown – $15,705
Modernization of feed-management and milk-handling systems on Peck Hill Farms to reduce costs, enhance resilience
Cummings Lumber Company – $129,800
Automated lumber-handling system
Fenninger Fields – $128,848
Swine finishing-barn manure aeration system
Bucks County
Delaware Valley University – $125,390
Enhanced biosecurity and animal health monitoring
Cameron County
Emporium Hardwoods Operating Company – $129,800
Robotic sorting and scanning system
Centre County
Penn State University – $129,800
Optimizing performance of Penn State's anaerobic digester
Jeffey Brooks – $129,800
Robotic dairy system at Brooks Family Farms
Nyra Graham – $55,411
FarmLocal precision agriculture system serving 15 Centre County farms
Chester County
Pietro Industries – $129,597
Automated harvesting and control system for mushrooms
AgriGates – $59,400
Planning for on-site energy generation for dairy AI system
Phillips Mushroom Farms – $129,800
Automated weighing line
Gary Westlake, Sr. – $129,800
Advanced Danish Christmas tree harvesting system
Megan Storm – $34,440
Water, energy, and automation modernization for specialty crop hoop house
MYCOguard – $33,800
Automated phorid fly-counting and monitoring systems
Chester County Economic Development Foundation – $50,000
Comprehensive strategic planning to determine feasibility of farm training facility on Chester County Prison campus
Thomas D. Parsons – $31,500
Agro-energy solutions for powering AI
American Mushroom Institute – $220,000 (regional impact)
Phorid fly control technology
Laurel Valley Farms – $344,800 (regional impact)
Aeration system to mitigate hydrogen sulfide emissions on mushroom farms
Mushroom Supply & Services – $310,000 (regional impact)
Automated mushroom harvesting system
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania – $310,000 (regional impact)
Aquaculture automation and management system
Clearfield County
Forcey Lumber and Veneer Company – $51,912
Automated veneer production and efficiency system
Clinton County
Pine Creek Seed Farm – $310,000 (regional impact)
Seed infrastructure enhancement seed-processing system
Crawford County
Glenn Kenny – $46,898
Automated grain handling system for seed processing
Ernst Biomass – $129,800
Biomass burner optimization system
Cumberland County
Gro-Green Corporation – $91,400
High-efficiency condensing boilers
Destiny Farmstead – $48,896
Precision dairy automation and behavioral monitoring
Land O’ Lakes – $310,000 (regional impact)
Enhanced processing facility for butter and regional milk-balancing
Dauphin County
Jubilee Dairy – $129,800
Anaerobic digester
Center for Dairy Excellence – $266,477 (regional impact)
Dairy cattle monitoring system
Delaware County
Indian Orchard Farm – $15,336
Biomass boiler system
Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture– $40,000
Planning for an innovative, sustainable, vertical farm
Erie County
INTAG Systems – $129,800
A vermiculture reactor that will process organic waste using worm-composting in an indoor, continuous system
Mazza Vinyards – $129,797
An enhanced filtering system for processing grapes
Fairview Evergreen Nurseries – $18,073
Drone-based sprayer system
Willow Grove Heritage Lab – $10,500
Planning for technology integration in advanced farm services
Huntingdon County
Valley Meadow Farm – $41,154
Automated egg-handling and grading system
Indiana County
John-Paul's Farm – $7,000
Water-saving rinse conveyor for efficient produce washing
Indiana County Conservation District – $10,280
Precision nutrient management and crop-monitoring drone system
Lancaster County
Cherry Hill Orchards – $150,000 (regional impact)
Enhanced fruit-processing service
Freshly Grown – $129,800
Advanced, fossil fuel-free greenhouse with geothermal cooling and heating, solar, closed-loop hydroponics, and innovative insulation
Oasis Creamery – $270,250 (regional impact)
Modernization of cottage cheese production facility
Lawrence County
Dawson’s Orchards – $42,120
Automated grading system for orchard crops
Den-Be Farms – $129,800
Robotic milking system
Lebanon County
Breckbill Acres – $50,000
Planning for a biogas capture and management system
Lehigh County
Cory J. Maletsky – $31,880
Vacuum kiln to increase capacity, efficiency for lumber production
Luzerne County
David Petlock – $86,792
Saw modernization and processing-efficiency system
Northern Tier Hardwood Association – $28,415
Hardwood harvesting simulator for education and industry training
Lycoming County
Derek Wheeland – $129,800
AI-driven lumber scanning and automated lumber stacker
The Potting Bench – $79,997
Technology-enabled greenhouse operation
Mercer County
Omega Logging – $65,800
Wood-to-biochar air-burner system
Mifflin County
Metzler Forest Products – $129,800
System to convert forest waste to thermal energy and carbon products
Monroe County
Brian Candler – $113,800
Better Plants Farm hydroponics system
Pocono Organics Foundation – $30,282
Automated microgreen production system
AI Sustainable Foods – $53,000
Indoor production and pollinator-innovation system
Montgomery
Gather and Grow – $19,720
Solar-powered, automated climate-control system for high tunnels greenhouses
Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms – $47,448
Optical sensor-based automation system
Northampton County
Kenneth Barleib – $33,800
Farm water-usage efficiency system
Northumberland
Clarks Feed Mills – $130,000 (regional impact)
Poultry feed mill modernization
Furman Foods – $129,800
Waste optimization system for water recovery
Red Hill Farms – $103,727
Enhanced potato-harvesting system
Perry County
Laurel Grove Dairy Farm – $129,800
Robotic milking system
Merrimart Farms – $9,122
Technology-enabled dairy cow maternity barn
Schuylkill County
Honey Brook Farm – $19,844
Farrowing facility upgrade for swine safety and health
Tioga County
Woodland Biomass Innovations – $305,035 (regional impact)
Woody biomass-to-gasoline conversion facility
Union County
Herbert, Rowland & Grubic – $14,100
Planning a digital nutrient export and land-application tracking system
Wayne County
Wallenpaupack Creek Farm – $19,293
GPS-guided manure application system
Supporting Farmers and Making Critical Investments in the Future of Pennsylvania Agriculture
From day one, the Shapiro Administration has recognized Pennsylvania’s powerhouse agriculture industry as key to the Commonwealth’s economic vitality and sustainability, prioritizing investments in agriculture. The 2026-27 budget builds on this work to support farmers and and businesses by:
- Investing $10 million to create Fruit Grower Freeze Impact Grants, supporting farmers who were impacted by this year’s devastating spring freeze — in addition to USDA streamlined assistance secured after the Shapiro Administration called for federal support in May.
- Dedicating $5 million from the existing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) fund to expand education for farmers working to combat the spread of HPAI.
- Securing $13.8 million in PA Farm Bill investments for the fourth year in a row, providing critical funds to rebuild the workforce and expand processing infrastructure and marketing opportunities throughout the industry.
Applications for the third year of Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program will be accepted beginning September 1. Read more about the program, including eligibility criteria here.
Read more about Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget, view the Governor’s remarks as prepared here, or watch the Governor’s delivered remarks here.