By Blake Jackson
Governor Josh Shapiro joined Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, Penn State University leaders, elected officials, and hundreds of agricultural producers and stakeholders at the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ annual Ag Progress Days luncheon to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to the state’s farming community.
Agriculture is a major economic engine for Pennsylvania, generating $132 billion each year and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs. In his first two budgets, Governor Shapiro delivered record investments in the sector, and his proposed 2025-26 budget builds on that progress with funding to foster innovation, protect against animal disease, and strengthen the food supply chain.
“Pennsylvania farmers, growers, and producers are the backbone of this Commonwealth they do the noble work of putting food on our tables every day. Over the last two years, I’ve spent a lot of time on farms across the Commonwealth, listening to our farmers and seeing firsthand both the challenges they face and the incredible work they do to power our economy. We’ve made historic investments to help them innovate and grow from funding the PA Farm Bill, to launching the first-in-the-nation Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, to opening new Centers of Excellence, and expanding PA Preferred," said Governor Shapiro.
"We’ve delivered commonsense solutions that lower costs, open new markets, and strengthen the entire agricultural industry and under my Administration, Pennsylvania will continue leading the way in driving economic growth in our agriculture sector and I will keep fighting for our farming families.”
Under his leadership, Pennsylvania launched the first-in-the-nation Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, fully funded the PA Farm Bill at $13.8 million annually, and invested in initiatives such as the Organic Center of Excellence and farmland preservation.
Since taking office, the Governor has also worked across party lines to improve supply chains, open markets, and expand opportunities for the state’s more than 50,000 farms.
Ag Progress Days, the state’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition, features more than 400 exhibitors from across the U.S. and Canada, showcasing cutting-edge research, education, and technology to keep Pennsylvania agriculture at the forefront.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-stockseller_ukr
Categories: Pennsylvania, Government & Policy