To help empower youth to succeed in Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced $501,123 in PA Farm Bill Agriculture & Youth Grants awarded to 58 organizations in 29 counties, including the Lehigh Valley.
Joining Redding in the 2025 PA Farm Show’s So You Want to Be a Farmer area was Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker.
“Our young people hold the energy and potential that will power Pennsylvania tomorrow,” Redding said in a statement. “The Shapiro Administration is committed to empowering young Pennsylvanians by investing in opportunities for them to succeed. Our investments in agriculture education today will help Pennsylvania agriculture businesses meet increasingly complex challenges tomorrow.”
Grant recipients, funded projects, and funding amount by county in the Lehigh Valley are as follows:
Berks – Kutztown Area School District, Classroom to Cafeteria- Hydroponic Growing Towers, $6,676; Greenwich PTO, Cultivating a Curiosity in Agriculture, $7,401; Brandywine Heights Area School District, Brandywine Heights Agriculture Program- Animal and Veterinary Science, $7,500; Conrad Weiser Area School District, Updating Power Equipment for Agriculture and Outdoor Education, $4,976; Brandywine Heights Area School District, Brandywine Heights Agriculture Education Expansion-Greenhouse, $25,000.
Montgomery – Variety the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley, Variety’s Environmental Education Grant Proposal, $7,500.
Montgomery and Chester – Trellis for Tomorrow, SEED Skills Program, $7,500.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget funds a sixth year of Ag & Youth Grants through the PA Farm Bill. Since 2019, Ag & Youth Grants have invested $3 million in 315 projects statewide. Shapiro has invested $13.8 million each year in the PA Farm Bill, continuing support for Pennsylvania’s Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence, and supporting youth education and workforce development initiatives.
These initiatives include the largest increase ever in basic K-12 education funding, increasing Pennsylvania’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding by $30 million in 2024-25, and expanding broadband internet access to allow students and employers in rural communities to compete.
“By investing in our young people through education and workforce development initiatives, the Shapiro Administration is investing in powering Pennsylvania’s bright future,” Walker said. “We are setting our commonwealth up for success by making targeted investments in programs that teach students the skills they need for careers with family-sustaining wages and benefits in growing fields, including – and especially – agriculture.”
According to a release, PA Farm Bill Ag and Youth Grants provide direct funding of up to $7,500 and matching grants of up to $25,000 to support projects, programs, and equipment purchases by youth-run organizations, and those with programs that benefit youth or promote agriculture, community leadership, vocational training, and peer networking.
Past funded projects include agriculture career seminars and field trips, agricultural safety training, capital projects, and equipment purchases aimed at leading students to opportunities in agriculture and building the future workforce Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry needs.
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