Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding joined stakeholders to announce the Pennsylvania Farm Bill Agriculture and Youth program grantees. Speakers include Sara Gligora, Central Regional Director and Special Assistant for Workforce Development, Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture; Russell Redding, Secretary, Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture; Gary Smith, President and CEO, Chester County Economic Development Council; Nancy Walker, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor & Industry; Jordan Olson, President, State 4-H; Chloe Bomgardner, President, State FFA. Johnny Palmadessa
Since 2019, Ag & Youth Grants have invested $3 million in 315 projects statewide.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced $501,123 in PA Farm Bill Agriculture & Youth Grants awarded to 58 organizations in 29 counties, funding projects that will empower youth to succeed in Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry. Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker joined Secretary Redding in the 2025 PA Farm Show’s So You Want to Be a Farmer area, where anyone can learn how to raise food or flowers for fun, profit, or a new career.
“Our young people hold the energy and potential that will power Pennsylvania tomorrow,” Secretary Redding said. “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.”
Governor 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.
Among projects funded by grants awarded in January 2024, funding for Variety – the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley is supporting gardens and greenhouse that are living classrooms, where young people with disabilities learn valuable skills to prepare them for permanent employment in the community. In the School District of Philadelphia, elementary students at Fox Chase Farm are learning firsthand about raising poultry using innovative, cutting-edge technology in their automated, mobile chicken house.
Since taking office, Governor 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, including 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 continuing to expand 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,” Secretary 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.”
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.
Among the grant recipients, funded projects, and funding amount by county are as follows:
Bucks
The Middle Bucks Area Vocational Technical School Authority, Agriculture and Youth Program Grant, $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
Philadelphia
Northeast High School, Northeast High School-Natural Resource Management Hydroponic Farming, $5,000
YESPhilly, YESPhilly Green Space Initiative, $7,500
The School District of Philadelphia, Fox Chase Farm: Innovation in Agriculture and Career Opportunities, $25,000
Learn more about opportunities in agriculture at agriculture.pa.gov/kidsarethefuture. Find a map of previous grant recipients and details of other PA Farm Bill grants and initiatives to grow and sustain Pennsylvania agriculture at agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill
