PA Farm Bill Grants & Other Investments

The  Pennsylvania Farm Bill  invests in Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry to grow opportunities and resources, remove barriers to entry, and cultivate future generations of leaders within agriculture.

The vast majority of farm bill funding is used as grant funding that has gone directly to lifting the Pennsylvania people and businesses advancing agriculture: the innovators adapting to changing markets; farmers with family businesses in transition, and educators sparking a lifelong appreciation for agriculture.

The PA Farm Bill specifically supports:

-       Resources for Agricultural Business Development and Succession Planning

-       Building a Strong Agricultural Workforce

-       Removed Regulatory Burdens, Strengthen Ag Business Climate in PA

-       Increased Processing Capabilities

-       New Market Opportunities, Investments in Organic

-       Protection for Pennsylvania Agriculture

Check out our PA Farm Bill StoryMap below to view the investments made by funding year, grant type, county, location or legislative district and learn about the project. 

• Total Number of Grants Issued: 153
• AG and Youth Matching: $230,654
• AG and Youth Direct: $269,259
• Urban Ag Collab: $472,329
• Urban Ag Micro: $27,671
• Farm To School: $394,123.24
• Small Meats: $401,500
• Commonwealth Specialty Crop: $472,999
• Total State Dollars Invested: $2,268,535.24
• Total Match Dollars Invested: $1,203,014

• Total Number of Grants Issued: 146
• AG and Youth Matching: $223,971
• AG and Youth Direct: $276,029
• Urban Ag Collab: $463,323
• Urban Ag Micro: $34,477
• Farm To School: $388,939
• Commonwealth Specialty Crop: $477,995
• Total State Dollars Invested: $1,864,734
• Total Match Dollars Invested: $780,404

• Total Number of Grants Issued: 73
• Urban Ag Collab: $497,500
• Urban Ag Micro: $22,500
• Farm To School: $494,972
• Commonwealth Specialty Crop: $263,218
• Total State Dollars Invested: $1,278,190
• Total Match Dollars Invested: $1,163,743

• Total Number of Grants Issued: 188
• AG and Youth Matching: $486,017
• AG and Youth Direct: $513,392
• Urban Ag Collab: $508,515
• Urban Ag Micro: $11,704
• Farm To School: $536,307.79
• Small Meats: $1,579,828
• Total State Dollars Invested: $3,635,763.79
• Total Match Dollars Invested: $1,421,116

• Total Number of Grants Issued: 140
• AG and Youth Matching: $237,535.69
• AG and Youth Direct: $260,625
• Urban Ag Collab: $560,282.53
• Urban Ag Micro: $175,863
• Farm To School: $605,398.41
• Small Meats: $676,137
• Total State Dollars Invested: $2,515,841.63
• Total Match Dollars Invested: $600,727.67

The Pennsylvania Ag & Youth Grant Program provides direct and matching grants to help fund eligible projects, programs and equipment purchases conducted or made by organizations composed mainly of youth and organized to promote development in agriculture, community leadership, vocational training, and peer fellowship.

The program aims to address the looming workforce deficit the industry is expected to face in the next decade.

•  2020-21 Funded Projects 
•  2022-23 Funded Projects 

The Urban Agriculture Grant Program provides funding in the form of a reimbursement grant to eligible applicants seeking to improve urban agriculture infrastructure in Pennsylvania.

These grants will build out the infrastructure of urban agriculture by investing in the system, filling gaps, encouraging entities to work together, finding ways to bring operations to a greater scale, overcoming food deserts, and opening opportunities for people to become social entrepreneurs.

•  2020-21 Funded Projects 
•  2021-22 Funded Projects 

The Commonwealth Specialty Crop Block Grant Program aims to enhance, but not replace, the Federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program by establishing a program for specialty crops that are not currently eligible for grant payments under the federal program, or that are otherwise designated high-priority specialty crops by the Secretary. Crops identified as high priority crops are hemp, honey, hardwood, and hops. Funding for the Program will assist the growth, certification of seed, and marketing of these eligible specialty crops. 

•  2019-20 Specialty Crop Block Grant Awards 

The Pennsylvania Farm to School Grant Program will provide schools with funding to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

The program aims to bridge the gap between children and the food system by connecting them to the fresh, healthy food available from Pennsylvania agricultural producers in their community and the surrounding areas. Through changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood education sites, children will become more aware and engaged with their local food system as well as empowered to leverage their own consumer influence to support Pennsylvania agriculture.

•  2019-20 Grant Awardees 
•  2020-21 Grant Awardees 
•  2021-22 Grant Awardees   
•  2022-23 Grant Awardees   

The Very Small Meat Processor Federal Inspection Reimbursement grant program provides funding to reimburse some portion of the costs associated with meeting federal inspection and certification guidelines during the planning and start-up periods for a very small meat processor operating within this commonwealth.

These grants will increase the supply of locally produced meat products for local consumption by increasing the number of meat processors approved by the US Department of Agriculture for distribution of meat product.

The Pennsylvania Dairy Investment Program was established under Act 38 of 2019 for research and development, organic transition, value-added processing, and marketing grants in support of Pennsylvania’s Dairy Industry. The program is administered jointly by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the PA Department of Agriculture (PDA), under the direction of the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA).

REAP is a first-come, first-served program that enables farmers, businesses, and landowners to earn PA income tax credits to offset the cost of implementing conservation practices.  Tax credits provided by the REAP program helps farmers off-set the costs of implementing best management practices (BMPs) that benefit their farms and work to protect water quality at the same time.

The Conservation Excellence Grant (CEG) Program, created by Act 39 of 2019, provides financial and technical assistance for the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) on agricultural operations in high-priority locations within the Commonwealth.

Financial assistance may be provided through grants, loans and tax credits, or a combination of all three.  CEG is administered by the  State Conservation Commission  and delegated to participating conservation districts for local implementation of the program.

The Farm Vitality Planning Grant Program will help fund professional services for those planning for the future of a farm. The program will enhance the long-term vitality of Pennsylvania's farms through sound business planning, efficient transitions of farm ownership, strategic farm expansion, diversification of agricultural production, and building a team of financial and technical expertise as a resource for Pennsylvania's farmers.

Act 13 of 2019 states that realty transfer tax shall not be imposed upon a transfer of real estate that is subject to an agricultural conservation easement established under authority of the Act of June 30, 1981 (P.L. 128, No. 43), known as the “Agricultural Area Security Law,” to a qualified beginner farmer.

The Act further describes a “qualified beginner farmer” as someone that meets the following criteria

1. Has demonstrated experience in the agriculture industry or related field or has transferrable skills as determined by the Department of Agriculture.
2. Has not received federal gross income from agricultural production for more than the ten most recent taxable years.
3. Intends to engage in agricultural production within the borders of this Commonwealth and to provide the majority of the labor and management involved in that agricultural production.
4. Has obtained written certification from the Department of Agriculture confirming qualified beginner farmer status.

Program provides tax credits to owners of agricultural assets who sell or rent agricultural assets to beginning farmers. The program is administered in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Revenue.

An owner of agricultural assets is eligible for allocation of a tax credit equal to:

• 5% of the lesser of the sale price or fair market value of the agricultural asset, up to a maximum of $32,000; or
• 10% of the gross rental income of the first, second, and third year of the rental agreement, up to a maximum of $7,000 per year