Overview
The PA Farm Bill provides support for the Commonwealth's leading industry in six funnels:
- The Agriculture Business Development Center supports business planning, marketing, diversification, and transition planning for Pennsylvania farmers
- A Realty Transfer Tax Exemption for the transfer of preserved farmland to a qualified beginning farmer
- The PA Farm to School Grant Program increases nutrition and agriculture education opportunities for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade
- The Agriculture and Youth Development Grant Program invests in workforce development initiatives for agriculture and youth organizations such as FFA and 4-H.
- The allowable width for use of implements of agriculture husbandry was expanded from 16 feet to 18 feet
- The Agriculture Linked Investment Program provides low-interest loans for conservation practices
- The Conservation Excellence Grant Program funds best management practices in priority areas of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
- The Resource Enhancement and Protection Tax Credits program has a higher lifetime cap and more availability
- The Pennsylvania Dairy Investment Program supports innovation, value-added processing, marketing, and organic transitions in the dairy industry
- Small farmers or butchers can be reimbursed for the cost of federal inspections to open new markets
- The Center for Animal Agriculture Excellence allows for expanded processing capacity, provides technical assistance, and resources for food safety compliance
- A Specialty Crop Block Grant Program invests in priority Pennsylvania crops such as hardwoods, hemp, and hops
- Veteran farmers will receive additional support through increased funding for the PA Preferred Homegrown by Heroes Program
- The PA Preferred Organic Initiative will enhance and grow Pennsylvania's organic sector
- The Pennsylvania Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account provides funding for quick response to agricultural disasters, whether animal health, plant health, or foodborne illness
Additional resources:
- Ag and Youth Grant Program
- Ag Business Development Center
- Center for Poultry & Livestock Excellence Funding
- Conservation Excellence Grant Program
- Dairy Investment Grants Program
- Farm to School Grant Program
- Farm Vitality Grant Program
- PA Preferred Organic
- Urban Agriculture
- Very Small Meat and Poultry Processor
- REAP
- Specialty Crop Block Grant Program