Secretary Redding Visits 10th Generation Dairy Farm to Celebrate Pennsylvania’s Progress, Shapiro Administration’s New Investments Shaping Its Future

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding celebrated National Ag Day with the Nissley family on their 10th-generation dairy farm in Middletown today to see some of the progress supported by the Shapiro Administration’s strategic investments in the future of their farm and farms like it across Pennsylvania.

The Nissley family took advantage of a Pennsylvania Farm Vitality Planning Grant in 2024 to support the legal and business planning services they needed to keep their farm in the family. This February, the business received one of the first Pennsylvania Agricultural Innovation Grants to fund a feasibility study for an anaerobic digester to help them turn farm waste into energy to power the farm.

“At Jubilee Dairy and family farms like it across Pennsylvania, we are seeing the results of our investments with and for our farm families,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “On kitchen tables, and in the businesses and communities that depend on family farms succeeding, we can see firsthand how Shapiro Administration investments with broad bi-partisan support are feeding Pennsylvania’s economic future, protecting our rich agricultural heritage, and preparing businesses, families, and communities to meet the challenges ahead.”

Last month, Governor Josh Shapiro named the Nissleys among 88 recipients of $10 million in grants through the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation Grant Program. This funding will help Pennsylvania agricultural businesses adopt innovative technologies and practices to enhance conservation and implement clean energy solutions — boosting profits, protecting soil and water resources, and generating more clean, renewable energy.

Since January 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has approved 115 Farm Vitality Planning Grant applications, investing more than $766,000 to help Pennsylvania farms plan their futures. The grants are among dozens of start-up and expansion funds, tax incentives, low-interest loans, risk-management, and other funding available through the Agriculture Business Development Center.

These investments combine with agriculture education, workforce and economic development, research, and conservation support through other Pennsylvania government agencies to help agricultural businesses meet the challenges they face at every level, from financing, to the field, to the fork.

The Shapiro Administration has continued to recognize that Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry is key to the Commonwealth’s economic development and has prioritized investments in agriculture, including:

• Creating the first statewide Economic Development Strategy in nearly two decades with agriculture at the forefront.

• Investing $1 million to create a new, one of the first-of-its kind, Organic Center for Excellence to empower and support organic farmers and businesses and signed legislation creating a PA Preferred Organic™ brand for locally grown organic agricultural products.

• Securing $13.8 million in PA Farm Bill investments each year since taking office, providing critical funds for rebuilding the workforce, and expanding processing infrastructure and marketing opportunities for the industry.

Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget invests to continue Pennsylvania’s national legacy as an agriculture leader by proposing:

• An additional $13 million in the Ag Innovation Program to help build the future of American agriculture right here in Pennsylvania. In its first open application period, the Ag Innovation Program received 159 applications for nearly $70 million worth of innovation projects.
• Continued support for the Center for Livestock and Poultry Excellence, Center for Beef Excellence, and the Center for Dairy Excellence, critical partners in providing  equipment, personnel, training, and research funding for Pennsylvania’s response to the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus outbreak. Jubilee Dairy received grants in the past two years from the Center for Dairy Excellence to help fund marketing and farm planning.
• Continued support for poultry producers to help them recover losses from Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza and improve biosecurity on their farms with the nation’s only HPAI recovery fund. With $13.5 million in grants distributed and applications open for a sixth round, $61.5 million in funds remain for use in 2025-26.

These investments are crucial for the future of Pennsylvania agriculture. By supporting family farms and the infrastructure and workforce they need to thrive, the Governor is helping to build a more resilient agricultural economy, safeguard the food supply, and secure a prosperous future for Pennsylvania communities.