PHOTO PROVIDED Gov. Josh Shapiro is pictured at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show, where he and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding announced another $10 million round of Agricultural Innovation Grants.

HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pa. Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding announced another $10 million round of funding through the state’s Agricultural Innovation Grant, of which the first round saw three recipients in neighboring Centre County.

According to a release from Shapiro’s office, the grant is building on the success of the program’s inaugural round, which funded 88 projects in 45 counties.

The grants, the release said, help “farmers adopt new technologies, expand production, protect soil and water resources, improve energy efficiency and generate more clean, renewable energy.”

“In my Administration, we know that economic growth and opportunity run right through our farmlands — which is why we’ve put agriculture at the center of our economic development strategy and backed it up with real investments,” said Shapiro at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show on Wednesday. “By launching a second $10 million round of the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, we’re continuing to help farmers and ag businesses adopt new technologies, strengthen their operations and compete for the future. These grants put innovation into action — increasing productivity, supporting jobs and strengthening communities across the Commonwealth.”

In Centre County three grants were previously issued to businesses and individuals that include:

— Mark Bair — $130,000 for a bio-diesel project.

— Shanthanu Krishna Kumar — $19,000 for drone-based scanning and spraying.

— Hanover Foods, of Centre Hall — $100,000 for modernization of its wastewater treatment plant.

According to the Shapiro Administration’s release, the Commonwealth’s agriculture supports roughly 50,000 farms, more than 600,000 jobs and contributes $132.5 billion annually to the state’s economy.

During the announcement on Wednesday, Redding emphasized the importance of farmers in the state.

“Our farmers were the nation’s original innovators,” said Redding. “Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, Pennsylvania is investing in the tools and technologies farmers need to meet today’s challenges and lead tomorrow’s solutions — ensuring our agriculture industry continues to feed progress for generations to come.”

According to the release, the first round of the program received an overwhelming response, with over $68 million in funding requests submitted to the Department of Agriculture.

These are reimbursement grants which help with expenses for planning and implementation of individual projects along with larger-scale initiatives that can have a regional impact.

The release noted, “funded projects include technologies that improve on-farm and processing efficiency; generate renewable energy while reducing nutrient waste and support crops and practices that store carbon or replace non-renewable resources.”

Guidelines and application procedures for the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and made available at pa.gov/aginnovation on Jan. 24, 2026.

Applications will open on Feb. 2, 2026, and remain open through April 18, 2026.