PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recently announced $268,000 in matching funds to 12 nonprofits to grow domestic sales and exports of Pennsylvania agricultural products. Grants will reimburse Pennsylvania nonprofit associations up to 50% of the cost of promotional and consumer education projects promoting beef, dairy, hardwoods, and vegetables, as well as projects promoting regional tourism, increasing local markets for fresh food, and growing the consumer base for PA products.
“Pennsylvania produces the world’s finest food, fiber, and hardwood products,” Secretary Redding said. “These innovative nonprofits market those top-quality products, introducing them to new fans from across Pennsylvania and across the world. These grants are part of a comprehensive, strategic portfolio of funding opportunities through the Shapiro Administration designed to feed our economy by feeding the bottom lines of our agriculture businesses and the 593,000 Pennsylvanians whose jobs depend on them.”
Grantees, amounts awarded, and projects are listed below.
Albion Area Fair, Inc. – Albion, Erie Co. – $5,000
Project aims to engage youth in making videos to promote Pennsylvania agricultural products.
Friends of The Pennsylvania Farm Show Foundation, Inc. – statewide – $50,000
Support for educational programs and events tied to the 2024 Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Greater Easton Development Partnership, Easton, Northampton County – $10,000
Promotional Support for Easton Market District, including Easton Farmers’ Market, the longest running outdoor market in the United States, Easton Public Market established in 2016, and newer West Ward Market. All three operations support local farmers and local producers. The project will expand marketing resources to bring additional customers to the three markets.
Northern Tier Hardwood Association – Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming Counties — $15,000
Beginning to End: Harvesting Your Woods 101 – Week-long educational workshop not only for the forest products industry, but also for forest landowners, and high school and college students.
PA Beef Council – statewide – $45,000
PA Beef to PA Schools – working to ensure that beef from Pennsylvania producers is served to students in Pennsylvania schools. The program provides logistical assistance to break down barriers for schools to obtain Pennsylvania beef for their cafeterias, improving food security in schools. The program would educate students on the Pennsylvania beef producers who bring beef from pasture to plate.
Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program – statewide — $57,500
Project aims to increase visibility, establish branding and brand recognition for PA dairy products, expand into new markets, educate consumers, and foster collaborative partnerships.
Pennsylvania Forest Products Association – statewide — $25,000
Real American Hardwood Campaign – Initiative to promote authentic, natural hardwood products to architects, designers, influencers and consumers, whose purchasing decisions determine the size of the marketplace for our products.
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) – statewide – $15,000
Promotion of the PA Preferred® official statewide brand for local agricultural products to audiences at PIAA athletic championships, increasing awareness of the direct line between buying local and supporting Pennsylvania farms.
Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association – statewide – $6,550
Grower Education at the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention
Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program – statewide — $5,000
Using Upfluence to Promote PA Vegetables – using the social media influencer program Upfluence to find relevant influencers with large followings of Pennsylvanians to highlight local produce. The program funds practical vegetable research and promotes Pennsylvania-grown vegetables for approximately 2,000 grower-members.
Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation – statewide — $ 33,950
Initiative to promote Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry through educational programs for students, educators, and the community to teach about farming, agriculture, and how they get the food they eat.
In 2022, the department awarded $300,000 to 17 non-profits for projects ranging from festivals and tourism events, to regional buy-local campaigns and statewide promotions of PA products.
Learn more about grant opportunities feeding the future of Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry at agriculture.pa.gov.
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