Pennsylvania farmers looking to expand their operations, diversify their businesses, or transfer farms to a new generation can apply for up to $15,000 in state funding for professional planning services.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced that $500,000 is available through the Farm Vitality Planning Grant program, part of the state’s PA Farm Bill. Applications will be accepted until available funding is exhausted.
The grants are administered through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Business Development Center and are intended to help farmers obtain professional financial, technical and business-planning assistance.
Farmers and prospective farmers can receive up to $15,000 to cover up to 75% of eligible planning costs. The maximum reimbursement was doubled in 2025 after farmers reported increasing costs for professional planning services.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the program is designed to help farmers make informed decisions about expanding operations, developing additional sources of income or transferring farms to the next generation.
Since Farm Vitality Grants were established through the PA Farm Bill in 2019, more than $3.8 million has been awarded for planning and professional assistance benefiting 482 Pennsylvania farms. Among recipients were 171 owners of preserved farms seeking to protect the long-term agricultural use of their properties.
The grants can also be combined with several other state programs aimed at helping beginning farmers and families transferring agricultural operations.
Those programs include tax credits for farm owners who sell or rent agricultural assets to beginning farmers, realty transfer tax exemptions for qualified beginning farmers purchasing preserved farms and a loan program that provides lower-cost financing for farm purchases and expansions.
During the Shapiro administration, 88 farm owners have received more than $1.7 million collectively in Beginning Farmer Tax Credits. Another 82 beginning farmers purchasing preserved farms have received about $918,000 in realty transfer tax savings, while 122 farmers have qualified for more than $70 million in low-interest, tax-exempt loans through the Next Generation Farmer Loan Program.
Pennsylvania has more than 48,800 farms, with agriculture contributing more than $132 billion annually to the state economy and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs.
Applications for Farm Vitality Planning Grants can be submitted online through the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s single electronic application system. Additional information and program guidelines are available through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Applications will remain open until the $500,000 allocation is exhausted.
Source: PA Dept of Agriculture