Seven Berks County projects have received a total of nearly $700,000 in state agriculture grants.
The projects are among a $9.7 million investment statewide that will support 97 projects and leverage $4.8 million in private investment, putting innovative technology into practice to help agricultural businesses improve efficiency and increase production, protect soil and water resources, and generate clean, renewable energy, state officials announced.
In addition to the seven local projects, Berks was a grant recipient as part of a regional project with Lehigh and Northampton counties.
“Pennsylvania is leading the way in agricultural innovation, and we want to continue that progress, which is why this year’s bipartisan state budget once again includes $10 million for the Ag Innovation grant program,” Lt. Governor Austin Davis said announcing the grants during Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences’ annual Ag Progress Days. “The Shapiro-Davis administration will always stand up for our farmers, who work hard, 365 days a year, to put food on our tables.”
The following received grants for Berks projects:
• Clover Farms Dairy: $310,000, automated milk-handling and tracking system with regional impact.
• F.M. Brown’s Sons: $129,800, bin automation and ingredient-handling upgrade.
• Earthcare Bethel: $127,874, food-waste processing and reduction system with regional impact.
• PA Hemp Industry Council: $50,000, planning for a hemp grain cooperative.
• Third Place Processing: $34,405, sorting and quality control system for perennial nut processing.
• Rodale Institute: $31,380, scaling precision weed management for organic farmers with photo-guided cultivation systems.
• Alvernia University: $16,200, aeroponics greenhouse project.
A $116,807 grant for the multicounty project went to Pennsylvania Saffron for development of an AI-enabled weeding system for small farms.
The grants will reimburse expenses for project completion or planning and include individual projects as larger-scale efforts with a regional or statewide impact. Projects include technologies that improve efficiency, generate energy while reducing food and nutrient waste and support crops that store carbon or replace non-renewable resources.
Officials said agriculture is critical to the state’s economy, with more than 48,800 farms supporting 600,000 jobs and contributing $132.5 billion annually.
Sen. Judy Schwank, a Wyomissing Democrat who is the Democratic chair of the Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, said she worked with Clover Farms and the agriculture department to secure the funding.
“I’m excited to see the Ag Innovation Program making an impact in my district, and I believe this program sets Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector up for lasting success,” Schwank said. “I’ve been in close contact with Secretary (Russsell) Redding and Clover Farms leadership to ensure it was clear that their application was a priority and will benefit dairy farmers in our region. I deeply value our partnership and want to thank the Department of Agriculture and the Shapiro Administration for the steps they are taking to strengthen the industry.”
State Rep. Jamie Barton, a Schuylkill County Republican who also represents part of Berks, said the grant will benefit Rodale.
“Farms like these feed our communities, our commonwealth and our country,” Barton said. “Just like any other business, farms have to adapt and implement new techniques to stay as efficient as possible.”