Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that the PA Agricultural Business Development Center is accepting applications for Farm Vitality Planning Grants of up to $15,000.
The grants are designed to help farmers with strategic business planning related to expanding operations, diversifying income or transitioning farms to new owners.
The 2026-27 state budget includes $500,000 for the Farm Vitality Planning Grant program as part of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill.
Farmers and prospective farmers may receive up to $15,000 to cover as much as 75% of eligible planning costs. The maximum reimbursement amount was doubled in 2025 based on farmer input about the cost of professional planning services.
The Farm Vitality Planning Grant program was created under the Pennsylvania Farm Bill in 2019 and is administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Business Development Center.
Since the program began, more than $3.8 million has been provided for planning, financial and technical assistance supporting 482 Pennsylvania farms. That includes planning assistance involving 171 owners of preserved farms.
Farm Vitality Planning Grants can also be combined with other Pennsylvania Farm Bill programs supporting farm transitions.
Since the current administration began, 88 farm owners have received Beginning Farmer Tax Credits totaling more than $1.7 million in tax savings. The state has also certified 82 beginning farmers purchasing preserved farms through the Beginning Farmer Realty Transfer Tax Exemption program, resulting in $918,269 in tax savings.
Another 122 farmers have qualified for more than $70 million in low-interest, tax-exempt financing through the Next Generation Farmer Loan Program.
The 2026-27 state budget includes $13.8 million for Pennsylvania Farm Bill programs. It also includes $10 million for Agricultural Innovation Grants, $10 million for Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants and $5 million from the existing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza fund for farmer education.
Pennsylvania has more than 48,800 farms, which contribute more than $132 billion annually to the state economy and support nearly 600,000 jobs, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Applications for Farm Vitality Planning Grants will be accepted until available funding is exhausted. Farmers can apply through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s single electronic application system.
Additional information and program guidelines are available through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Business Development Center.
