(The Center Square) – Now in the groove of his re-election campaign, Gov. Josh Shapiro made an appearance at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Wednesday at its Public Officials Luncheon.
The governor used the opportunity to highlight his administration’s efforts in the agricultural sector, a $132.5 billion industry.
Shapiro credited the agriculture sector with much of the state’s success, saying it was the “center of our economic strategy.” Shapiro has also put a heavy focus on technology, including the burgeoning AI industry, which has garnered the commonwealth the largest investments in its 250-year history. He cited a recent report from Moody’s that named it the only growing state economy in the northeast.
“I recognize that farming — notwithstanding its rich history — is not just a critically important part of our heritage – it’s also key to our future success here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Shapiro.
Essential to the sector is conservation, something the state has seen significant progress with recently, in large part due to efforts made in its rural, predominantly Republican spaces. The rare space of bipartisan agreement has been a bright spot amidst many intractable issues within the legislature.
On Monday, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced $600,345 in PA Farm Bill Agriculture & Youth Grants from the hard-won 2025-2026 state budget.
A key focus of the Farm Show this year is America250, the nation’s semiquincentennial. It’s theme,“Growing a Nation,” highlights farmers’ roles in creating a foundation for Pennsylvania to transition from British colony to U.S. state.
The show widens the lens from traditional rural agriculture to urban projects that aim to change the food system in Pennsylvania’s most populous regions. Last year, the Department of Agriculture awarded 21 recipients in 10 counties over $500,000 in Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grants.
The focus on new models nods to the spaces in which the governor’s tech focus and the agricultural world overlap.
“I think what is so unique about our state is the way in which our universities work together with our ag interests, work together with those who support ag in the government and in the private sector,” said Shapiro. “And, so I want to thank our leaders at Penn State, Penn Vet, our private sector businesses, and many others who all come together to lift up ag in our Commonwealth.”
One area of research that has an immediate impact in the state is handling avian flu. A major outbreak that began in 2024 drove up the price of eggs and worried dairy and livestock producers nationwide. Pennsylvania was the first state to achieve HPAI-free status from the USDA for its milk supply. The governor said Redding’s team is just “weeks away” from opening a new vet lab at Penn State’s Beaver campus which will help the state to track and mitigate disease.
