HARRISBURG, PA, January 3, 2023 – At the PA Farms to Families Immersion Lab at the PA Farm Show, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced $1.5 million in awards to schools and Ag education programs through the PA Farm Bill 2022-23 Farm to School and Agriculture and Youth Grant Programs.
Nearly $1 million in Ag and Youth grants were awarded to youth organizations to promote development in the areas of agriculture, community leadership, vocational training, and peer fellowship. Nearly $536,000 in Farm to School grants were awarded to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
“Young people are the future of Pennsylvania agriculture, and their teachers, programs, field trips, and access to fresh foods frame their relationship with and understanding of Ag,” said Redding. “This $1.5 million will spark new interests in farming by connecting students to agriculture education–while also improving access to nutritious foods.”
Since 2019, Governor Tom Wolf has invested nearly $4 million to support and grow hundreds of farm-to-school programs and ag and youth programs through the PA Farm Bill.
The Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation earned a $25,000 grant to upgrade their successful mobile Ag lab.
“This grant will help the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture replace one of our Mobile Ag Ed Science Lab Trailers, said grant recipient Charlene Espenshade, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation. “This grant helps to reduce our program overhead and keeps this program affordable for schools across the state. Since this program’s inception nearly 20 years ago, more than 1.5 million students have learned about the power of agriculture in their everyday lives.”
In their third year earning Farm to School grant program funds, West Perry School District was awarded $11,837 this round to continue progress with their fourth-grade program. The West Perry project works to teach agricultural science concepts, expose students to local farms, and raise awareness of farming as an exciting and viable career. Educators do this through tailored and engaging lesson plans in their classrooms and field trips in collaboration with the LEAF Project.
“West Perry School District is fortunate to engage our students in learning science authentically in many ways—including the lessons made possible by the Farm to School grant and our partnership with the LEAF project,” said Michele Dubaich, assistant superintendent at West Perry School District.” The Agriscience Adventures project that our students and teachers will benefit from will include materials and lessons that address science standards and culminate with a visit to The LEAF farm in Landisburg, Pennsylvania, located in our district’s footprint.”
The 2022-23 Agriculture and Youth matching grant awards list is as follows:
Adams County—Upper Adams School District, $25,000 Littlestown Area School District, $25,000
Allegheny County—Manchester Academic Charter School, $20,000
Berks County—Goggleworks Center for The Arts, $25,000 Kutztown Area School District, $10,000
Butler County—Butler Area School District, $25,000 Butler Farm Show Inc., $12,500
Clarion County—Wolf’s Corners Recreation Association, $25,000
Cumberland County—Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, $25,000
Erie County—Northwestern Community Youth Center, $22,614 Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, $14,883
Fayette County—Fayette County Career & Technical Institute, $25,000 Maple Bottom Farm, $8,611
Huntingdon County—Southern Huntingdon County High School, $10,000
Indiana County—Penns Manor Area School District, $25,000 Marion Center Area School District, $21,581 River Valley School District, $12,500
Juniata County—Juniata County Agricultural Society, $20,000
Lawrence County—Wilmington Area School District, $25,000
Montgomery County—Temple University, $24,500
Perry County—Greenwood School District, $25,000
Washington County—California Area School District, $25,000 Trinity Area School District, $21,579
York County—4-H Clubs of York County INC., $12,249
The 2022-23 Agriculture and Youth direct grants awards list is as follows:
Allegheny County—Bethel Park School District, $7,500 Highlands School District, $7,500 YMCA Of Greater Pittsburgh, $5,500
Armstrong County—Lenape Technical School, $7,370
Beaver County—Pennsylvania State University, $6,820
Big Beaver Falls Area School District, $3,071 Rochester Area School District, $7,500
Berks County—Conrad Weiser Area School District, $6,000 Berks County Conservation District, $7,500
Blair County—Spring Cove School District, $7,500
Williamsburg Community Farm, $3,914
Williamsburg Community Junior Senior High School, $7,500
Bradford County—Athens Area School District, $7,500
Bucks County—The Pennsylvania State University, $7,005
Cambria County—Admiral Peary AVTS, $7,500
Centre County—The Pennsylvania State University, $7,500 The Pennsylvania State University, $7,500
Chester County—Octorara Area School District, $7,500 Chester County Intermediate Unit, $7,500
Oxford Area School District – High School, $6,825
Chester County Economic Development Foundation, $6,500 Chester County Future Farmers of America, $7,500
Clarion County—The Pennsylvania State University, $3,150
Clearfield County—DuBois Area Catholic School, $7,500
Clinton County—Keystone Central School District CTC, $7,500
Cumberland/Dauphin County—Harrisburg University, $7,153
Dauphin County—Friendship Community 4-H Club, $7,500 Hershey Gardens, $6,511
Blessed to Give, Inc, $5,880
Delaware County—Williamson College of the Trades, $7,500 Delaware County Education Foundation, $7,000 Chester Upland School District, $7,500
Erie County—The Pennsylvania State University, $7,500 The Pennsylvania State University, $5,850 Union City Area School District, $7,482
Fayette County—East End United Community Center, $7,465 Fayette County Career & Technical Institute, $7,399
Franklin County—James Buchanan High School, $7,500 Waynesboro Area School District, $5,000 Chambersburg Area School District, $1,500 Healy-Schaefer Horsemanship, $4,602
Huntingdon County—Juniata Valley School District, $7,397
Indiana County—Marion Center Area School District AG Program/FFA, $7,500 ARIN Intermediate Unit 28, $7,500
Jefferson County—Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living, $7,500 Brockway Area School District, $7,500
Lancaster County—The Edible Classroom, $7,500
Eastern Lancaster County School District, $4,720 Lancaster Mennonite School, $1,310
Lebanon County—Eastern Lebanon County School District, $4,080
McKean County—Pennsylvania State University, $6,481 Otto-Eldred High School, $7,500
Mifflin County—Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology, $7,464
Monroe County—Pocono Organics LLC, $7,500
Montgomery County—Variety-the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley, $7,500 Stewart Middle School, $2,000
Temple University, $7,500
Trellis for Tomorrow, $7,400
Montour County—Danville Area High School, $7,500
Perry County—Newport School District, $7,500 LEAF Project, Inc., $7,500
Philadelphia County—Saul Supporters, $7,500
The Urban Creators, $7,500.00
Empowered Community Development Corporation, $7,500
Tioga County—Wellsboro Area School District, $7,500 RB Walter Elementary School, $6,000
Warren County—Warren Forest Higher Education, $7,500
Washington County—Trinity Area School District, $7,500 California Area School District, $7,500
Westmoreland County—Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc., $7,500 Southmoreland Senior High School, $7,500
Wyoming County—Northern Tier Industry & Education Consortium (NTIEC), $7,500
York County—Eastern York Highschool, $7,043 Dover Area High School, $7,500 Glenn Hope Care Farm Inc, $7,500
Statewide—Dairy Excellence Foundation, $7,500
The 2022-23 Farm to School grant awards list is as follows:
Adams County—Gettysburg Montessori Charter School, $2,250
Allegheny County—Elizabeth Forward School District, $15,000 Manchester Academic Charter School, $14,850
Beaver County—Riverside Beaver County School District, $1,268 Big Beaver Falls Area School District, $5,417
Berks County—Tulpehocken Area School District, $15,000 Kutztown Area School District, $15,000 Hamburg Area School District, $15,000 Schuylkill Valley School District, $15,000 Conrad Weiser Area School District, $10,000 The Children’s Home of Reading, $15,000
Bradford County—Northeast Bradford School District, $6,000
Bucks County—Bucks County Intermediate Unit, $14,898
Butler County—Seneca Valley Academy of Choice, $14,085 Haine Middle School, $14,085
Centre County—The Learning Station, $14,700
Chester County—Owen J Roberts School District, $15,000
Avon Grove Charter School, $6,500
The Children’s Treehouse Early Learning Center, $10,525 Avon Grove School District, $5,908
Unionville Chadds Ford School District, $3,058 Great Valley School District, $7,500
Cumberland County—Saint Patrick Parish and School Charitable Trust, $7,740 Big Spring School District, $15,000
Dauphin County—Susquehanna Township School District, $10,268
Erie County—Elk Valley School District, $15,000 Early Connections, Inc., $8,589.66
Fayette County—East End United Community Center, $15,000
Greene County—Carmichaels Area School District, $10,655
Lancaster County—New Holland Early Learning Center, $15,000
Lawrence County—Pre-K Kids Learning Center, $11,677.50
Lebanon County—Annville-Cleona School District, $15,000
Eastern Lebanon County School District, $15,000
Lehigh County—Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, $15,000 Seven Generations Charter School, $10,715
Mifflin County—Sacred Heart of Jesus School, $8,400
Monroe County—Pocono Mountain School District, $5,052.13
Montgomery County—Colonial School District, $13,110 Upper Dublin School District, $4,995
Perry County—West Perry School District, $11,837.50 Newport School District, $5,300
Philadelphia County—Hope Partnership for Education, $15,000 Methodist Services, $15,000
Pike County—Wallenpaupack Area School District, $15,000
Schuylkill County—Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, $15,000
Tioga County—Wellsboro Area School District, $2,000
Washington County—California Area School District, $12,924
Westmoreland County—Queen of Angels Catholic School, $12,000
Full lists of grant awards are available for Ag and Youth and Farm to School. For more information about the PA Farm Bill and investments to support Pennsylvania agriculture, visit agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill.
