Dear Friends,
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend Ag Progress Days at Penn State with members of the House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the event at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center. As Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition, Ag Progress Days brings together more than 400 exhibitors, farmers, researchers, educators, equipment manufacturers, and families to showcase the innovation, research, and people shaping the future of agriculture. Around 45,000 people attend the event each year.
I brought my family along, which made the experience even more meaningful. We worked our way through the corn maze, watched farming demonstrations and equine performances, learned about water planning and conservation, explored the latest equipment and technology, and I don’t think we passed a single tractor without stopping to take a look. What struck me most was how much agriculture has changed and how quickly it continues to evolve.
Ag Progress Days is also a wonderful example of Penn State’s land-grant mission in action. Penn State has been Pennsylvania’s land-grant university since 1862, when the Morrill Act created a new model of higher education focused on practical education, research, and public service. Today, Penn State is one of only three universities in the country with all four federal designations: Land Grant, Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Sun Grant. Those designations reflect a remarkably broad research and public-service mission, with university expertise being put to work addressing real-world challenges.
That mission is particularly visible in agriculture. Through Penn State Extension, agricultural research, and partnerships with farmers and communities, knowledge developed at the university reaches Pennsylvania farms directly from the laboratory and research field.
Agriculture is changing, and so is the work of our farmers. More than 48,800 farms contribute more than $132 billion annually to our economy and support nearly 600,000 jobs. Pennsylvania is also a national leader in the production of apples, grapes, peaches, strawberries, and cherries.
During a committee hearing, “Cultivating 250 Years: Pennsylvania Agriculture Past, Present and Future,” we heard firsthand how dramatically the industry has evolved. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding spoke about Pennsylvania’s long agricultural history, from our Indigenous roots to our reputation as the “breadbasket of America” and today’s diversified agricultural economy. Retired dairy farmer Robert Smith described how farming has changed since he began before widespread mechanization. Fayette County farmer Mike Reskovac talked about diversifying his operation, while his two young sons spoke about wanting to be farmers. Dean Troy Ott of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences discussed the research, education, and innovation helping farmers meet the challenges ahead.
Those challenges are significant: changing weather patterns, extreme weather events, fertilizer and labor shortages, shifting markets, and changes in federal policies that are directly and indirectly impacting our farms and producers. At the same time, technologies such as robotics, precision agriculture, automation, and data-driven farming are creating opportunities that would have been unimaginable to previous generations.
That intersection of agriculture and technology is something I want to explore further in a future email, because the future of farming will depend not only on preserving the knowledge, land, and traditions passed from one generation to the next, but also on ensuring Pennsylvania farmers have the tools to innovate.
We also discussed how we support our farms and why that support matters.
This spring’s devastating freeze caused some Pennsylvania fruit growers to experience losses of up to nearly their entire crop. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture estimates the specialty-crop industry could face $150 million to $200 million in economic losses. The 2026-27 state budget included $10 million for Fruit Grower Freeze Impact Grants, and applications opened this week for eligible growers who lost at least 30% of their expected production.
The state is also investing in the future through the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program. The 2026-27 budget includes $10 million for agricultural innovation, building on earlier investments supporting projects designed to help farms become more productive, resilient, and competitive.
Supporting agriculture means supporting much more than farmers. It means supporting the workers, businesses, processors, restaurants, equipment manufacturers, researchers, and communities that depend on a strong agricultural economy. It means protecting farmland while helping the next generation gain access to land, capital, education, and technology. This is not only essential for farms and farmers, but also for our food supply and national security.
And it means remembering that if we want to support farmers and buy Pennsylvania-grown food, in addition to visiting some of our amazing local farmers' markets, we can look for the PA Preferred® logo at the store.
Pennsylvania agriculture has deep roots. Our responsibility is to make sure it has a strong future.