Mifflin County project lands $129K state agriculture grant
Pennsylvania awards $9.7 million for 97 projects statewide
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From staff reports
REEDSVILLE -- A Mifflin County business will receive nearly $130,000 as part of a $9.7 million statewide investment aimed at bringing new technology and innovation to Pennsylvania agriculture.
Metzler Forest Products in Mifflin County was awarded $129,800 through Pennsylvania's Agricultural Innovation Grant Program for a system designed to convert forest waste into thermal energy and carbon products.
The Shapiro-Davis administration announced the second round of grants Wednesday during Penn State's Ag Progress Days. The 97 projects are expected to leverage another $4.8 million in private investment from farms and agricultural businesses.
In Huntingdon County, Valley Meadow Farm will receive $41,154 for an automated egg-handling and grading system.
Perry County is represented by two individual projects and one multi-county initiative. Laurel Grove Dairy Farm will receive $129,800 for a robotic milking system, while Merrimart Farms was awarded $9,122 for a technology-enabled dairy cow maternity barn.
Country View Family Farms will receive $174,117 for energy-efficient farrowing systems designed to improve safety and swine health. The project is expected to have a regional impact across Bedford, Bradford, Franklin, Fulton, Perry and Tioga counties.
In Centre County, Penn State University will receive $129,800 to optimize the performance of its anaerobic digester. Jeffrey Brooks will receive $129,800 for a robotic dairy system at Brooks Family Farms, and Nyra Graham was awarded $55,411 for the FarmLocal precision agriculture system serving 15 Centre County farms.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said the grants are intended to help farmers and producers lower costs, increase production and adopt technologies that can strengthen Pennsylvania agriculture.
"Agriculture is the backbone of our Commonwealth," Shapiro said. "This important funding will help Pennsylvania farmers, growers, and producers innovate and grow."
The state received more than $68 million in requests for the latest round of Agricultural Innovation Grants.
The 2026-27 state budget includes another $10 million for a third year of the program. Applications for the next round are scheduled to open Sept. 1.
Other grant recipients
Two projects will have statewide reach. The Association for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation will receive $43,000 to plan a precision meat, poultry and seafood innovation hub, while Augean Robotics was awarded $238,000 for an agricultural robotics production facility.
Several other grants cover multiple counties. Soergel Orchards will receive $24,584 for an agricultural drone purchase benefiting Allegheny and Butler counties. Arial Applications was awarded $310,000 for agricultural-service drones serving Armstrong, Cambria, Clearfield, Indiana and Somerset counties.
Bella Terra Vineyards will receive $29,047 for vineyard mechanization in Bedford and Westmoreland counties. Pennsylvania Saffron was awarded $116,807 for development of an AI-enabled weeding system for small farms in Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Dream, Invent, Inspire will receive $5,247 for an AI crop-management system in Butler and Lawrence counties. HyO Technologies was awarded $231,743 for hydrogen-rich irrigation technology serving Chester and Indiana counties. The PA Flax Project Cooperative will receive $291,971 for flax harvesting and processing infrastructure in Philadelphia and Northumberland counties.
In Adams County, Penn State University will receive $14,600 to evaluate a precision spray-control system for orchards; Mt. Ridge Farms, $65,800 for an automated harvest system; Rice Fruit Company, $33,160 for an AI smart-radio system with real-time translation; Fruit Hollow Farms, $12,493 for precision orchard-thinning technology; Fairview Dairy Farms, $36,048 for a milking-parlor cooling system; Piney Apple Acres, $102,381 for precision harvest technology; and Adams County Nursery, $33,800 for drone and robotic technology.
In Allegheny County, William Scott will receive $38,920 for smart irrigation and solar efficiency; Grow Pittsburgh, $45,808 for farm-system upgrades; and Pravin Michael Boscha, $11,372 to plan photochromic shade-cloth technology for grazing systems.
In Beaver County, Epoch Fields will receive $10,120 for an on-farm regenerative grazing measurement system, and Tiny Seed Farm will receive $31,690 for an automated specialty-crop system.
In Berks County, F.M. Brown's Sons will receive $129,800 for bin automation and ingredient handling; Rodale Institute, $31,380 for precision weed management; Third Place Processing, $34,405 for nut-processing technology; Alvernia University, $16,200 for an aeroponics greenhouse; the PA Hemp Industry Council, $50,000 to plan a hemp grain cooperative; Clover Farms Dairy, $310,000 for automated milk handling and tracking; and Earthcare Bethel, $127,874 for food-waste processing.
In Blair County, Kulp Family Dairy will receive $97,800 for a dairy cooling system, while Penn England will receive $129,800 for improvements to a dairy farm anaerobic digester.
In Bradford County, Robert W. Brown will receive $15,705 for feed-management and milk-handling modernization; Cummings Lumber Company, $129,800 for automated lumber handling; and Fenninger Fields, $128,848 for a manure aeration system.
In Bucks County, Delaware Valley University will receive $125,390 for biosecurity and animal-health monitoring.
In Cameron County, Emporium Hardwoods Operating Company will receive $129,800 for robotic sorting and scanning.
In Chester County, Pietro Industries will receive $129,597 for automated mushroom harvesting; AgriGates, $59,400 to plan on-site energy generation for a dairy AI system; Phillips Mushroom Farms, $129,800 for an automated weighing line; Gary Westlake Sr., $129,800 for Christmas tree harvesting technology; Megan Storm, $34,440 for specialty-crop hoop-house modernization; MYCOguard, $33,800 for automated phorid fly monitoring; and the Chester County Economic Development Foundation, $50,000 to study a farm training facility.
Other Chester County awards include $31,500 to Thomas D. Parsons for agro-energy solutions, $220,000 to the American Mushroom Institute for phorid fly control technology, $344,800 to Laurel Valley Farms for a mushroom-farm aeration system, $310,000 to Mushroom Supply & Services for automated harvesting and $310,000 to Cheyney University for an aquaculture automation and management system.
In Clearfield County, Forcey Lumber and Veneer Company will receive $51,912 for automated veneer production.
In Clinton County, Pine Creek Seed Farm will receive $310,000 for seed-processing infrastructure.
In Crawford County, Glenn Kenny will receive $46,898 for automated grain handling, and Ernst Biomass will receive $129,800 for a biomass burner optimization system.
In Cumberland County, Gro-Green Corporation will receive $91,400 for high-efficiency boilers; Destiny Farmstead, $48,896 for precision dairy automation; and Land O' Lakes, $310,000 for an enhanced butter-processing facility.
In Dauphin County, Jubilee Dairy will receive $129,800 for an anaerobic digester, and the Center for Dairy Excellence will receive $266,477 for a regional dairy cattle-monitoring system.
In Delaware County, Indian Orchard Farm will receive $15,336 for a biomass boiler, and the Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture will receive $40,000 to plan a sustainable vertical farm.
In Erie County, INTAG Systems will receive $129,800 for a vermiculture waste-processing system; Mazza Vineyards, $129,797 for grape-processing filtration; Fairview Evergreen Nurseries, $18,073 for a drone sprayer; and Willow Grove Heritage Lab, $10,500 for farm-services technology planning.
In Indiana County, John-Paul's Farm will receive $7,000 for a water-saving produce rinse conveyor, while the Indiana County Conservation District will receive $10,280 for a precision nutrient-management and crop-monitoring drone system.
In Lancaster County, Cherry Hill Orchards will receive $150,000 for enhanced fruit processing; Freshly Grown, $129,800 for a fossil fuel-free greenhouse; and Oasis Creamery, $270,250 for modernization of a cottage cheese production facility.
In Lawrence County, Dawson's Orchards will receive $42,120 for automated crop grading, while Den-Be Farms will receive $129,800 for a robotic milking system.
In Lebanon County, Breckbill Acres will receive $50,000 to plan a biogas capture and management system.
In Lehigh County, Cory J. Maletsky will receive $31,880 for a vacuum kiln to improve lumber production.
In Luzerne County, David Petlock will receive $86,792 for saw modernization, while the Northern Tier Hardwood Association will receive $28,415 for a hardwood-harvesting simulator.
In Lycoming County, Derek Wheeland will receive $129,800 for AI-driven lumber scanning and automated stacking, and The Potting Bench will receive $79,997 for a technology-enabled greenhouse.
In Mercer County, Omega Logging will receive $65,800 for a wood-to-biochar air-burner system.
In Monroe County, Brian Candler will receive $113,800 for a hydroponics system; Pocono Organics Foundation, $30,282 for automated microgreen production; and AI Sustainable Foods, $53,000 for an indoor production and pollinator-innovation system.
In Montgomery County, Gather and Grow will receive $19,720 for solar-powered automated greenhouse climate controls, while Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms will receive $47,448 for an optical sensor-based automation system.
In Northampton County, Kenneth Barleib will receive $33,800 for a farm water-efficiency system.
In Northumberland County, Clarks Feed Mills will receive $130,000 for poultry feed mill modernization; Furman Foods, $129,800 for water-recovery and waste optimization; and Red Hill Farms, $103,727 for potato-harvesting technology.
In Schuylkill County, Honey Brook Farm will receive $19,844 for improvements to a swine farrowing facility.
In Tioga County, Woodland Biomass Innovations will receive $305,035 for a woody biomass-to-gasoline conversion facility.
In Union County, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic will receive $14,100 to plan a digital nutrient export and land-application tracking system.
In Wayne County, Wallenpaupack Creek Farm will receive $19,293 for a GPS-guided manure application system.
The grants reimburse costs associated with project planning or completion and are intended to improve agricultural efficiency and production, conserve soil and water resources, reduce waste and expand renewable-energy use.
Pennsylvania has more than 48,800 farms supporting approximately 600,000 jobs and contributing $132.5 billion annually to the state economy, according to the administration.