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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 12, 2024 11:14 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Ryan P. Aument and Sen. Elder A. Vogel, Jr. |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Agriculture Innovation Grant Program |
| In the near future, we intend to introduce legislation that would create an Agriculture Innovation Grant Program, providing farmers and agribusinesses with grant opportunities to utilize new technologies and increase efficiencies. Like many industries, technology is revolutionizing agriculture, allowing farmers to be more efficient, improve food production and processing, improve conservation practices, reduce energy consumption and improve animal disease management. Agriculture has always been at the forefront of innovation, but the pace of research and discovery is providing even greater pressure and opportunities for farmers and processors to improve their businesses and overall stewardship. The Agriculture Innovation Grant Program would help provide farmers and agribusinesses with the resources to adopt new practices. Specifically, this bill would provide the Department of Agriculture, working in connection with a new Agriculture Innovation Board, the ability to award grants in three categories: planning grants, on-farm projects, and regional impact projects. Each of these grants would be open to farmers, agribusinesses and the businesses that provide valuable services to farmers, such as crop protection, farm equipment service companies, animal health and plant professionals, and conservation assistance or data collection. By creating this program, the state can better equip our farmers and agribusinesses with the resources they need to meet food production needs of society, innovate, compete, and grow into the future. Thank you for joining us in support of this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as SB1269