State Rep. Jamie Barton (R-Berks/Schuylkill) announced that Honey Brook Farm in Schuylkill County was awarded the funding through Pennsylvania's Agricultural Innovation Grant Program.
According to Barton, the farm will use the grant for an upgrade to its farrowing facility. Farrowing facilities are used to house sows during the period when they give birth and care for newborn piglets.
The grant is part of more than $51,000 awarded to two agricultural operations in Barton's 124th Legislative District.
Rodale Institute in Berks County was awarded more than $31,000 to expand its precision weed management efforts for organic farmers through the use of photo-guided cultivation systems.
“Farms like these feed our communities, our Commonwealth and our country,” Barton said. “Just like any other business, farms have to adapt and implement new techniques to stay as efficient as possible. This funding is helping Rodale and Honey Brook do just that.”
The Agricultural Innovation Grant Program provides funding to farmers and other agricultural businesses to implement new technologies and improvements involving conservation, renewable energy and other innovations.
The program is intended to help agricultural operations increase profitability and efficiency while improving soil and water resources and supporting on-farm energy production.
Pennsylvania's 2026-27 state budget includes another $10 million for the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, bringing the state's total investment in the initiative to $30 million.
The initial round of the program funded 88 projects across Pennsylvania, supporting projects involving new agricultural technologies, clean energy and natural resource protection.
State officials say the program is designed to help farms of varying sizes remain competitive while strengthening Pennsylvania's agricultural economy.