pa-56-32-1116: Standards and requirements for the Agricultural Business Development Center Farm Vitality Planning Grant Program (Part II)

Summary

The Department of Agriculture (Department) hereby provides notice of the standards and requirements for the Farm Vitality Planning Grant Program (Program). The Program is established under authority of the Agricultural Business Development Center Act (act) (3 Pa.C.S. §§ 4801 4810). The act allows the Department to award matching grants to farmers, prospective farmers and others in furtherance of the objectives set forth in the act. These objectives relate to enhancing the long-term vitality of farms in this Commonwealth through sound business planning, efficient transitions of farm ownership, strategic farm expansion, diversification of agricultural production and building a team of financial and technical expertise as a resource for farmers in this Commonwealth. This notice establishes the standards and requirements for the Program. It establishes the process by which grant applications will be solicited and reviewed, and by which grants will be awarded, drawing on up to $500,000 in additional funding made available by the Department in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2027. For this year of the Program, the Department is soliciting applications that fulfill the general objectives of the act, described as follows. The Department may revise these standards and requirements in subsequent years, as the Department and its Agricultural Business Development Center gain experience in administering the Program. This document has been developed in consultation with the Agricultural Business...

The agency’s own summary, as published.