Wolf admin announces $10K grants for farmer-veteran startups

By John L. Micek
The Wolf administration announced this week that it’s offering grants of up to $10,000 to support the start-up or expansion needs of Pennsylvania’s farmer-veterans.
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The total of $200,000 in grant money comes courtesy of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, a $13.6 million funding package that was reauthorized for a fourth time in this year’s state budget.
The program is “designed to recognize the great commitment of Pennsylvania’s farmer-veterans: to love and defend their country and also to serve humanity by growing the food that we all need to survive,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement. ” … It’s a ‘thank you’ for their service and a commitment to better serving their needs as they serve ours.”
The grant money will be administered through two veterans’ service organizations: Greenforge, Inc., in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, and the Community Action Partnership in Butler County, according to the administration.
“We have worked hard to ensure that everyone who wants to be a part of agriculture has the opportunity to contribute without barriers,” state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement. “These grants are a down payment on the success of farmer-veterans in the industry, for the success of Pennsylvania.”
Citing federal data, the commonwealth is home to more than 7,000 veterans who identify as “agricultural producers,” the administration said.
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