Shapiro Administration Launches Keystone AgTech Alliance to Keep Pennsylvania Agriculture Innovating and Leading the Nation

The new alliance’s collective goal is to make Pennsylvania the premier state for farmer-centered innovation, connecting real-world challenges with proven technology-based solutions.

The alliance will further advance the goals of the Shapiro Administration’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, the first of its kind in the nation, investing $30 million to put cutting-edge technology into practice on farms to help Pennsylvania farmers innovate, succeed, and grow their bottom lines.

Pennsylvania Furnace, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger launched the Keystone AgTech Alliance, signing an agreement with The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences, Team Pennsylvania, and Innovation Works, Inc. The new alliance aims to accelerate agricultural innovation across Pennsylvania by closely aligning the work of private industry, research institutions, and government toward a common goal of making Pennsylvania the premier state for farmer-centered innovation, connecting real-world challenges with proven technology-based solutions.

By coordinating research and resources, and creating opportunities for collaboration and demonstration, the alliance will further advance the goals of the Shapiro Administration’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, the first of its kind in the nation, investing $30 million to put cutting-edge technology into practice on farms to help Pennsylvania farmers innovate, succeed, and grow their bottom lines.

“Today’s agreement is another step toward our shared goal of helping farmers address real-world challenges safely, effectively, and efficiently,” Sec. Redding said. “Helping Pennsylvania farmers compete and continue leading the nation is the reason the Shapiro Administration launched Ag Innovation Grants, and today we’re bringing the right partners to the table to continue making that vision a reality. The Keystone AgTech Alliance will amplify the impact of the millions in state funds we’re investing to further industry excellence, research, and development to help Pennsylvania farmers get stuff done.”

Secretary Redding made today’s announcement at the FIRA Robotics Village, the first East Coast appearance of the internationally recognized robotics showcase. The alliance and partners brought the village to Penn State’s Ag Progress Days to showcase the practical solutions robotics, AI, automation, and precision agriculture offer for the future of farming.

Pennsylvania’s unmatched crop diversity, world-class research at its academic institutions, and proximity to 60 million consumers uniquely positions the state to serve as the nation’s proving ground for solutions to labor shortages, pressures to increase productivity and efficiency, and long-term economic and environmental sustainability.

“Pennsylvania has always been a national leader in innovation, technology, and agriculture. Bringing these industries together creates an outstanding opportunity to drive our economy forward,” said DCED Secretary Rick Siger. “While Agriculture Innovation Grants were born out of the need to keep Pennsylvania agriculture competitive, the Keystone AgTech Alliance goes one step further — connecting the best innovative technology with Pennsylvania’s world-class academic institutions, creating a direct link for collaboration and creativity.”

What Keystone AgTech Alliance partners are saying about Pennsylvania’s leadership and promising future:

“At Penn State, we believe some of the most powerful agricultural innovations are the ones that make it off the research station and onto the farm. The Keystone AgTech Alliance gives us the coordination infrastructure to do that more effectively, connecting our research, our extension network, and our industry partnerships in service of Pennsylvania producers.” said Troy Ott, Peter and Ann Tombros Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences

“Agriculture isn’t a sector where one-size-fits-all technology works. Growing conditions, soil composition, crop cycles, and labor availability vary county by county across Pennsylvania,” said Kevin Dowling, Managing Director of the Robotics Factory and Hardware Program at Innovation Works. “We’ve worked with AgTech robotics founders for years and understand the specifics that determine whether a solution actually works on the ground. The Keystone AgTech Alliance gives those startups the backing to build companies that keep Pennsylvania’s farms competitive.”

“Pennsylvania’s greatest strength has always been its ability to bring people together around a common purpose,” said Team Pennsylvania President and CEO Abby Smith. “At Team Pennsylvania, we serve as a trusted partner, aligning industry, government, and academia to advance initiatives that move agricultural innovation and economic growth across the commonwealth. The Keystone AgTech Alliance is another example of what’s possible when organizations collaborate to advance agricultural innovation and strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy. By leveraging our partners’ expertise, we’re creating opportunities and driving results that no single organization could accomplish alone.”

Investing Together with Science and Industry to Feed Ag Success

Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program received an overwhelming response in year one, with more than $68 million in funding requests for an available $10 million. Eighty-eight projects funded in the first round include technologies now working across the state to improve on-farm and processing efficiency, generate renewable energy while reducing nutrient waste, and support crops and practices that store carbon or replace non-renewable resources.

A second $10 million round of grants funded in the Governor’s 2025-26 bipartisan budget drew more than 317 applications requesting a total of $73 million. Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

Due to overwhelming response and success, the 2026-27 budget Governor Shapiro signed last month funds the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program at $10 million for a third year.

Penn State’s Fruit Research and Extension Center houses one of the 88 projects funded in the first round of Ag Innovation Grants: a state-of-the-art, drone-based precision scanning spraying system being tested and validated at the center under real growing conditions. Connecting lab to orchard, the project is creating a proving-ground for how this technology will work for Pennsylvania’s growers, and how the innovation will matter to their individual businesses.

The $19,000 innovation grant project works in concert with the PSU College of Agricultural Science’s Ag Resource Center, which supports specialty crop applied research. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture invested $300,000 in the center in early 2026 among $2.2 million in research grants at work feeding growth in the state’s powerhouse ag industry.

Under the Shapiro Administration, Pennsylvania launched a new Center for Plant Excellence — also housed at Penn State — to combine forces of industry experts, academic researchers, and public investment to enhance workforce and management practices in Pennsylvania’s plant-based ag sectors. The center is one of four centers for excellence that collectively receive $4.1 million through the state budget to fuel growth in Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

Since taking office in 2022, Governor Shapiro has demonstrated that he understands that Pennsylvania’s economic success depends on our rural communities and farms. Pennsylvania agriculture supports over 48,800 farms, nearly 600,000 jobs, and contributes $132.5 billion annually to the Commonwealth’s economy.

Agriculture, robotics, life sciences, and manufacturing are inter-related cornerstones of Governor Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy — Pennsylvania’s first in two decades — and the Shapiro Administration is committed to investing in continued growth in each sector.

Learn how Governor Josh Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy recognizes agriculture as key to our future economic success and find more investments in a strong future for Pennsylvania agriculture at shapirobudget.pa.gov.

# # #

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.