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Local agriculture businesses received state grants as part of their innovative processes.
In Lycoming County, Derek Wheeland will receive $129,800 for an artificial intelligence-driven lumber scanning and automated lumber stacker.
The Potting Bench, South Williamsport, received $79,997 for a technology-enabled greenhouse operation.
In Clinton County, Pine Creek Seed Farm received $310,000 for a seed infrastructure enhancement seed-processing system which will have regional impact, according to a press release from Gov. Josh Shapiro.
In Bradford County, Robert W. Brown received $15,705 toward modernization of feed-management and milk-handling systems on Peck Hill Farms to reduce costs and enhance resilience.
Also in that county, Cummings Lumber Company got $129,800 for an automated lumber-handling system and Fenninger Fields - $128,848 – for a swine finishing-barn manure aeration system.
In Tioga County, Woodland Biomass Innovations - $305,035, for a Woody biomass-to-gasoline conversion facility.
The 2026-27 budget Gov. Josh Shapiro signed last month funds a third year of Ag Innovation Grants at $10 million.
Applications for the program's third round of grants will be accepted beginning Sept. 1.
Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and the state Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding Wednesday announced the second round of grants through the nation's first Agricultural Innovation Grant Program.
The $9.7 million investment will support 97 projects and leverage $4.8 million in private investment -- putting innovative technology into practice to help Pennsylvania agricultural businesses improve efficiency and increase production, protect soil and water resources, and generate clean, renewable energy.