Section 1918. Department of Agriculture.
The following apply to appropriations for the Department of Agriculture:
(1) From money appropriated for general government operations, no less than $250,000 shall be used for the Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence to assist in the development and implementation of agricultural education programming.
(2) From money appropriated for agricultural preparedness and response, no less than $6,000,000 shall be used for costs incurred by the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System across this Commonwealth in preparing for and responding to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
(3) From money appropriated for agricultural excellence, no less than $1,400,000 shall be used for beef excellence supported programs and initiatives.
(3.1) From money appropriated for the Farmers Market Food Coupons:
(i) $5,000,000 shall be used to reduce food waste and strengthen food access programs.
(ii) $2,000,000 shall be used for administration and program costs associated with a benefit incentive program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants to purchase fruits and vegetables at eligible food retailers.
(4) From money appropriated for agricultural research, the following apply:
(i) No less than $300,000 shall be used for an agricultural resource center.
(ii) No less than $100,000 shall be used for agricultural law research programs, including those addressing energy development, in conjunction with a land-grant university.
(5) From money appropriated for hardwoods research and promotion, at least 80% of the money shall be equally distributed among the hardwood utilization groups of this Commonwealth established prior to the effective date of this paragraph.
(6) Money appropriated for the Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission shall be equally distributed to the animal diagnostic laboratory system laboratories located at a land-grant university and at a school of veterinary medicine located within this Commonwealth.
(7) From money appropriated for fruit grower disaster support, no less than $10,000,000 shall be used for freeze disaster assistance recovery grants to assist with business continuity for a fruit grower that incurred a loss of an eligible specialty crop because of freeze events. The following apply:
(i) The Department of Agriculture shall award grants to a fruit grower that experienced a loss of at least 30% of expected production for an eligible specialty crop because of the freeze events.
(ii) An applicant for a grant award shall provide all of the following:
(A) Verification of the eligible acreage of each eligible specialty crop in production between April 1, 2026, and April 21, 2026.
(B) A map identifying each parcel on which an eligible specialty crop was produced and the total acreage impacted by the freeze events.
(iii) The Department of Agriculture shall develop a per-acre payment methodology for each eligible specialty crop.
(iv) The Department of Agriculture shall adjust grant awards to reflect the amount of money available under this paragraph. A grant award limitation established by the Department of Agriculture shall apply by Federal employer identification number.
(v) Within 30 days of the effective date of this subparagraph, the Department of Agriculture shall develop guidelines to implement this paragraph and submit the guidelines to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
(vi) As used in this paragraph, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subparagraph unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Eligible specialty crop." A pome fruit, stone fruit, grape or berry grown in this Commonwealth.
"Freeze events." The freeze events that occurred between April 1, 2026, and April 21, 2026.
((7) added July 12, 2026, P.L.265, No.21)
(1918 added Nov. 12, 2025, P.L.156, No.45)