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Shapiro Administration Issues $10 Million in Disaster Relief Grants to Fruit Growers Harmed by Devastating Spring 2026 Freeze

Shapiro Administration Issues $10 Million in Disaster Relief Grants to Fruit Growers Harmed by Devastating Spring 2026 Freeze

Governor Shapiro secured funding in 2026-27 state budget for grants to help Pennsylvania farmers recover losses this year and rebound in future seasons.

Harrisburg, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that $10 million in disaster relief grants are on their way to 319 Pennsylvania fruit growers in 48 counties who lost crops covering nearly 18,500 acres to a devastating late-April freeze. Governor Josh Shapiro secured funding for Fruit Grower Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants in the 2026-27 Budget.

In August, the Governor invited growers to apply for the grants while visiting Adams County’s Three Springs Fruit Farm, one of the region’s hard-hit growers.

“Pennsylvania fruit growers experienced one of the most devastating spring freezes in recent memory,” Secretary Redding said. “Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly recognized the urgent need to support an industry that is vital to our economy and our communities. We acted quickly and we continue to fight for federal support for growers as they continue to recover in the coming seasons.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) received grant applications from 319 eligible growers whose apples, pears, peaches, cherries, grapes, berries and other fruit crops were affected by freezing temperatures between April 1 and April 21, 2026. Growers who experienced losses of at least 30% of expected production of eligible crops could apply. Every qualified applicant received $540 per acre for damages.

After the April freeze, with many Pennsylvania growers reporting their worst losses in several generations, the Shapiro Administration acted quickly. In addition to creating the PDA grant program, the Governor appealed to USDA and received streamlined disaster assistance after calling for federal support in May.

During a July roundtable at a Centre County orchard, Sec. Redding encouraged growers to continue to document and report their damage from the freeze to their local USDA Farm Service Agency in addition to applying for relief through the state’s new fund. He reiterated the Administration’s call for continued federal support to help fruit growers recover from severe weather-related losses and strengthen the long-term resilience of Pennsylvania agriculture.

Key requests included:

  • Statewide USDA disaster declaration: 58 Pennsylvania counties eventually received disaster designations or qualified through neighboring states’ designations. Governor Shapiro and Sec. Redding requested a statewide designation in addition to other requests awaiting USDA action.

 

  • Expanded crop insurance flexibilities: PDA asked USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to expedite insurance payments through advances and exclude fancy-grade fruit from pack-out calculations. RMA announced additional flexibilities, but only for apple growers, leaving other specialty crops without relief.

 

  • Insurance for processors and packers: PDA requested that USDA establish a crop insurance program for processors and packers, a proposal supported in HR1, which Congress passed in late May.

 

  • Flexible federal grant funding: Pennsylvania is part of a multi-state effort alongside Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, urging Congress to provide USDA funding. This would allow states to create flexible relief programs tailored to the unique harmful effects on specific fruit crops and locations.

Supporting Farmers Through Critical Investments in the Future of Pennsylvania Agriculture and Food Security

Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector is the backbone of the Commonwealth, with more than 48,800 farms contributing over $153 billion a year to the economy and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget continues to make strengthening agriculture and food security top priorities — helping farmers, families, and communities thrive by securing:

  • $5 million from the existing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) fund to expand education for farmers working to combat the spread of HPAI.
  • $10 million to fund a third year of the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program to drive innovation in Pennsylvania agriculture. Round 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.
  • $13.8 million to fully fund an eighth year of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill to support business planning, infrastructure, and workforce development.

Round one of Ag Innovation Grants are at work across Pennsylvania funding 88 innovative projects including those that will help orchard owners recover and thrive amid increasingly common severe weather events, erratic market conditions, and labor shortages in the future.

In early August, Lt. Governor Davis announced the second round of Ag Innovation Grants. The $9.7 million investment is supporting 97 projects leveraging $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.

And in mid-October, Governor Shapiro unveiled Pennsylvania’s first-ever Strategic Plan for Agriculture, to support farmers and ag producers and ensure one of the Commonwealth's largest industries remains profitable and globally competitive.

Consumers can join Governor Shapiro in supporting their local farms by buying locally grown fruit and looking for the blue and yellow PA Preferred® logo wherever they shop. Learn how you can support Pennsylvania farms and find a market, event, product, or restaurant near you on the PA Preferred website.

Read the full Strategic Plan for Agriculture at pa.gov/AgStrategicPlan. Read more about investments to keep Pennsylvania agriculture competitive and thriving in the 2026-27 Budget and continued support for Pennsylvania farmers at pa.gov/governor.