Governor Shapiro Launches $10M Disaster Relief Grant Program for Pennsylvania Fruit Growers

BIGLERVILLE, PA — Governor Josh Shapiro visited Three Springs Fruit Farm in Adams County Thursday evening to announce the launch of the Pennsylvania Fruit Grower Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant Program, delivering $10 million in direct state grants to family orchards suffering catastrophic crop losses.

Agricultural Disaster Relief and Grant Eligibility

Funded through the 2026–27 Commonwealth budget, the disaster program offers direct recovery grants of up to $50,000 to commercial fruit producers who experienced documented harvest losses exceeding 30 percent during a severe late-April deep freeze that destroyed budding blossoms across Adams, Franklin, Berks, and York counties. Grant funds can be deployed to cover seasonal farm labor overhead, tree pruning maintenance, and the installation of modern wind-machine frost protection towers to safeguard future crops.

Governor Shapiro emphasized that Pennsylvania’s multi-billion-dollar fruit agricultural industry forms the cultural and economic backbone of rural communities across South-Central Pennsylvania.

Farm Bureau and Industry Commendation

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and State Horticultural Association strongly supported the rapid rollout, noting that federal crop insurance payouts frequently take over a year to disburse.

State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding confirmed that grant applications will be processed on a rolling basis to disburse funds prior to the autumn packing season.

Application Portal Launch Date

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will open the online grant application portal on Monday, August 24, 2026.