Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
05/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2026 14:39
Shapiro Administration Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week on Lehigh County Farm Training Next Generation of Farmers
May 01, 2026 - Emmaus, PA
Shapiro Administration Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week on Lehigh County Farm Training Next Generation of Farmers
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Executive Director Hannah Kinney Smith celebrated National Apprenticeship Week at The Seed Farm, a 42-acre incubator farm in Lehigh County dedicated to training the next generation of farmers. The event celebrated Pasa's new role as stewards of the farm alongside their regional and Shapiro Administration partners who are investing together to offer access to land, infrastructure, and expertise to aspiring farm entrepreneurs through the farm's programs and resources.
Specialized training is among the most pressing challenges for young people seeking to work in agriculture, and a skilled workforce is among the greatest needs of employers across Pennsylvania's $132.5 billion agriculture industry. Pennsylvania leads the nation in the percentage of farmers under 35 - and under Governor Josh Shapiro's leadership, the Commonwealth has created more apprenticeship opportunities and training programs to train more young Pennsylvanians who want to work in agriculture.
"Pennsylvania needs farmers," Secretary Redding said. "And beginning farmers need support like hands-on training under experienced mentors, as well as land access and capital for equipment. The Shapiro Administration is committed not only to giving beginning farmers tools to succeed, but to helping Pennsylvania agriculture businesses meet increasingly complex challenges in a specialized industry."
Speaker List:
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding
Patricia Blumenauer, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development
Hannah Kinney Smith, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Executive Director
Dan Dalton, Director for Technical Assistance, Training, Outreach & Development at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture
Lehigh County Executive Josh Seigel
Farmer Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds
Farmer San Sankofa of Herbal Affirmations
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania published this content on May 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 01, 2026 at 20:39 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]