|
Farm Transition & Long-Term Care Resources Workshop
Join the Berks County Dept. of Agriculture and PA Farm Link for an in-person Farm Succession Workshop on March 26th at the Ag Center in Leesport, PA – focused on helping farm families plan for the future with clarity and confidence. This full-day workshop brings together experienced professionals to guide participants through key aspects of farm succession, including financial preparedness, farm family communication, long-term care considerations, and essential legal planning. Designed for farmers, landowners, and agricultural professionals, this workshop offers practical tools, real-world insights, and time for questions to support successful farm transitions. Lunch and Planning Workbooks included. $10 Registration (refunded at the workshop)
|
|
Berks Schuylkill (PA) 2026 Contest
The annual What’s So Cool About Manufacturing® video contests excite students to explore cool manufacturing careers and produce profiles of companies in their communities. Judges in each regional contest bestow awards and each contest features an online vote for its Viewers Choice Award.
|
2026 Animal Care Workshops – Berks County
Dairy producers and their employees are invited to one of five, free animal care workshops being held on dairy farms across the state this spring. The workshops will be held directly on the farm for hands-on training. Hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence, PA Beef Council, the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP) and Penn State Extension, the workshops will help you boost your skills in key animal welfare areas to help you meet National FARM compliance.
| |
State officials visit Berks County farm to highlight support for women in agriculture
State officials visited a Berks County farm this week to highlight investments aimed at supporting women in agriculture during Women’s History Month and the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer.
| |
Frozen fields and wild birds: What’s driving avian flu in Pennsylvania?
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently confirmed an additional positive result on a 164,000-head Lancaster County broiler farm. There have been no positive tests on dairy farms, but there is concern the outbreak could jump to dairy herds at some point.
The outbreak has prompted the state government to surge resources to Lancaster County, the hardest-hit area and one of the densest poultry production areas in the country. But other areas of the region are also being affected. Recent positive tests have been confirmed on broiler farms in Kent County, Del., and Caroline County, Md.
| |
PA Department of Agriculture Avian Influenza Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture continues to monitor and respond to avian influenza in domestic poultry, including cases detected in backyard and commercial flocks. As positive cases have been identified, the department has escalated an aggressive, coordinated response to prevent the spread of the virus and protect the state’s agriculture industry.
| |
USDA Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is leading our Nation’s efforts to address an ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial and backyard poultry flocks. Through joint Federal and State response and collaboration with industry organizations, we are taking action to support farmers and protect the U.S. poultry industry.
| |
Farmer and Rancher Inquiry Tool - What Laws and Regulations Apply to You?
The EPA provides a helpful tool as a starting point to learn more about which laws and regulations may apply to your agricultural operation. As rules and regulations may change, it is important to ensure you are complying with the most updated information.
| |
Pick Up PA: Pennsylvania's Largest Community Improvement Program
When it comes to keeping Pennsylvania clean, and it’s up to all of us to do our part. By working together everyone in Pennsylvania can live, work, and play in a clean and green community.
One little way is to register an event for Pick Up Pennsylvania.
| |
QuickBooks for Farmers: Is It Right for Your Operation?
Program Format: Online Meeting (Live)
Training Topics: Accounting/Budget, Agriculture, Cash Flow Management, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Tax Planning
Description:
Learning Objectives:
1) Choosing the right QuickBooks version for your agriculture business
2) QuickBooks setup, including Chart of Accounts and Integrations
3) How to navigate daily functions in QuickBooks
| |
Data Centers: State and Local Regulation
Live Webinar: April 7, 2026
As data center proposals proliferate across the Commonwealth and the nation, state and local policymakers are weighing how best to respond. Decisions by legislators, regulators, and local governments will shape how energy costs and other potential impacts are managed. This webinar provides an overview of how states and municipalities are addressing data center proposals, highlighting examples of statutes and ordinances enacted to guide development and protect community interests.
| |
Branches to Banks: A Budget-Friendly Stream Fix
Live Webinar: March 23, 2026
Is your backyard stream slowly eroding—and taking your land with it? Discover practical, affordable solutions in Penn State Extension's upcoming Master Watershed Steward webinar, "Branches to Banks: A Budget-Friendly Stream Fix." This program introduces live staking, a simple streambank repair technique that uses branch cuttings from select native trees and shrubs to stabilize eroding banks naturally.
| |
Penn State Extension Home Food Preservation Workshops
Sinking Spring Library
Learn about today's recommended methods for home food preservation while dispelling food preservation myths and unsafe practices of the past during this in-person event.
Home Food Preservation: Jams and Jellies
April 15, 2026 | 3:00 PM or 5:30 PM
Registration https://pasbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/33291
Home Food Preservation: Pickling
June 5, 2026 | 3:00 PM or 5:30 PM
Registration
Home Food Preservation: Pressure Canning
July 1, 2026 | 3:00 PM or 5:30 PM
Registration
|
GrowForward: PASBDC's Agricultural Innovation Series
Hosted by Bucknell University SBDC
Join industry professionals and Pennsylvania entrepreneurs for the monthly GrowForward: PASBDC Agricultural Innovation webinar series exploring the spectrum of agricultural innovation, from market research and emerging opportunities to product development and commercialization.
Webinar 4 – Prototyping and Testing
April 20, 2026 | 12:00 PM
Registration
Webinar 5 – Intellectual Property, Funding, and Commercialization
May 18, 2026 | 12:00 PM
Registration
| Check out what we've been up to in the Ag Quarterly. | | |
USDA Supports Producers with Resources and Financial Aid
USDA offers financial support to help dairy producers enhance biosecurity and offset costs associated with Influenza A testing, veterinary expenses, personal protective equipment purchases, milk disposal, and milk losses.
|
Ag Innovation Grants
Eligibility:
• A person who grows an agricultural commodity and who has anticipated sales greater than $2,000 per year.
• A person who processes an agricultural commodity and has anticipated sales greater than$10,000 per year.
• A person who provides technical assistance or services to farmers for conservation, engineering, veterinary care, animal disease management, farm management, agricultural commodity production, nutrient management or similar services.
Grant Types:
Planning Grant
On-site Grant
Regional Impact Grant
Application Period: Open: February 2nd, 2026 (8:00 AM) Close: April 18th, 2026 (11:59 PM)
|
USDA Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps U.S. agricultural producers enter into value-added activities that:
- Generate new products from raw agricultural commodities
- Create and expand marketing opportunities
- Increase producer income through enhanced product value and market reach
These grants support either:
- Planning activities (e.g., feasibility studies, business and marketing plans)
- Working capital needs (e.g., processing, packaging, advertising, inventory, and salaries)
The next current application window opened January 15, 2026, with electronic applications are due by 1:00 p.m. on April 15, 2026.
| |
Contact GRCA's Director of Lending and Business Outreach,
Kayla Hayick to learn more 610.898.7761 | khayick@greaterreading.org
| | Find your next event, from credit courses to weekend family fun, on the Berks Ag Event Calendar. This calendar is a community effort to benefit farmers and non-farmers alike! Browse events by photo tiles, list, or calendar view. Search by titles, topics, audience or other criteria. Click the event title for more details on each event. |
| |
Questions? Contact
Berks County Department of Agriculture
at 610-378-1844 or DeptofAg@berkspa.gov
| |  | | | | |
