From the field to your dinner plate, and everywhere in between, agribusiness powers Pennsylvania. Today, we celebrate the rich tapestry of farming, ingenuity, hard work, innovation, leadership, and integrity that defines this powerhouse industry.
In 1978, Pennsylvania’s Governor at the time, Milton Shapp, proclaimed September 20 as Agribusiness Day. At the time, the honor celebrated PennAg’s centennial citation and the state’s $1.6 billion industry: Agribusiness.
But what defines agribusiness in Pennsylvania? Today, it encompasses a variety of enterprises — livestock sales including egg production, agriculture-related manufacturing such as fertilizers, seed development, supply chains, transportation, and food and beverage, which includes feed mills and animal food processing, canned food, and bottled drinks, as well as nursery, greenhouses, floriculture, Christmas Trees, and much more.
In the early days, one of the first agribusinesses, besides farming in general, was the grist mill. While farmers by reputation are self-sufficient, in earlier days, many looked to their local grist mill to buy their grain to turn it into flour.
PennAg’s roots were, and still are, primarily milling-based; however, our organization has evolved in response to changes within the industry.
In the 1870s and 1900s, PennAg was initially known as the Pennsylvania Millers Association, and our organization represented solely Pennsylvania’s Millers, who were involved in the operations of flour and grist milling, and when the grist wheels in old mills gradually stopped turning.
As millers began to shift gears from flour milling to meet the demand for livestock feed from their customers in the late 1920s and 1930s, our organization updated its name to match the tide by calling itself the Pennsylvania Millers and Feed Dealers. We would make an organizational title change again in the 1970s, as agriculture and its businesses broadened from plows and cows to technology, seed innovations, agricultural fertilizers and chemicals, manure hauling, poultry, aquaculture, and more.
While our group’s title evolved with the times, our core values of encouraging and protecting the trade and business of Pennsylvania agribusiness have remained constant.
Today’s modern agricultural industry wouldn’t be possible without the support of the many firms and businesses that exist solely to support the farmer. And Pennsylvania farmers need a prosperous support industry.
According to Team Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Economic Analysis 2025, in the last 10 years, there has been modest job growth within Pennsylvania’s agriculture, and there are nearly 300,000 jobs total in the industry. Much of the job growth is attributed to the food and beverage manufacturing sector, which alone added over 6,800 positions to the state’s economy.
On the animal/livestock production side, poultry and eggs edged out dairy from its top spot in livestock sales in 2022, with over $2.6 billion in total sales. Within 10 years, the sector had a 51% increase, moving the state from the 22nd largest poultry producer to No. 9 in the nation.
The growth of production and employment in Pennsylvania’s farming community stems from the opportunities farmers are receiving and taking, but also because of its healthy and sustainable support system: agribusiness.
With that, we encourage you to join us in raising a glass of your choosing of a beverage, which was raised to quality by a Pennsylvania farmer, processed, and packaged by a local Pennsylvania agribusiness, to the supplier, who delivered it to be sold at a business, the farmer’s farmstand, or a local farm goods store where you purchase it.
We hope that in each sip you taste the quality crafted by our dedicated local farmers and skilled agribusinesses. Happy Agribusiness Day, PennAg members and farmers!
