The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed Russell Redding to serve as Pennsylvania’s 27th Secretary of Agriculture. A Pennsylvania native and career public servant in the agriculture sector, Secretary Redding led the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as Secretary from 2009 – 2011 and from 2015 – 2022 as part of his nearly 25 years of service to the Commonwealth.
Under Secretary Redding’s leadership in the Shapiro Administration, the Department of Agriculture has led a coordinated response to the Hi-Path Avian Influenza outbreak, invested more than $15 million in partnership with local governments to protect farms from residential and commercial development, secured an $8.8 million boost in federal food assistance funding to administer nutrition programs for low-income seniors, and launched a $1.6 million grant program to expand access to emergency food supplies for Pennsylvania families.
At Secretary Redding’s direction, the Department of Agriculture has supported Pennsylvania farmers impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment by conducting plant tissue testing in partnership with PennState Extension, and monitoring soil, water, and air testing results in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry is a major economic driver for the Commonwealth, contributing $132 billion a year to our state economy and supporting 1 in 10 jobs in Pennsylvania.
