Shapiro makes second stop in county, highlights agriculture innovation grant program

SACRAMENTO – For the second time in his first term, Governor Josh Shapiro made a stop in Schuylkill County, visiting the county’s largest agriculture employer to highlight a new grant program.

Shapiro, a Democrat, was at Sterman Masser Potato Farms in Sacramento, Hubley Township Monday afternoon.

Dave Masser, CEO of the Masser Family of Companies, said the farm in the heart of the Hegins Valley is now in its eighth generation.

His farm employs over 440 people and is receiving a $200,000 grant to purchase and install a new eight-row potato planter. The grant comes through what the state refers to as a first-in-the nation agricultural innovation grant program.

The company, he says, is the leading potato grower in the state.

According to the Governor’s Office, the plant will help Masser double the number of acres of land they plant and harvest, from 1,000 to 2,000 acres. Because of that, Pennsylvania will increase the number of acres used for potato farming in 50 years.

“Pennsylvania once grew over 100,000 acres of potatoes and today, it’s fewer than 7,000,” Masser said. “We believe it’s time to reverse that trend by growing more potatoes here and at home and reducing reliance on imports from other regions.”

Masser led Shapiro on a tour of the potato processing plant prior to Monday’s press conference.

“To hear about the plan that Dave and others have here for the next five decades is really exciting for us and puts Pennsylvania in a unique position to dominate the market on potatoes as the company in the east,” Shapiro said. “We want to push as far west as we can and as far north into Canada as we can as well.”

“It makes Pennsylvania the leader when it comes to ag and when it comes to potatoes,” Shapiro said. “Ag is big business here in Pennsylvania.”

He said his administration has prioritized agricultural economic development.

“For the first time ever, agriculture is central to our economic development efforts,” the governor said.

The agricultural innovation grant fund, Shapiro said, was the result of bipartisan efforts in the state legislature.

Masser’s project is one of 88 funded out of 159 applications in the initial round.

The company is the 24th largest employer in Schuylkill County.

Shapiro became the first sitting governor to visit Schuylkill County since 2018 when he visited the EMD Electronics plant near Hometown in 2023.

Asked by the Sentinel about increased state investments in Schuylkill County in recent years — including the grant for Masser’s, a grant for a new Hegins Township municipal building, and grants for the Center for Education, Business, and the Arts in Shenandoah — as well as the second visit to the county, Shapiro referred to it as a “two-way street.”

“There’s no investment here in potatoes in Schuylkill County if there’s not a Masser’s,” Shapiro said. “We find partnerships that we can invest in [whether it’s private or public sector.]”

“I think it’s a combination of one, I give a damn about this community, and two, I’ve been here enough to listen, to learn, and to find the folks that are working together, and support their work,” Shapiro added. “I don’t want to show up in a community and tell them what they ought to do. I want to come into a community where they’re working together and they’ve got a plan and I want to make sure that we’re helping and investing in that.”

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home.

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