Wishing For a Longer Break!

Like many Penn State Students, I wish we had had just one more week of break! I mean come on, two weeks is just not enough, but you see, I wanted another week off for one reason in particular. For the… drumroll please… PENNSYLVANIA FARM SHOW!!!!!!

The second week in January to many, may seem like just an ordinary week. Just the seven days after the first week of the new year. However, to anyone who has visited the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg PA, this is a week full of wonder. A week full of learning, fun, food, animals, plants, tractors, and entertainment. This is the week that Pennsylvania Agriculture comes to the Capitol. From the famous and highly publicized Butter Sculpture to the not as well known Christmas Tree contest, the Pennsylvania Farm Show promises something for everyone.

The 2013 Butter Sculpture focused on the PA Preferred Check-off Program. Food items that have this logo signify that it was produced in Pennsylvania. The sculpture showcases typical Pennsylvania Agriculture products including milk, eggs, (ironically butter!) wine, pumpkins, mushrooms, honey, trees and more.

The Farm Show provides a showplace for farmers to see the most up-to-date farm equipment, farming practices and farming needs while also providing all visitors with an educational showcase to learn about agriculture and how the products they consume are produced. With nearly one million square feet of indoor space, the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center invites all visitors, big and small, rural and urban. Originally built in 1917, the complex was built upon agriculture, and since then has not lost touch with it’s core purpose, “to provide a valuable forum for the improvement of the state’s agriculture industry.” (PA Farm Show website) The building hosts over 200 events a year, ranging from Car exhibits to the All American Dairy Show. However, by far the most popular event is the annual Farm Show that attracts visitors of all ages from across the state and across the Nation. This incredible Show exhibits the amazing diversity of Pennsylvania’s Agriculture.

This goat just wants so say… HELLO!

Visitors can enjoy the many delicious delectables in the food court. From the famous milkshakes, and fries, to the potato donuts and mushrooms, no one leaves hungry.  Across from the food court there are many things to look at including tractors and different vendors. Up the stairs is one of the three arena’s that may throughout the week hold events such as the Rodeo, Dairy Judging, and even the Pennsylvania FFA Mid-Winter Convention. Deeper into the Farm Show Complex, there are rooms full of pens of animals to walk past and look at. Sheep, goats, steer, horses, cows, pigs, bunnies, chickens, and so much more. Visitors can wander through these barns and see the owners feed the animals, bathe them, and take care of them. Learning is fun and expected at the Farm Show, with ample opportunities to pick up informational brochures and flyers. There are also rooms dedicated to the Fruits, Vegetables, and Plants of Pennsylvania. The diversity of this Commonwealth’s Agriculture is easily identifiable by the sheer number of different plants to look at. From large orange pumpkins, to sweet red apples, from ripe green zucchini to Pennsylvania’s famous mushrooms. Not to mention the plethora of wines, honey, maple products, eggs, and nuts.  Also, visitors can look at Pennsylvania’s world renown Christmas trees! There are also ample examples of the work of youth from throughout the state. The 4-H sewing clubs with their clothes and quilts. And of course, the many FFA members showing animals in the ring, and caring for them outside the arena. It is not hard to see the diversity of Pennsylvania’s number 1 Industry, Agriculture. From tractor square dancing (yes, it exists… and it’s pretty awesome!) to Horse pulls, the second week of January is a busy one in Harrisburg. And the best part is, you can attend this show, which is the largest indoor Agricultural Event in America, for free! I hope that you can all come visit the Pennsylvania Farm Show this next year, and see for yourselves the amazing diversity of agriculture in Pennsylvania.

Here is the official PA Farm Show Website: http://www.farmshow.state.pa.us/default.aspx, feel free to check it out, and both of the pictures in this post came from here!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy all of those delectable agricultural products 🙂

-Sarabeth