The 100th Pennsylvania Farm Show will begin Saturday, January 9th. The eight-day expo will include crowd favorites like the annual butter sculpture or the sheep-to-shawl contest, where contestants start by sheering a sheep and create clothing on sight.
According to the Farm Show, there will be 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits, and 300 commercial exhibits from January 6th to the 19th.
With 1917 marking the first Farm Show, the event has evolved considerably over the years. It began as a three-day show where farmers could display their livestock and speak with others in the trade, said Logan Hall, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
While many of those traditions remain in 2016, new focuses in farming and agriculture are being presented to the public. Hall says the “Farm-to-Shelf” display will illustrate the process of getting food to the table.
“This is an opportunity for visitors to meet with farmers, processors, grocery store staff, and learn more about how the food that they’re purchasing gets from the farm to the local grocery store,” said Hall.
The “Ag Explorer” stations throughout the complex are meant to educate visitors on what they see happening at the show.
“It’s more focused around all ages. So, the entire family, a group of friends, can stop in, pick up a map, and then travel from station to station. There’s more than 30 throughout the complex. And they can learn, first-hand, about the different segments of Pennsylvania agriculture,” said Hall.
Throughout the complex, Hall said the Show reminds visitors of the rich history of agriculture in Pennslvania.
“While visitors are at the show, I encourage them to talk to the vendors, to talk to the exhibitors, and find out their story,” he said. “Find out for how many generations have they been exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, what animals they’re showing, or what products did they enter into the farm show.”
More Essential Pittsburgh segments can be heard here.
