Pennsylvania Farm Show To Be In Person This Year

Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47, chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, today applauded the fact that the Pennsylvania Farm Show, starting on Saturday, Jan. 8, is back as an in-person event.

“While COVID-19 forced the show to be virtual last year, the 2022 agricultural expo will draw plenty of visitors to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg between Jan. 8 and Jan. 15, and that’s a good thing for Pennsylvania and the state’s agricultural industry,” said Sen. Vogel, a fourth generation dairy farmer who operates his family’s farm in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County.

The annual celebration of the diversity and quality of Pennsylvania agriculture is the largest such event in the nation, featuring nearly 6,000 animals, 12,000 competitive events and exhibits, plus 300 commercial exhibits and hundreds of educational and entertaining events. The state’s agricultural industry supports 593,000 Pennsylvania jobs and annually contributes $132.5 billion to the state’s economy.

Each year, the show has a theme, and the theme for the 106th Pennsylvania Farm Show is “Harvesting More,” with the event to showcase a harvested bounty of innovative projects, sustainable practices, empowered agricultural leaders across the career spectrum, engaged youth and inspiring stories of Pennsylvania’s bounty.

All the things we’ve come to love at the Farm Show will be back, including the many animal and food competitions, tractor square dancing, the sheep to shawl competition, the butter sculpture, and those tasty milkshakes and the rest of the Food Court smorgasbord.

There will also be new offerings during the 8-day event, including a demonstration of canine smarts, speed and agility; ducklings in the Waterfowl Habitat live in the Farm Show’s Poultry Hall (this was a live-streamed favorite last year during the virtual Farm Show); educational scavenger hunts; new virtual reality exhibits; a Cowboy Church (on Sunday, Jan. 9); urban gardening; the Frontier Finals Rodeo; a truck and tractor pull demonstration; a cornhole tournament; and a country line dance-along.

The show runs from Jan. 8 through Jan. 15, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except on Sunday, Jan. 9, when it runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 15, when it opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. For those who love the food of the Farm Show, the Food Court in the Expo Hall will also be open from noon until 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7.

Visitors will not be required to wear a mask, but the Department of Agriculture is encouraging people to wear masks and practice social distancing at the event. Masks will be made available to those that want them, and hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the complex. The state has invested $21 million in maintenance and improvements to the Farm Show complex, including updates to the HVAC system which are intended to improve the air quality inside the buildings.

Entrance to the show is free, but parking costs $15 per car at all Farm Show complex lots.