Among my fondest memories growing up was one of the first times that I attended the PA Farm Show. 

If you’ve never attended it before, think of a county fair that’s held inside, just three or four times larger than your typical fair. It’s always held the first week in January, and usually during a spout of bad weather. 

I had been to the complex building before, having qualified to make it to the State Junior Dairy Show with my Jersey cow, Within. So I wasn’t quite as shocked at the size and scale of the event, but the sheer number of things to do and see made my head spin.

I think my favorite part of attending that first time was that I got to see my dad really enjoy himself and get excited about talking to other farmers from different parts of the state. Back then—I’ll say a decade or so ago now—a lot of the exhibits were heavily ag-producer focused. There were equipment dealers for every type of machine you could think of, educational sessions focused on current ag topics every farmer could use, ag-specific vendors of products, and more. 

The food court is still a highlight and it showcases a lot of Pennsylvania products. For the past few years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer on the Beef Committee, helping with the shows. I really appreciate watching how hard the exhibitors work to grow excellent livestock and take every precaution to raise them the best way possible. 

However, walking around on my downtime, it just doesn’t have the heavy ag-producer focus that it used to. I’m not going to argue that it’s a detriment to the event in its entirety, because the show has added a lot of visual educational exhibits, but they’re more focused on the general public. A great example of this would be the extremely popular Mullet Competition held this year. Extremely entertaining for sure, but not something I would have expected at a producer-focused event. 

I am however glad that the Farm Show foundation as the location of state-level livestock, dairy, equine, small animal, poultry and non-animal exhibits is still strong. 

For the first time this year, I attended the Keystone Farm Show, held at the York County Fairgrounds. It was a refreshing experience. Every booth was ag-centered and geared towards the ag producer. Now I’ll fully admit that I’m not as attached to larger pieces of equipment as my husband and father are, but even I was drooling at the new pieces of equipment that were showcased for every part of the industry. Egg-washing conveyor systems, hoof-trimming stations, any type of power take off (PTO) attachment you could imagine and products geared toward increasing efficiency all around the farm. 

The interesting tidbit about having this show at this particular location is that it is held in 10 separate buildings at the fairgrounds. I’m glad I was able to attend the last day of the show when the weather was 50 degrees Fahrenheit, as it was quite enjoyable walking from building to building. 

I was also impressed with the number of people who attended. 

I admit that it wasn’t all peaches and cream. This show did lack when comparing the number of food vendors, livestock and shows/entertainment. But you wouldn’t have thought that bothered anyone attending, I saw many happy faces while walking around. 

It’s this farmer’s take that if you haven’t attended either one of these shows, you need to put it on your to-do list next January. For folks who might enjoy attending the county fair, the PA Farm Show is the perfect event for you. If you’re an ag producer looking to make more connections in the ag industry, I highly recommend you schedule someone to take care of the animals now so you can attend next year’s Keystone Farm Show. 

Either way, you won’t be disappointed with the hard work both event coordinators and volunteers put into these events.