It’s summertime! Time for family outings like bike rides, kayaking on the Delaware river, blueberry picking and sidewalk sales. Soon we’ll hear the sounds of rides, demolition derby, livestock and crowds rushing to get their annual funnel cake.
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It’s summertime! Time for family outings like bike rides, kayaking on the Delaware river, blueberry picking and sidewalk sales. Soon we’ll hear the sounds of rides, demolition derby, livestock and crowds rushing to get their annual funnel cake.
That’s right, the Wayne County Fair is right around the corner. Other fairs across Pennsylvania have either come and gone or will take place soon.
This busy time of year always makes me so grateful that I was raised on a farm and was highly involved in 4-H for over 11 years. The fair was our “vacation time,” because we worked all year long with our animals, or on our non-livestock projects, to showcase them at the fair as our project roundup.
I think we are also very blessed to be in an area where the fairs are still highly associated with agriculture. This is the one time of year that many individuals who don’t normally interact with agriculture or farmers get the chance to not only experience the excitement of showcasing livestock during a show, but can speak directly with agricultural producers and learn more about where their food actually comes from.
In fact, I have many fond memories of sitting in my dairy goat pens during the fair, conversing with and educating people who walked through the barn. I don’t think I realized at the time just how impactful these conversations could be to the individuals visiting the fair.
Sometimes the conversations were as basic as just explaining that no, these were not dogs in the pens with me, but dairy goats that I milked twice a day to harvest a highly nutritious product. Other times the conversations became more complex, such as explaining the different chemical makeup of dairy-goat milk compared to dairy-cow milk.
And part of all that was the responsibility to be open, honest and understanding during those conversations, no matter how exotic the questions may have been, because it’s very important for folks from all walks of life to learn about where their food really comes from. I found it sad, the number of times that I would hear a child from a camp group or similar background exclaim that they thought milk and meat came from the grocery store, that it just appeared there for them to buy.
Unfortunately, not all areas of our commonwealth have been able to keep the agricultural parts of the fair going, and only have rides and concessions. This farmer’s take is that ag is an essential part of our fairs for many reasons, but the basic education that it brings to our communities is invaluable.
I hope you all have a chance to attend a fair near you. You can see the livestock that producers or members of 4-H or FFA (Future Farmers of America) have worked tirelessly with for months or years, preparing the animals for the fair and to compete in the judging contests. You can admire the hard work and skills of the non-livestock exhibits of handmade products on display.
In a time where technology and instant gratification rule our young people’s lives, it’s a breath of fresh air to admire projects and exhibits that take so much time and hard work to complete.
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