HARRISBURG – With the first-ever virtual Pennsylvania Farm Show set to open, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding highlighted the various ways to experience the 105th show.
“In a normal year, we bring a half-million people into our home in Harrisburg to experience Pennsylvania agriculture,” said Redding. “This year, we’re not bound by geography and are excited for the opportunity to bring the Farm Show into your homes as a virtual event.
“We look forward to introducing a whole new audience to the industry that sustains life for us all and the people who make it thrive.”
Redding outlined the following ways to experience the virtual show:
- Peruse more than 200 Virtual Exhibits: A collection of vendors, associations, educators and services that fill the booths of the virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Browse through this list of exhibits and follow the links to videos and activities and cultivate a brighter tomorrow with us. These exhibits can be explored from the comfort of your home. Join us down this rabbit hole of Pennsylvania agriculture.
- Events: A diverse bounty of live and pre-recorded events will be available on the Pennsylvania Farm Show Facebook page and the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Tune in to learn how to tie dye with plants, watch an alpaca obstacle course, tour a farm, learn to make butter, find a new favorite Pennsylvania pairing of food and wine, get dinner inspiration from local chefs and farmers, enjoy agriculturally themed bedtime stories, and view on-the-issues discussions about Pennsylvania’s strong, diverse, and resilient agriculture industry. The full schedule of virtual events is available online.Events not held through Facebook or PCN may require pre-registration from attendees, which is noted on the schedule.
- Instagram Takeovers: The Pennsylvania Farm Show will host 20 takeovers on the @PAFarmShow Instagram page that will take you behind the scenes of Pennsylvania’s farms. Pennsylvanians can follow along to learn the innerworkings of everything from goat or poultry farming to organic agriculture or bees or rabbits. The Instagram takeovers will run from Saturday, Jan. 9 through Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021.
Pennsylvania Farm Show Trail: With the first-ever virtual Pennsylvania Farm Show, comes the first-ever Pennsylvania Farm Show Trail! The trail is a map that features the commercial exhibitors and PA Preferred members you’ve come to love at the traditional Farm Show. An interactive map, you can search for your favorites by keyword (honey, apples, wine, steak, alpaca fiber) or just browse to see what’s available in your own hometown. The map features both storefronts, such as farmers markets, and businesses with ecommerce platforms. Everything from beer or fresh produce to pet food and fiber-products or hand-crafted artisan products.
- Duckling Pond & Beehive Live Cams: Buzz in to check out the live beehive and duckling pond cams daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – the links to the cams will be available at farmshow.pa.gov starting Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. Look for the cam links under Participate Virtually on the website.
- Become anAg Explorer: Elementary and early secondary school children can become Ag Explorers by visiting virtual stations at farmshow.pa.gov to learn about raising goats, sheet, rabbits, dairy, pork, and beef; organic agriculture, the environment, hardwoods, bees and honey, apple production, maple syrup, mushrooms, 4-H, plastic recycling, dog licensing, and Christmas trees. Kids can visit each virtual station, then take a quiz, which they can submit to enter a drawing for a Farm Show prize package. A full Teacher’s Toolkit is available for educators looking for ways to incorporate the virtual Farm Show into virtual lesson plans.
- Butter Up! Pennsylvanians are invited to push up their sleeves for some hands-on fun with the first-ever create-your-own butter sculpture competition. The contest is open for entries from Saturday, Jan. 9 through Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 at 8 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on the virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show like the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Facebook, follow @PAFarmShow on Instagram and visit farmshow.pa.gov.