Pa. agricultural showcase set

Organizers are preparing for Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exhibition.

Set for Tuesday through Thursday near State College, Ag Progress Days will feature more than 80 acres of field demonstrations and 55 acres of other exhibits.

More than 42,000 people attended last year.Event manager Bob Oberheim says 60 percent of those visitors are directly involved with agriculture.

“It’s the producers, it’s the people that are involved in agricultural, or agriculture in other businesses, and the exhibitors know that,” Oberheim said. “So that’s why I have the high attendance rate of exhibitors. We’re going to be over 450 exhibitors this year. That’s the most we’ve ever had.”

Oberheim says visitors can learn about food production and agricultural research at Penn State.

“They need to know that when they go for that gallon of milk on the, in the refrigerator, what goes into cost-wise, production-wise, you know, for it to get to their home for them to consume,” he says.

He says massive, modern farm equipment will be on display alongside antique tractors.

Agriculture is the commonwealth’s No. 1 industry.

Sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, the event will be held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College.