Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding visited the Eat Real Food Mobile Market in Easton to announce the theme for the 108th Pennsylvania Farm Show: Connecting Our Communities. The 2024 PA Farm Show will run from January 6 through January 13 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show is a living story of Pennsylvania agriculture, connecting those who are fed, nourished, and enriched by the industry to those whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. Agriculture unites us. It is the food, fuel, and fiber we rely on for our quality of life and our economy. Food helps define our cultures and our identities.
The 2024 Farm Show will feature fan-favorites like the 1,000-pound butter sculpture, famous Farm Show Food Court, youth showmanship, and sheep shearing competitions (among hundreds of other competitive agricultural events), cooking demonstrations at the PA Preferred® Culinary Connection, and more than one million square-feet of hands-on agriculture education opportunities and chances to engage with the people who power Pennsylvania's $132.5 billion agriculture industry.
The 2023-24 budget Governor Shapiro signed into law includes critical agriculture investments, including:
• $31 million to help poultry farmers impacted by the hi-path avian influenza crisis pay for testing and get reimbursed for losses to their flocks.
• $2 million to fund the Fresh Food Financing Initiative that will contribute to better health outcomes by improving access to PA-grown, processed, and produced foods.
• $2 million increase to the State Food Purchase Program to provide state funds for emergency food assistance for low-income Pennsylvanians.
• $1 million to create a new Organic Center of Excellence, one of the first-of-its kind, to empower and support organic farmers and businesses.
$13.8 million in a fifth year of the PA Farm Bill, making critical investments in building the workforce, processing infrastructure, and marketing opportunities the industry needs, and in removing barriers standing between the industry and those who want to be part of its future.
Visiting the PA Farm Show is like taking a journey through the heart of agriculture, where you'll connect with the roots of our food, the spirit of our farming communities, and the boundless possibilities for finding your own path in this industry. Whether it is your first visit or you come every year, the PA Farm Show is the best place to cultivate connections with agriculture.
Photo Credit: Pennsylvania farm show
Categories: Pennsylvania, Business