UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Ag Progress Days is back with a full schedule of demonstrations, activities and learning for all ages, from a butterfly tent and corn maze for the youngest visitors to the latest in research and best practices for agriculture professionals and hobbyists.
The expo will take place Aug. 8-10 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs in Ferguson Township, Centre County.
Ag Progress Days is one of the largest agricultural expos in the East, featuring nearly 500 commercial and educational exhibits, crop displays, machinery demonstrations, guided research tours, family and youth activities, horse exhibitions, workshops, and the Pasto Agricultural Museum. There also are plenty of food vendors offering hot sandwiches, lemonade, ice cream and fried fare, among other treats.
The event typically attracts as many as 45,000 visitors from across Pennsylvania and beyond to get a glimpse into the science and business of agriculture.
College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building
The importance of protecting biodiversity, best practices for preserving animal health, and the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly will take center stage in displays and presentations at the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building and Theater.
Biodiversity refers to the incredible variety of life on Earth, from the tiniest microorganisms to the vast ecosystems that support them. Learn about the role research plays in helping to ensure our future access to food, making our producers’ efforts more efficient and sustainable, and discovering how to make vulnerable species more resilient to climate volatility and increased disease and pest pressures.
Exhibits and theater presentations also will cover wild bee pollinators, avian influenza, sheep and goat breeding, disease in poultry, and updates from U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson.
Additionally, representatives from the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Office of Undergraduate Education will be on hand to provide prospective students and their families information about the college’s programs in animal, biomedical, environmental, plant and social sciences.
Explore the trade show
Nearly 500 commercial and educational exhibits will cover virtually every product category, including field machinery, milking systems, animal genetics, storage structures, seed, feed, tools, trailers, sprayers, mixers, livestock housing, utility vehicles, fertilizers, fencing, financial products and insurance, among others.
Field demonstrations allow potential buyers to see and compare equipment in action, such as hay mowers, rakes and tedders, hay balers, bale handlers, and new this year, corn silage chopping. Other demonstrations will feature small tractors and mowers, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and new cover crop mixtures.
Youth activities
From raising livestock to learning about plant science, 4-H has something for everyone. This year's 4-H Youth Building will introduce kids of all ages to the many facets of 4-H, including the program itself, dairy product knowledge, raising rabbits and poultry, and what makes plants sick.
Several other activities aimed at children and their families can be found throughout the Ag Progress Days grounds, including a special biodiversity passport activity, butterfly tent, an insect scavenger hunt, corn maze and exhibits in the Pasto Agricultural Museum.
Get the equine experience
Whether an avid horse person or just an interested spectator, visitors can attend demonstrations, interact with Penn State equine science faculty and staff, and learn about horse health and care.
Highlights include the Pennsylvania State Police Mounted Patrol, the Keystone Dressage and Combined Drill Team, and Penn State Extension’s 4-H Team Horse Power returning to host more demonstrations on basic safety and horsemanship, among many other events.
The Spring Mount Percherons will also be on site with a six-horse hitch demonstration on all three days, and attendees can attend a Bear Hill Horse Logging demonstration to learn more about horse logging and restorative forestry.
Tour ongoing research
Experts will once again conduct tours highlighting research on various aspects of agriculture, including equine pastures and dry lots, forest management, stream buffers and native grasses, and organic vegetable production.
Buses will transport visitors to locations in and around Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, a more than 2,000-acre facility where researchers in the College of Agricultural Sciences carry out field studies looking at technologies and best practices in farming, conservation and natural resources.
Tours are free but most require tickets, which can be obtained at the registration and loading area at the top of Main Street.
Farm safety and health
Visitors to the Farm Safety Demonstration Area can learn about ATV rollover dangers. Four demonstrations — taking place 10 a.m. and noon on Tuesday and Thursday — will show the hazards related to ATV usage and highlight protective safety gear for ATV riders.
On Wednesday, agricultural safety specialists will simulate a power take off entanglement emergency and demonstrate first responders’ approach to managing farm-related incidents. This demonstration will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Visitors to the Rural Health and Safety Tent will be able to take advantage of free health screenings and information.
Crops, Soils and Conservation Area
In the J.D. Harrington Crops, Soils and Conservation Building, specialists will be on hand to answer questions about crop production, weed identification, water quality and biofuels. The Hay Show, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council, also will take place in the Harrington Building.
Outside the Harrington Building, the Conservation Exhibit Area will feature demonstrations including an active livestock-watering system with solar-powered pumps, a scale-model manure storage and concrete heavy-use area to address animal concentration areas and manure management, and a soil pit to demonstrate soil health.
New this year, “Energy Showcase” presentations will be held Aug. 8 in the American National Learning Center building and will focus on solar photovoltaics.
Explore health and wellness at the Family Room Building
The Family Room Building will host a variety of mental health and physical wellness education programs for both children and adults.
Talks and demonstrations will take place daily, covering topics such as tick repellants, sun protection and skin cancer with the Penn State Cancer Institute. Penn State Extension educators will also prepare healthy recipes and demonstrate safe home-food preservation techniques.
Also on hand will be Penn State Health’s LION Mobile Clinic, which uses a student-run, free clinic model to increase access to health care and promote healthy choices for under-resourced communities of Pennsylvania.
Yard and Garden Area
Experts in horticulture, entomology and plant pathology will be on hand to offer gardening advice in the Yard and Garden Area.
At the “Ask a Master Gardener” booth, gardening enthusiasts can receive advice, learn about the spotted lanternfly, and learn about the Pennsylvania Pollinator-Friendly Habitat Certification program, which enables homeowners and gardeners to certify their landscapes as pollinator-friendly.
There also will be presentations on topics such as flower arranging, composting, growing herbs, container gardening, understanding soil, plant breeding and building raised beds.
Pasto Agricultural Museum
The Pasto Agricultural Museum offers hands-on exhibits to connect visitors to their agricultural past. The approximately 1,300 items in the collection span from 4,000 B.C. to the 1940s — before the widespread use of electricity and gasoline-powered equipment — when farm and household work was accomplished with the muscle power of people and animals.
Location, dates and times
Sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 8; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 9; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 10. Admission and parking are free.
For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can find and share information about the event by using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and the event also can be found on Facebook.