Ag Progress Days a chance for farmers to network, learn

(Camp Hill) — The state’s largest outdoor farming exhibition is going on this week in Centre County.

Ag Progress Days is an opportunity for agriculture education and business connections as farmers from across the state meet to share knowledge and learn the latest agriculture technology and methods.

The annual exhibition in Rock Springs, near State College, features more than 480 exhibitors with everything from advanced farming machinery to antique tractors.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau spokesman Mark O’Neill says it’s a good opportunity for many farmers to introduce future generations to one of the state’s largest industries.

“They bring their kids, too, and that’s a big part of this,” O’Neill explains. “There are so many more challenges in farming and many farm kids don’t go into farming any more.”

Organizers say about two-thirds of the 45,000 people expected to attend the event work in agriculture.

The exhibition is open to the public and offers food and other activities geared toward farming in the commonwealth.

The show is sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and is held on the 21-hundred acre Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center.