Farmshow

 

January 8th, 2018 was my last first day of spring semester at Penn State. I did not spend this day in a classroom looking at a syllabus, or listening to a professor lecture a class. Instead, I was in attendance at the 102nd Pennsylvania Farmshow with 41 students from Cowanesque Valley High School. At Farmshow we celebrated the accomplishments of peers receiving Freshman Jackets and Keystone Degrees at the Mid-Winter FFA Convention.

You might be asking, what is the Pennsylvania Farmshow? What is Mid-Winter FFA Convention? Or what is a Keystone Degree? I'll start with answering what is the Pennsylvania Farmshow. The Pennsylvania Farmshow is the largest indoor agriculture exposition under one roof in the nation. The Farmshow showcases the diverse and rich agricultural industries across the state of Pennsylvania. When you are walking around Farmshow you will experience all the sites, sounds, and smells. When you enter the Farmshow you are greeted with a smell that is unknown in the city of Harrisburg-manure. There are nearly 6,000 animals exhibited at the Farmshow. This ranges from chickens, rabbits, dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, lambs, goats, or horses. While walking the aisles you will see 10,000 competitive exhibits of wool, small grains, cheese, maple syrup, landscape design, Agriscience fair and 300 hundred commercial exhibits including crafts, agriculture industry companies, plus many more. Across the 24 acres of the indoor complex you will hear friends reminiscing,  see couples kissing, and capturing a picture of a young child or yourself with a PA Dairymen's Milkshake running down their face. When I think of the Pennsylvania Farmshow these images come to mind and stand true year to year.

Next, you may be asking what the Mid-Winter FFA Convention is or what is a Keystone Degree. Every year on Monday you will catch more than 3,000 FFA members, advisors, and guest present at the Large Arena. The arena looks like a sea of blue and gold. The FFA members seated on the arena floor are recipients of either the Freshman Jacket or the Keystone Degree. The Freshman Jacket is awarded to first year members ready to make a difference and become a leader through the FFA organization. The Keystone  (State) Degree is awarded to seniors or high school graduate members that have recorded agriculture experience, shown personal growth, exhibited leadership, and is career ready. The Mid-Winter Convention is a time to celebrate the hard work and dedication members are creating in the FFA organization.

I always enjoyed Monday at Farmshow. The last time I was at Mid-Winter Convention was in 2014, when I received my Keystone Degree. This year I was no longer a member. I was able to see the Convention and Farmshow through an Agriculture Educators/ FFA Advisors eyes. The sites, sounds, and smells did not change this year for me. Instead, the meaning and impact of Mid-Winter Convention and Farmshow changed for me. Mid-Winter Convention is no longer the "boring" part of the trip to Farmshow. It is now the highlight because I was proud of the students in the arena. Receiving a Freshman Jacket or Keystone Degree will impact the lives of all those students and will be a memory to cherish for a life time. The meaning and impact behind the Farmshow is no longer about the cheese cubes or the butter sculpture. It is the biggest piece of agriculture education that Pennsylvania has to offer outside the classroom.