Ag Progress Days Celebrates 50th Year at Rock Springs

Penn State’s Ag Progress Days is once again welcoming thousands of people as the outdoor agricultural expo celebrates its 50th year at Rock Springs in rural Ferguson Township.

Wednesday marked the second day of the annual three-day event, which is the largest of its kind in the eastern United States.

Held on the grounds of the sprawling Russell E. Larson Agricultural Center, the expo features nearly 500 commercial and educational exhibits, crop displays, machinery demonstrations, guided research tours, family and youth activities, food, horse exhibitions, workshops and tours of the Pasto Agricultural Museum.

Ag Progress Days utilizes 55 acres for events, 35 acres for parking, and more than 80 acres for crops.

While 2026 marks a half-century at its permanent site, Ag Progress Days traces its roots back to the earliest days of Penn State, when faculty periodically travel across the state to hold on-farm workshops, according to the university’s College of Agricultural Sciences, which hosts the event.

Over the years, farm outreach initiatives evolved, and in 1951 the school began hosting two-day events that moved to different sites each year and focused on equipment, plowing contests, pasture renovation and forage production. In 1969, the events name changed to Agricultural Progress Days.

Still held at various sites, it took place at Rock Springs for the first time in 1971. In 1976, College of Agricultural Sciences Dean proposed making its permanent home there, reasoning that it made more sense to build a quality site than to move to different locations every year.

Today, it is one of the top agricultural events in Pennsylvania and one of only three agricultural exhibitions sponsored by a major university.

Take a look at a few of the sights from the 50th edition of Ag Progress Days at Rock Springs. The event wraps up on Thursday with hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.