The latest in agricultural practices, technology and politics will converge at Ag Progress Days this week, being held in Rock Springs.
Some 45,000 people are expected for the three-day event, which kicks off at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Billed as the largest outdoor agricultural exposition in the state, the Penn State-hosted affair features more than 400 exhibitors, plus workshops and displays that center on agricultural research and education.
It’s all situated on the grounds of the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, about nine miles southwest of State College on state Route 45. Ag Progress Days has been held there for 34 years, though the event is 42 years old. (Click here for the StateCollege.com event guide.)
StateCollege.com talked Monday with Chuck Gill, spokesman for the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences — the college that sponsors the event. He shared a few highlights of this year’s offerings:
- Penn State potato research. Different Pennsylvania-tested varieties of spuds will be on display in demonstration plots beside the yard-and-garden tent. Types of potatoes there will be of interest both to commercial growers and to backyard gardeners, Gill said.
- Charcoal production tour. This new tour looks back at the role of charcoal production in Pennsylvania history.
- Mushroom research tour. Another new feature, this tour will take visitors through Penn State’s mushroom testing facility at University Park, which has contributed to the state’s role as the top mushroom-producing state. Tours will be organized at the grounds in Rock Springs.
- Demonstrations of horse-drawn planting equipment. These will be of interest largely to Mennonite and Amish farmers, Gill said, as equipment producers try to promote no-till farming. He said the idea is especially critical in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, where farm runoff has polluted the bay. The issue increasingly has gained the attention of legislators and the White House.
- A joint session of the state House and Senate agricultural and rural-affairs committees. Scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, this public session will be a hearing on the Chesapeake Bay and water quality.
- Congressional visit. Three members of the U.S. House agricultural committee — U.S. Reps. Glenn ‘G.T.’ Thompson, Tim Holden and Kathy Dahlkemper — will take public testimony at 2 p.m. Tuesday on various agricultural research issues. Those issues are expected to include matters such as research crops and bioenergy. Testimony will be entered into the Congressional record.
- Visits from elected-office-seekers. U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett both are expected to speak at an invitation-only, government-and-industry luncheon on Wednesday. Following tradition, they’re expected to tour the exhibits and event grounds, as well.
Full event details are available through the official Ag Progress Days website, which is linked through the StateCollege.com guide.
