Ag Progress Days are BIGGER THAN LIFE
Written by admin on August 23, 2009 – 7:41 pm -By DAVID THOMPSON dthompson@sungazette.comm
STATE COLLEGE - For three days last week, thousands of people converged on Rock Springs Township near State College to look at the latest in what agriculture has to offer in equipment, technology and farming practices.
Now in its 41st year, Ag Progress Days, held Tuesday through Thursday at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center of Penn State University's College of Agricultural Sciences, attracted an estimated 45,000 people over three days, according to Chuck Gill, news coordinator for the college.
Visitors were given an opportunity to get an up-close view of harvesting equipment, tractors, feeding and watering systems, fencing, feed storage systems, heating systems, livestock trailers, seed and chemical applicators and anything else farmers use for their operations.
The event attracted representatives of seed companies, farm credit and insurance organizations and government agencies, and exhibitors providing information about ag-related issues, such as soil, water and energy conservation, nutrient management, animal breeding and health, nutrition, food safety, community planning, biofuels and the natural gas industry.
Bus and walking tours focused on the research center's work in horticulture, plant pathology, entomology and agronomy.
According to Gill, this year's expo attracted more than 420 vendors, a record for the event.
"We call it the largest outdoor ag expo in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the east," said Gill.
"(The event) showcases the diversity of agriculture and the latest research and technology," Gill said. "It provides (farmers with) one-stop shopping. They can look at equipment, goods and services that will keep their operation running efficiently and profitable.
"It also provides the public with an opportunity to see how their land grant university is using their to dollars to improve their quality of life," he said.
According to Gill, a unique aspect of the expo is the fact that nearby fields are used to demonstrate harvesting equipment on display.
The event, sprawling over 500 of the research center's 1,500 acres, had something for everybody.
"My husband is a farmer. He's talking to different machinery and seed reps," said Shelia Stibrik, of Commodore, as she and her sons Noah, 8, and Joseph, 4, viewed exhibits in the 4-H Youth Building.
Tags: Farm Economy, Tractors
Posted in Case IH Tractors, Events, Farm Economy, Farm Implements, Farmall Tractors, Ford Tractors, John Deere Tractors, Kubota Tractors, New Holland Tractors, News, Tractors | No Comments »