00:01 - Mark Kelleher, chair of the

00:03 - friends of the Farm Show Foundation.

00:06 - How important is farming to Pennsylvania's economy?

00:09 - Well, it's it's it's it's number one industry.

00:12 - Some say it's not, but it really is the number one

00:16 - industry and, generator of income in Pennsylvania.

00:21 - So it's it's number one.

00:23 - What do our farmers grow here in Pennsylvania?

00:26 - Everything from wheat, oats, soybeans,

00:31 - hay, corn, all the all the small grains.

00:35 - Some do hay.

00:36 - And of course, we have the the beef industry.

00:38 - We have the, the, swine industry.

00:41 - We have the poultry industry, we have the horse industry and, and,

00:45 - a whole goats, the whole

00:48 - gamut of, livestock

00:52 - and, crops in Pennsylvania is grown here.

00:55 - And the dairy industry is big in Pennsylvania. Right?

00:57 - The dairy industry is is very big in Pennsylvania.

01:01 - Unfortunately, the smaller farms are going

01:04 - by the wayside and it's mostly larger.

01:07 - Does that mean they're getting bought out,

01:09 - Mark doesn't mean they're being bought out.

01:12 - It means that they're expanding into to more heads of cattle,

01:16 - to produce the milk that that is needed.

01:19 - Right.

01:20 - And, every January, farmers and visitors

01:24 - gather under one roof in Harrisburg for the, Pennsylvania Farm Show.

01:29 - Now, for the benefit of someone who has visited the show,

01:32 - what happens there anyway?

01:33 - Well, to to lead up to that, here's what people need to understand.

01:39 - Each little community that has their own

01:42 - county fairs is the start of it.

01:45 - Things that those county fairs, advance to coming to the Farm Show

01:51 - and showcasing the best of the best, that it's it's the showcase of agriculture

01:57 - for Pennsylvania all brought together through those little communities.

02:00 - And little, some of them aren't so little.

02:04 - Fairs that are held throughout the, the year.

02:08 - In Pennsylvania.

02:09 - What are some of the activities at the farm show that especially interest

02:13 - you? Well, one, one of my close ones is is something that the foundation does,

02:18 - and that's that's the, faint scurry that it was started by Mike wall.

02:24 - Who was a senator and

02:25 - also was the executive director of, the Farm Show at one time.

02:29 - Unfortunately, he passed at an early age, but it was his idea

02:33 - to, actually have what's called a feed scurry.

02:38 - And the feed scurry is one of the biggest fundraisers for the foundation.

02:42 - It, helps raise money.

02:45 - What consists there is, a lot of,

02:50 - celebrities from the community and from the state,

02:53 - participate in a timed event where they drive a team of horses.

02:57 - And, this this is,

03:00 - exciting.

03:01 - And just last year, what we did was,

03:04 - we had, audience participation where individuals

03:09 - from the audience would get a chance to, to, actually do that.

03:13 - That's one of the things that that, is exciting to me.

03:17 - Also, you know, of course we can't forget the milkshakes.

03:21 - You know, that's everybody, you know, loves them.

03:24 - And the food court in general.

03:26 - I mean, there's,

03:27 - you know, the the commodities throughout the Commonwealth bring together,

03:31 - their food product that that people look forward to coming in

03:36 - and, and, tasting and enjoying.

03:39 - Mark, tell us more about why the Pennsylvania Farm Show

03:43 - is important to visitors.

03:46 - Well, I think what it does is shows the

03:52 - visitors of the farm show

03:54 - what really transpires with agriculture in general.

03:59 - It's everything from the, growing of crops,

04:04 - regardless of whether it's your, your small grains or whether

04:08 - whether it's the livestock itself, the, the, all the,

04:14 - the livestock that that comes there is showcase livestock.

04:17 - But that, is the best of the best.

04:21 - And it all develops over the years or over over the year

04:25 - at the local fairs that take place throughout the, the communities.

04:28 - Well,

04:28 - what about the educational opportunity for visitors

04:31 - who may not give a lot of thought to where their food comes from?

04:34 - Well, you know, and I find I find that quite interesting.

04:38 - I'm an advocate for educating

04:40 - our public of how agriculture comes

04:43 - about, comes about that milk that's on the

04:46 - on the shelf in a grocery store just doesn't happen there.

04:50 - And I think that coming to the Farm Show, they can see

04:53 - firsthand, how a dairy cow is milked.

04:57 - And, of course, we'll talk about the calving corner.

05:00 - Where at the calving corner, which is, is an exciting, corner of the Farm

05:06 - show complex, where actual calves are being born from dairy cows.

05:11 - And it's explained to them how that cow, has the calf,

05:16 - and then the cow produces milk, through a period of time.

05:21 - And, it's exciting for the for somebody who hasn't

05:25 - or has not been around, agriculture or farming to actually see that.

05:30 - So a visitor might witness a live birth there

05:33 - right in front of their eyes, right in front of their eyes.

05:36 - There's probably 10 or 12 animals, that actually birth right there.

05:41 - And, it's sent through the the farm show area

05:46 - to inform people that this is happening, so they can get themselves

05:50 - worked into that area to, to actually watch the actual

05:53 - calving of a small calf from a dairy cow.

05:57 - Let's talk some more about the impression the Farm Show could make on young people.

06:01 - After all, when they're at home,

06:02 - they open the refrigerator door and the food is there, right?

06:05 - What else do you want them to know?

06:07 - Well, I want them to know that that it just doesn't happen overnight.

06:10 - It takes time.

06:11 - It takes, the fact that, you know, weather has a big factor with it,

06:17 - that just, you know, the grain that's grown for their cereals,

06:22 - doesn't just happen when we depend a lot on Mother Nature

06:28 - to to provide, the rains

06:31 - that are needed to, to actually produce the, the grains.

06:35 - And then, of course, you got to make sure that it's harvested correctly and it and,

06:39 - and then it goes to the, to the mills to be

06:43 - be produced into, into the, the cereals that they eat or,

06:47 - or the milk that they drink or, the food that they eat.

06:51 - Well, let's talk some more about the impact of the Farm

06:54 - Show on the participants. We've talked about the visitors.

06:56 - What happens to the participants?

06:58 - You did touch on the point

07:00 - that county fairs seem to be almost a playoff for the Farm Show,

07:04 - and then when they get to the Farm Show, what do they have to do?

07:06 - And and what's on the line?

07:07 - Well, it's a lot of prepping.

07:09 - What what takes takes place is they bring that animal that they've

07:13 - showed at at the different fairs throughout the Commonwealth.

07:17 - They bring that animal in, or produce

07:20 - or, you know, grains or whatever,

07:23 - and they showcase it, meaning I'll use it as an example.

07:27 - We'll take a, a steer, a beef beef steer.

07:31 - They, they bathe it,

07:33 - they fluff it, they clip it,

07:36 - they make sure that,

07:38 - it is the best of the best to showcase

07:43 - to the public of what their animals are like.

07:48 - And it's nice to see young people taking care of these animals.

07:51 - They have these responsibilities.

07:52 - We see a lot of that.

07:53 - And also, you know, the behind the scenes when the public isn't there,

07:59 - we have photos of, the youth actually

08:03 - sleeping with, with their livestock side by side.

08:07 - We kind of smile when we see those pictures of, that individual

08:13 - so caring about their animal that, that,

08:16 - that they lay down right beside it because they're so tired from working

08:19 - at prepping that animal to look its very best for the public.

08:23 - Let's talk about navigating the farm show.

08:26 - It's in Harrisburg.

08:27 - It's every January, and it has a pretty big footprint, doesn't it?

08:31 - Any advice on how to navigate the farm?

08:33 - Show how to handle things, maybe have a plan before you visit?

08:37 - I think the first thing that I would put out to the general public

08:41 - is when they come into the farm show complex is get a visitor's guide.

08:48 - The visitor's guide is produced by the Foundation,

08:50 - the friends of the Farm Show Foundation, and it has a map in there.

08:56 - It describes, everything that anyone would want to know.

09:00 - It also lists out the schedule of events

09:03 - that are taking place, each day.

09:06 - And, it's it's just a, roadmap to the Farm show.

09:11 - And the Farm show complex consists of several buildings.

09:14 - Takes time to get around.

09:16 - It's several acres.

09:17 - It's not just building. It's building ten acres.

09:19 - Cow acres.

09:20 - And, if you're trying to get your steps in best places at the farm show.

09:26 - Mark, now, let's, pivot to the friends of the Farm Show Foundation,

09:31 - and you represent them first of all, what does it do?

09:36 - We are an organization

09:38 - that funds the future of agriculture.

09:42 - We're we're very, connected

09:46 - with the farm show itself, the building, the administration,

09:49 - the Department of Aging, in, in the

09:53 - the concept of friends of the farm show.

09:57 - We are very fortunate to been able

10:00 - to contribute back to the farm show itself.

10:03 - $2.3 million of funding.

10:07 - And one of the events that makes that possible is the one

10:09 - you told us about before.

10:10 - Celebrity feeds, the celebrity feed scurry.

10:13 - Something else, something new for,

10:15 - the 250 America that is, that is taking place this year.

10:19 - We have, donated to the the friends a quilt

10:24 - that, is, actually has traveled

10:27 - to those those fairs throughout the, throughout the Commonwealth.

10:31 - I think I was told it, it has actually traveled over

10:34 - 3000 miles across Pennsylvania.

10:38 - What is taking place?

10:39 - There is somebody on January the 17th will actually win that we are selling.

10:47 - Chances to it.

10:48 - And they will actually, we will draw that on the 17th.

10:53 - But, the dollars that are connected

10:56 - with that, the foundation has decided that that money

11:00 - will go to scholarships for youth and agriculture.

11:04 - And when did the foundation begin?

11:06 - How long a history does it have?

11:08 - It's been in effect for about 15 years,

11:11 - you know, and, it has grown over, over, over time.

11:16 - I always say it's the best kept secret at the farm show.

11:19 - A lot of people don't, actually realize

11:24 - what good the the foundation does.

11:27 - So we're trying to promote ourselves to, to, you know, educate the,

11:31 - the community and the public of of all the good that the foundation does

11:36 - for agriculture and for, the farm show itself.

11:40 - And this reaching out include, schools

11:43 - and kids, any formal educational programs there?

11:47 - Well, it's interesting you you ask that because, we the last two years,

11:52 - the foundation has been involved with, what is called Plant yourself and egg,

11:57 - which takes place at,

12:01 - where egg progress takes place and students there,

12:05 - get an opportunity to actually learn about agriculture.

12:10 - And some students even get the fact of to to drive,

12:14 - not really drive, but ride in an autonomous tractor,

12:18 - which they would have never had that chance ever before.

12:20 - So it's, it's, we're happy to, to, partner with,

12:24 - Penn State on the, on that program.

12:27 - And of course, this year we are bringing them to the farm show

12:31 - the organization, to the Farm show, to to actually do two, or three,

12:37 - seminars on it at one of the stages on, at the farm.

12:41 - So you mentioned the autonomous tractor a minute ago

12:44 - and is that a reality on Pennsylvania farms?

12:46 - Yeah.

12:47 - It hadn't occurred to me that such a thing would exist,

12:49 - but it certainly ought to, given all the technological developments we know about.

12:53 - As I tell people, farming,

12:56 - is it like it used to be 50 years ago?

12:59 - The size of the equipment?

13:02 - The time constraint,

13:04 - the technology that is there,

13:07 - I always tell this quick story.

13:11 - I was, I was driving through, through Commonwealth, and I saw

13:16 - this cornfield that

13:18 - it was planted, but there was an area.

13:20 - There was nothing. It.

13:23 - And I thought, I wonder what happened there.

13:26 - Well, I happen to know the farmer.

13:28 - Well, the nice thing about it was I spoke to the farmer.

13:31 - I said, what happened?

13:33 - That doesn't even make sense.

13:35 - And he said in laughing, he said, GG

13:39 - he said it showed that there was an object there and the plant

13:43 - there did not plant corn at that spot going through, he said.

13:48 - So we learned from that.

13:49 - That was the first year that we used the GPS and, planting that corn.

13:53 - But, you know, it

13:54 - soon told us we didn't realize it didn't plant in that area, that particular area.

13:59 - But now we know, you know, that that, that was our learning experience with GPS

14:04 - and and planting the seeds in the ground.

14:07 - GPS made a mistake and thought that something was on that spot.

14:10 - That's right.

14:11 - So so it did not drop the seeds in the, in that area.

14:15 - It's interesting that the, you know,

14:19 - the size of this equipment has gotten larger, the price has gotten more,

14:23 - and it's it's, can the average farmer

14:26 - handle these increase in costs of this better technology?

14:31 - It takes good management.

14:32 - There's good years.

14:33 - There's bad years.

14:34 - It all depends on on, the the weather.

14:38 - That's a that's a big factor that, that factors into to, weather the

14:42 - they're going to have a good crop or not.

14:44 - And the, the second thing is, is you have to be a very,

14:48 - very good manager in today's society to be able to, to manage

14:53 - to actually get ahead in farming.

14:57 - Last question, mark, what are your goals as the new chair

15:00 - of the friends of the Farm Show Foundation?

15:03 - Well, it's interesting you ask that.

15:05 - It's a it's,

15:07 - it I have big shoes to fill from from the past.

15:11 - Chairman.

15:11 - He he did a wonderful job.

15:15 - I'll say it that way.

15:16 - Bill Piper, dedicated

15:20 - a lot of his time to making this thing work,

15:24 - along with some of the other original, members of of the the foundation.

15:28 - But, my goals and ideas are to continue to,

15:35 - fund and educate the people or the people

15:40 - of the Commonwealth and surrounding areas of how agriculture really works.

15:45 - I think it's important that they learn how it gets to the shelves

15:50 - in the grocery stores that they understand,

15:53 - a little bit about the individual that's that's doing it.

15:59 - Many years ago,

16:00 - I spoke at a conference in, in,

16:04 - State College and I said,

16:07 - you know, the ag community is a I call them the silent majority.

16:13 - They go about their business, they do their work, and,

16:16 - you know, they,

16:19 - pay attention to what's going on.

16:22 - But there's they're silent.

16:25 - I said to them, the time has come

16:29 - that you need to step out of that comfort zone.

16:32 - You need to tell your story, invite people to your to your establishment,

16:37 - show them how we do things and how things are done.

16:41 - And that you care more than anything about the livestock,

16:45 - about the crops, about the the earth and the waters.

16:50 - Your thoughts of the ground of of the, the the land and and,

16:54 - you need to tell that story because a lot of times

16:57 - you're busy working and you don't pay attention to that.

17:00 - So please do that.

17:03 - Mark Keller, chair of the friends of the Farm Show Foundation.

17:07 - Thank you for your time. Thank you.

17:25 - Let me.

17:32 - Make.