I’ve been to the Pennsylvania Farm Show many times over the years.

Yes, the milkshakes are great. Yes, taking my kids to see the farm animals is great. And yes, I get sick after each visit. But it’s just a fun place to be.

I normally don’t cover the show for the purposes of American Agriculturist. Most people in the ag community know it’s not a “farm show for farmers,” but more of an educational exhibition for the general public.

But farmers are still the driving force behind the show. That was the intent of William Penn, who in the mid-1600s organized an ag show for farmers across the state to gather and share their knowledge. While it was held in several locations across the state long after he died, the show eventually settled in Harrisburg, the state capital, where the first statewide Pennsylvania Farm Show was held in 1917.

The show’s gone through many changes since then, as has agriculture. But the heart of the show still lies in the many farmers who bring their animals, sell their products and advocate for agriculture to more than a half-million people each January.

They include Dave Smith, a dairy farmer from Annville, Pa., who has become known as “Farmer Dave” for his many appearances on local TV promoting dairy. It was a challenging 2024 for Smith.

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In July, a storm packing 90-plus-mph wind blew the roof off one of his pole barns, sending debris flying over a mile away. Calf hutches were crushed, and a home on his property had a tree fall on it. Thankfully, he only lost a single heifer, but the cleanup lasted for months.

Still, the storm didn’t stop him from mingling with people at this year’s show. For him, Pennsylvania Farm Show is too important to miss.

“I 100% believe that our farmers need to be representative, and people need to be able to communicate with consumers about what goes on farms,” Smith says. “I recognize that not everybody wants to do that. And I have found that I have become more comfortable with doing that. So, if I can be an advocate in any way for agriculture, I want to do that.”

Kyle Dewees and Haleigh Coryea attend the show every year as representatives of the Pennsylvania Maple Council. Dewees owns Whiskey Hollow Farm in Bradford County, which taps 5,000 trees a year and sells maple-based products at the show.

Coryea’s family owns Coryea Maple near Erie, which taps 2,000 trees a year and sells 40 different products from maple.

Attending the show the past couple of years has been challenging for Dewees because warmer winters have meant earlier tapping. “That makes things pretty hectic because we’ve got the farm show now, and then we need to get ready to tap,” he says. “So, it’s a little handier if it stays colder in January. We can wait until the end at least.”

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Nonetheless, he sees huge value in teaching people about maple.

“A lot of people think of it just for pancakes, but you can put it on cooked vegetables, cooked meat. I’ve had people drizzle it on popcorn. There’s a lot of options,” Dewees says. “For us, as a producer, we get to sell product here. More than that, we get to educate a lot of people here, and hopefully get new customers. There’s a lot of people that come to the farm show that don’t even know that Pennsylvania makes maple syrup.”

Some farmers, like Alyssa Swartz, co-owner of Swartz Farm in Mohnton, see the show as a way to expand people’s horizons of what farming can be. She and her husband — the fourth generation on his family’s farm — own a 45-acre operation that is all agritourism and caters to people who want to spend a few hours cuddling goats, sheep, alpacas and mini–Scottish Highlanders.

“We started with baby goat yoga with the thought of doing it once or twice a year,” she says. “Then people wanted to do farm tours and see different animals.”

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They own two-dozen goats, 10 sheep, three alpacas, three mini horses and seven mini-Scottish Highlanders. They operate a mobile petting zoo where people can rent their animals for birthday parties, school functions and other things.

“Our love is for animals and to have them as pets,” Swartz says. “So, we wanted to share that love with other people so that way they could go somewhere and be able to make memories with the animals and have a feel-good feeling afterward, and know they just snuggled them and that they are super friendly and they’re going to stay pets, and they can come back and visit another time.

“It’s all about being creative and connecting them to a unique experience. So, people will have a great memory of the farm show, that they got to meet a mini-Highland or other animal.”

Make no mistake, the Pennsylvania Farm Show has almost become like a state fair over the years. Even the state publicizes it that way in its official press. But this isn’t a place where people come to go on rides, see high-profile concerts or eat crazy fried food. This is a show that is still about farms and why the industry is so important to the state.

Farmers are the backbone of the show, and I hope it stays that way for years to come.

Now, time for a milkshake. Mint anyone?