It seems like forever since the last Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer banquet and tour was held.

The 2020 banquet and tour was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and last year’s banquet was an abbreviated version with no tour — again, because of the pandemic.

But this year, the Mid-Atlantic Master Farmers Association, along with American Agriculturist, put together its annual banquet and tour right in the middle of Pennsylvania’s breadbasket: Lancaster County.

More than 70 people, including Russell Redding, Pennsylvania ag secretary, attended the banquet at Hotel Rock Lititz in Lititz, Pa. The event honored the 2022 Master Farmers, Don Cairns, Jeff and Sue Frey, and Art King.

The next day, about 40 people, including the Master Farmers, hopped on a bus and visited three farms — the Penn State Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Waltz Vineyard and Winery, and Eastland Alpacas — and the brand-new Messick’s farm equipment dealership in Mount Joy.

The Mid-Atlantic Master Farmers Association is a nonprofit organization led by past Master Farmers to promote and advance agriculture across the region, as well as raise money for scholarships to college students pursuing degrees in agriculture or a related field.

If you didn’t get to attend the festivities, click on the gallery to see some highlights of this year’s event.