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What to know before heading to the 108th Pennsylvania Farm Show

This year's theme is "Connecting Our Communities," which state officials hope will bring people closer to Pennsylvania's agriculture industry.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Farm Show is less than three days away, and thousands of people are expected to come to Harrisburg for one of the biggest agricultural expos in the country.

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania's agriculture secretary Russell Redding led a tour of the exhibits on display for the 108th Farm Show. This year's theme is "Connecting Our Communities," which officials hope will allow people to connect to the state's agriculture industry

“Agriculture is Pennsylvania’s number one industry; tourism is number two," said Sharon Myers, the executive director of the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. "This facility does both.”

Visitors will get a taste of life on the farm with hundreds of livestock exhibits, including the return of the popular baby goat exhibit.

“They’ll crawl all over you, lay on you, and some may nibble on your hair," said Myers. "It’s a real hands-on experience for the individuals who don’t get that opportunity at home.”

The Farm Show will also have exhibits highlighting how food gets from the farm to grocery stores.

“You see what we produce, who produces it, where we do it, the management and conservation efforts that go into that," said Secretary Russell Redding, with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Of course, the food court is always a fan favorite at the Farm Show. Beyond the thousands of options you can choose from, there are a few new items on the menu, including the salted caramel milkshake and potato cakes.

“Farm Show is always an exciting week; I always tell people that it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year," said Nathan Tallman with the PA Cooperative of Potato Growers. "Potatoes are a celebrity for that week.”

Secretary Redding said the Farm Show is likely to bring $40 million of economic activity to Harrisburg, as well as half a million visitors.

The event starts on Saturday, January 6 and runs through January 13.

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