Celebrating the 2023 Farm Show!
The Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation had quite the presence at 2023 Farm Show this year.
Open for all ten days of the show, the Foundation proudly displayed their new “Farms to Families Immersion Lab” powered by GIANT. This new lab earned the Foundation the “Best Education Display” award. The lab received coverage on PCN and several Central PA news networks.
On Monday, January 9, the Foundation hosted a press event at the new lab for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). The 2023 PDA grantees were announced and celebrated. At this event, the Foundation proudly accepted a $25,000 matching grant from PDA.
In the same morning, the Foundation also received a check from Pennian Bank for $3,000 through the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.
The Foundation also highlighted their partnership with Woody Lodge Winery. The winery’s new beverage, Allez Faire, is sold at GIANT stores through the state and benefits the Foundation with every sale.
Throughout the week, children and families interacted with the Immersion Lab and were prompted to ask important questions about agriculture in Pennsylvania. This curiosity and insight is an intended benefit of the new lab. By passing along general farming facts about the state, the Foundation hopes to plant little seeds of knowledge about local agriculture in Pennsylvania.
Overall, the 2023 Farm Show was a huge success for the Friends of Ag Foundation.
Featured recently at the PA 2023 Farm Show, the PA Farms to Families Immersion Lab powered by GIANT, supported by the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, allows guests to learn about PA farms, discover environmental considerations to impact food production, experience riding on a tractor through a VR corn field, quiz yourself to see how well you know common fruits and vegetables, practice building a balanced meal with Pennsylvania-grown foods and learn about the community it takes to bring food from the field to the plate for PA families.
Charlene Espenshade, Executive Director, left, and Paula Shoop, Elementary Education Specialist, right, from the PA Friends of Ag Foundation proudly accept the award of Best Educational display at the 2023 PA Farm Show.
The Foundation also received a check from Pennian Bank for $3,000 through the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.
Charlene Espenshade, PA Friends of Ag Foundation Executive Director, right, accepts a $25,000 grant from Russell Reading, Secretary of Agriculture, PA Department of Agriculture.
Families enjoying the tractor simulation ride in the Immersion Lab.
John Gailey, Owner of Woody Lodge Winery, left, and Charlene Espenshade, Foundation Executive Director, display a bottle of Allez Faire wine. Wine sales on this particular wine have been designated to benefit the Foundation.