At the PA Farm Show, young enthusiasts find inspiration and opportunity, as leaders aim to cultivate the future of the agricultural industry.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The PA Farm Show welcomes thousands of people of all ages throughout the week to experience all the unique and different parts of the agriculture industry.
Some are hopeful the show will continue to inspire the next generation of ag enthusiasts.
Timothy Geynovich, a senior at Milton Hershey School, has been preparing his sheep, Anika, for months for this moment.
“I’m a little nervous,” Geynovich said. “I’ll be honest. I just finished preparing my sheep.”
He was participating in this year’s Open Breeding Sheep Show at the PA Farm Show.
He is also part of the Agricultural and Environmental Education program at the Milton Hershey School, which exposes students to the ag industry.
“Why I joined the program at MHS is because of the work ethic. It taught me to be more resilient. It built my character as a person,” Geynovich explained.
For many young visitors, this is their first close-up look at agriculture — and for industry leaders, it’s a chance to spark interest in careers of all types in agriculture.
“It’s getting older and with fewer young people coming in,” State Senator Elder Vogel (R), and Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee member, said. “[It’s] why, eventually, a lot of farms around the countryside [get sold] for housing or shopping centers or something like that, and the land’s lost forever.”
Throughout the Commonwealth, chapters of 4-H and FFA, along with the PA Farm Bureau, help educate thousands of teens about the industry.
“It’s truly for anyone, 4-H youth organizations,” State Representative with FFA Alexis Butler shared. “They are there to generate the next generation of leaders that we need in our country and, especially, the agricultural industry.”
“It isn’t always about, you know, scooping manure or scraping pens, right? There are a lot of technical things that go on in agriculture,” Chris Hoffman, president of the PA Farm Bureau, said.
These organizations provide resources, programming and education for the next generation to find their agricultural interests and forge a pathway into the industry.
For Geynovich, the impact animals have had on him at a young age defines who he is.
He hopes the Farm Show can inspire generations of new enthusiasts just like him.
“I believe the program just gives us all advantages and all perspectives and aspects of life to become better people, to be more knowledgeable and to be, for me personally, more patient,” Geynovich expressed.
