Looking back and ahead; we’ve seen more than a century of progress

ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. — More than a century before farmers will gather for the latest ag innovations during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days Aug. 11-13, university professors loaded lantern slides, seed samples, and demonstration tools into horse-drawn wagons and rode the rails from one rural schoolhouse or Grange hall to the next, carrying their discoveries directly to farm communities across Pennsylvania.

There were no smartphones, no internet, and few opportunities to leave the farm in the late 1800s, when Penn State’s Farmers’ Institutes brought the university to the farmers.

Those early gatherings are the taproot for one of the nation’s premier outdoor agricultural expositions, one of only three still hosted and sponsored by a university.

This year, Ag Progress Days (APD) marks its 50th anniversary at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, along with the 50th anniversary of Penn State Extension’s Farm Safety Program.

Over three days, the event will attract an anticipated 46,000 visitors coming to see what is new among the over 400 exhibitors, consisting of researchers, extension educators, government agencies, agricultural organizations, and a wide variety of companies.

APD’s roots stretch back much farther than its 50 years at Rock Springs to the earliest days of Penn State’s land-grant mission. The Farmers’ Institutes of the late 1800s slowly evolved into Farmer’s Week on campus beginning in 1907. Those winter events later became the Pennsylvania Farm Show in 1917.

“The real precursor to Ag Progress Days was Grassland Field Days, which started in 1951, and then became Forage Progress Field Days. These events were held around the state, bouncing from site to site,” says Jim Starling, senior associate dean emeritus in Penn State’s publication Ag Progress Days: ‘Our History.’

The two-day events focused on equipment, plowing contests, pasture renovation, and forage production, time-honored favorite holdovers amid vast technological advances in current times.

By 1969, the name changed to Agricultural Progress Days, which was held on Fox Chase Farm in Bradford County.

In 1971, it came to Rock Springs for the first time as a three-day event but continued rotating to different locations for five more years.

50 years as a destination

“It was much less expensive to build a quality site at Rock Springs than to start from scratch every year at a different location,” observed Starling after then-Dean James Beattie proposed making Rock Springs the permanent site in 1976, according to the university’s account.

That decision turned Ag Progress Days into a destination. Permanent roads, utilities, exhibit buildings and demonstration areas were developed, giving exhibitors confidence to invest in larger displays and allowing Penn State to continually improve the visitor experience.

The transformation began under Joseph Harrington, professor emeritus of agronomy, who managed the event at its permanent home from 1976 through 1991 and oversaw the permanent grounds development.

His successor Bob Oberheim, continued that vision for the next 25 years as the show expanded from 285 exhibitors to 500, replacing rows of tents with seven permanent exhibit buildings and attracting nearly every major agricultural equipment manufacturer.

Looking back before his retirement in 2016, Oberheim cited the technology revolution, from GPS-guided tractors and hands-free steering to fully computerized precision agriculture, among the biggest changes he witnessed in that quarter-century.

The grounds continued to evolve under current manager Jesse Darlington, who also guided APD through its first and only virtual year during 2020 pandemic restrictions. The online experience had 257 exhibitors and more than 70 hours of programming reaching 9000 viewers.

Occupying 55 acres of exhibit space, 35 acres of parking, and more than 80 acres of crop demonstrations, nearly every department in the College of Agricultural Sciences, along with Penn State Extension, contributes exhibits, demonstrations, and educational programming.

More than 60% of attendees are said to be directly involved in agriculture, and by welcoming consumers, families, students, and policymakers, APD has become a key outreach event.

Fifty years after finding its permanent home, this living timeline of American agriculture is also Pennsylvania agriculture’s annual reunion — where producers compare equipment, crop and livestock genetics, check out new products and practices, where researchers share discoveries, students explore careers, legislators hear from farm families, and consumers learn about the people and progress in food production.

“Ag Progress Days is, at its heart, about connections… and an opportunity to demonstrate the real-world value of your land-grant university,” writes Dean Troy Ott in his welcome letter in this year’s official program.

Beyond the innovative equipment and technology, visitors will find an antique tractor display, crop and forage trials; dairy, beef, sheep and equine exhibits; extension workshops on a range of topics and tours from pasture, composting, conservation practices and regenerative agriculture to woodland, wildlife and Master Gardener walks; as well as opportunities to speak with Penn State specialists on a wide range of topics.

Field demonstrations remain a highlight, with opportunities to see the latest haying, harvesting, and crop production equipment in action and cover crop plots showcasing new seed mixtures.

New this year, visitors can watch innovative straw baling demonstrations alongside combining and commercial drone flights that show the expanding role of unmanned aerial technology in agriculture.

Families can do the corn maze, butterfly tent, horse demonstrations, youth activities, personal health screenings, visit the Pasto Agricultural Museum, explore educational exhibits and enjoy plenty of delicious Pennsylvania food options, including the Cattlemen’s ribeye sandwiches. The Dairy Princess Promotion crew will offer real dairy iced coffees, ice cream floats, and grilled cheese.

50th year for farm safety program

The Farm Safety area at the end of West 8th street will highlight the 2026 theme on skid loader safety, demonstrating hazards and safe operating practices on Tuesday and Thursday.

On Wednesday, first responders will conduct live agricultural rescue demonstrations simulating a tractor rollover, and Stop the Bleed emergency response training will be offered twice each day.

Robotics Village and AI debut

If the first 50 years at Rock Springs agricultural mechanization and automation were celebrated; the next 50 years of APD are already on-course to highlight the leap to autonomous robotics, data-driven precision agriculture, and artificial intelligence (AI).

In Exhibit Building No. 2 on West 5th Street this year, Penn State has partnered with GoFar and the Robotics Factory to bring the East Coast debut of the European FIRA Robotics Village to this year’s APD, with demonstrations and presentations on addressing labor shortages and improving efficiency.

At the College of Ag Sciences Exhibits Building on Main Street, visitors can learn about ‘Tilva,’ Penn State Extension’s new AI-powered assistant that provides research-based answers to agricultural questions around the clock. There, visitors can also learn how researchers use advanced technologies to improve food production and human health through Penn State’s Technology for Agriculture and Living Systems Initiative.

50th Anniversary event highlights

On Tuesday morning, Aug. 11, APD kicks off from 10 to 11 a.m. with a town hall meeting on “50 Years of Progress and Innovation” in the Red Barn Annex. Dean Troy Ott and Pennsylvania Ag Secretary Russ Redding will reflect on the past five decades and discuss the future of Pennsylvania agriculture before taking questions.

A dedicated 50th Anniversary display can also be found on the upper floor of the Red Barn.

Tuesday afternoon, the Red Barn Annex will host a discussion by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and a panel of key state leaders from 3 to 4 p.m. on the fertilizer situation and the one million tons per year nitrogen production coming to the Keystone State.

Wednesday morning, Aug. 12, the Joint House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees will meet from 10 a.m. until noon in the Red Barn Annex to examine Pennsylvania agriculture’s past, present and future.

Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the College Exhibits Building Theater Area, U.S. House Ag Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson will bring an update from Washington and discuss Farm Bill reauthorization. Educational presentations continue throughout all three days at this location as well.

The machines are ‘smarter’ and the tools more sophisticated. Farmers can evaluate what’s on display during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. However, the purpose remains exactly what the University’s Farmers’ Institutes set out to accomplish more than a century earlier — connecting farmers with the latest research, practical demonstrations, leading industry innovations, and one another.

For three days in August, Rock Springs remains a crossroads where Pennsylvania’s agriculture past, present and future meet. The show is on Aug. 11 from 9 to 5, Aug. 12 from 9 to 7, and Aug. 13 from 9 to 3.

Admission and parking are free. Complete schedules, maps, lists of activities, the official program, and more can be found at https://agsci.psu.edu/apd