Bedford – The 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show, took place January 5-12, in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) enjoyed an engaging week with great attendance through the council’s unique and exciting beef display for the thousands of consumers who strolled through it. The large 30’ x 40’ exhibit space worked to portray the journey of beef from “Farm to Plate,” visually and interactively connecting consumers to the process.
The beef exhibit served as a destination for visitors desiring information about everything from how cattle are raised and cared for to selecting, cooking and preparing this deliciously-healthy protein for their family to enjoy. Visitors had the chance to interact and learn directly from the beef community including farmers, cattle nutritionists, veterinarians, and industry experts.
The exhibit was anchored by the beef cattle’s lifecycle explanation and featured several interactive touch points such as Beef TV, a Myth Busting Flip Board, the Veal Lifecycle Display, a 3-D meat case, and an “All Things Beef” kiosk. As part of the AgExplorer’s Program, there was a youth ear tag activity as well.
New this year during the opening weekend, Beef and Veal were front and center for cutting demonstrations on the Ag 101 Educational Stage. The cutting demos shared tips on further processing primal cuts to make beef more economical for families to enjoy at home.
“The Farm Show is the perfect venue to interact with consumers of all ages, so it is our goal to put together an interactive display where visitors can learn as well as feel comfortable asking the tough questions that might be on their minds today,” noted Bridget Bingham, PBC Executive Director. “Our beef, dairy and veal producers take great pride in producing a safe, wholesome and high-quality protein so this exhibit capitalized on bringing these two groups together, face-to-face for quality conversations.”
In addition to the display, the PA Beef Council and the Beef Checkoff partnered to sponsor Beef and Veal Day at the PA Preferred Culinary Connection Center which took place on Wednesday, January 9th. The highlight of the day was the Sloppy Joe Showdown which took center stage at noon featuring kids in the kitchen assisting Chefs and a kid taste-testing panel of judges. To view more event photos from the Farm Show, visit the beef council’s Facebook page.
The beef exhibit was made possible through partnerships with the South Dakota Beef Industry Council, the PA Department of Agriculture and the PA Beef Council.
Media Contact: Nichole Hockenberry, 570-295-8049, nhockenberry@pabeef.org.
###
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.
