Harrisburg, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding unveiled the 2024 PA Farm Show Butter Sculpture, a 1,000-pound diorama in dairy titled, A Table for All: Pennsylvania Dairy Connects Communities. The sculpture was designed and crafted by Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken to reflect the 2024 Farm Show theme, Connecting Our Communities, and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of PA Preferred®, Pennsylvania's statewide brand for locally grown and made agricultural products.
"Pennsylvania's $14 billion dairy industry provides jobs 53,000 Pennsylvanians and makes up a third of our state's food agriculture industry," Secretary Redding said. "Our hardworking dairy farm families are connecting Pennsylvanians to opportunity and feeding our prosperity together. The Shapiro Administration is working hard to connect our dairy industry to future economic opportunities. We are proud to invest in dairy and highlight the industry and its innovative leaders during the Farm Show and year-round."
Pennsylvania dairy farmer Walt Moore of Walmoore Holsteins in Chester County, and a host of PA dairy industry leaders joined Redding to unveil the sculpture, which depicts urban and rural Pennsylvanians connecting around a meal of delicious local food against a backdrop of a cityscape and farm skyline. The diners are celebrating a harvest of PA products with a centerpiece of the keystone-and-checkmark PA Preferred logo.
The sculpture is sponsored by American Dairy Association North East and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program.
"Agriculture plays an important role in all of our lives," Walt Moore, outgoing chair of the state-supported Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence said. "I'm proud that the wholesome food we produce brings people together. This year's butter sculpture illustrates the important connection between farmers and their local communities. That is very meaningful to me because I love what I do as a dairy farmer."
"Creating art that showcases the hard work of dairy farmers is an immense source of pride for us," said Jim Victor. "We also enjoy knowing that the sculpture tells an impactful story about the importance of agriculture," added Marie Pelton. The pair has crafted 22 PA Farm Show butter sculptures since 1995. This is the 33rd year of the crowd-pleasing annual attraction.
Following the Farm Show, the butter from the sculpture, which was donated by Land O' Lakes in Cumberland County, will be recycled at Reinford Farms in Juniata County and converted into renewable energy in the farm's methane digester.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show draws scores of visitors to our capital city every January to connect with the people and products who make Pennsylvania agriculture great. The largest indoor agricultural expo in the nation, featuring nearly 6,000 animals, 12,000-plus competitive events and exhibits, nearly 250 commercial exhibits and hundreds of educational and entertaining events.
Pennsylvania's State Fair showcases top competitors from 108 county and local fairs, and the diversity and quality of Pennsylvania's agriculture industry, the innovative people who make it thrive, and the faces of our proud past and promising future. The show offers visitors a peek into the industry that supports 593,000 Pennsylvania jobs and contributes $132.5 billion to Pennsylvania's economy every year.
The 2024 Pennsylvania Farm Show runs from Saturday, January 6 through Saturday, January 13 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. Admission is free. Parking is $15 per vehicle.
Hours, a daily schedule of events, maps, and much more information to help visitors enjoy the show can be found at farmshow.pa.gov under 2024 Farm Show.
Note: Photos and video from the event will be available at pacast.com.
Contact: Shannon Powers, Agriculture - 717.603.2056, shpowers@pa.gov
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