Ag Progress Days

My parents own 180 acres in Potter County... an old Amish farm that they've spent the last decade bringing back into the 21st century.  It's close now and they will likely be moving there sometime in the next few weeks, thanks in part to my stepfather's decision to (finally) retire and their willingness to outsource some of the renovation labor.

Over the years, they've talked about the possibility of raising animals, growing vegetables, etc. and while I suspect that, now in their early- to mid-70s, they won't actually do that, I am often mindful of this as I walk around Penn State's Ag Progress Days.  Sponsored by the College of Agricultural Sciences and held over a three-day period in mid-August, Ag Progress Days is the state's largest agricultural expo and has always been a big hit with the kids... where else can you wander aimlessly through a corn maze, climb on farm equipment, learn about the latest technology to milk a cow, and dance with a dairy princess, all in one place?

The girls in the maze

The corn maze is typically our first stop on the way into Ag Progress Days and our last stop on the way out.  Our friends Jaidon and Emily (and Jaime too) spent the day with us, and the boys went zipping into the maze before we knew what happened.  One thing that is unique to this maze versus the various corn mazes in the area around Halloween time is that this one asks a series of true-false questions about agriculture, corn farming in PA, etc. to guide you through the maze.  Wrong answers will send you down a dead-end path.  After one pass through with the girls, we let the kids loose to wander through on their own... a seemingly great idea until they emerged with an arm full of freshly picked corn. 

Next up, farm equipment.  Jaime and I were talking about how different farming is now versus a generation ago.  As the kids climbed up different tractors, manure spreaders, etc., it was interesting to realize how luxurious tractors have become: air conditioning, entertainment systems, etc. make it hard for me to envision farming as the back-breaking labor that I am sure it still is.  Of course the technology also allows for more efficient, cost-effective farming, which is the most important point. 

However, it's hard not to think about how expensive it must be to become a farmer and how this could potentially impact the profession and ultimately the nation's food supply in the years to come.  While land in rural areas is likely still cheap, at least relative to the $75K or so someone likely spends on a quarter-acre plot of land to build a house, farm equipment is expensive. I was reading something on-line tonight about proposed changes to how farm equipment depreciates (for tax purposes) and the article suggests that many pieces of equipment designed to make farming more efficient and fruitful cost upwards of $500K, and while I don't think most of the pieces we climbed on had so large a price tag, I am certain a few did and it's just staggering...

Regardless, farm equipment is fun to climb on and I certainly appreciated the patience all the sales folks had with all the kids at Ag Progress Days!

The girls look so tiny by the cab door

Jaidon and Matt

Love this one of Cathy tucked into the wheel

We stopped by an exhibit that featured a robotic milking station for a herd of dairy cows.  With the four kids riveted by the demonstration of how the robotic arm attaches the vacuum device to a cow's teats, I had no choice but to engage the nice salesman in conversation... with a quick reference to those 180 acres up north, he was pretty willing to chat.  What I learned is that the machine we were looking at was good for milking 60 cows three times a day, that barn layout was CRITICAL for successfully using this type of milking system, that the first unit purchased is pretty expensive (at roughly $225K) but because the system can share a computer and air compressor amongst multiple units, there are economies of scale.  The salesman told me that most banks prefer to see a herd size that would require a minimum of four units (and for you to be buying those four units) to engage in serious discussions for financing.


I've filed the information in the back of my brain as something to think about when my parents are gone and my brothers and my step-siblings and I all need to figure out what to do with the property.  Just in case we decide to make it a working dairy farm, but can't afford the fancy equipment that is available these days, I had the kids practice milking cows by hand.... I just hope they are old enough that I am not violating any child labor laws when I send them out to the barn before the school bus comes. 

One of my favorite stops is the kid's tent, which offers a number of educational experiences for the kids.  Among this year's highlights: the chance to watch chicks hatch from their eggs and to hold very young chicks.
 
It was fantastic to watch the chicks peck and wiggle their way out of the eggs, and to see them as they are just learning how to get their feet under them and start moving about.  It doesn't take long at all, which I guess is a good thing since I hear that chickens these days go from egg to the dinner table in about 60 days.

This area is also where we danced with the Dairy Princesses... it was great fun to watch





There was a new feature to Ag Progress Days this year, located just outside the kid's tent: racing. This area featured four-wheel tractor bikes of various sizes for a few laps around the lawn and a long line of kids waiting their turn.  The girls needed some help getting up the small hill on the track, and several of them crashed into the poles holding the police tape that helped mark the track area, but it was otherwise fun for them. 

They're off.

Jaidon is in the lead!

Here come Matt & Cathy

A super fun day with some great friends... but it makes farming seem like it would be really, really hard work.  In fact, I have no doubt it would be.  So, if Mom and Bill really do decide to raise livestock or grow something other than the hay that fills many of their acres, I'll leave it to someone else in the family to run things.