CATAWISSA, Pa. — Rohrbach's Farm sits on nearly 60 acres of farmland near Catawissa. But the five-generation family-owned farm does more than just grow things. There is a store, hayrides, educational workshops, and more.
"Growing our food and taking care of our environment, our soil health, all of those things really play into a much bigger picture in our community and then helping our community understand where their food comes from," co-owner Denise Bosworth said.
Bosworth led Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding on a tour of the farm to discuss agritourism, which is a key part of the business.
"It's key to the economics of the farm and keeping these farms in agriculture. We're blessed here in Pennsylvania to be close to 50 million people in the neighborhood. That's a good thing for ag," Redding said.
Last year, Newswatch 16 stopped by Rohrbach's Farm for its "Cow Encounter Hayride," which allows families to get up close and personal with these gentle giants.
Bosworth believes one of the most important aspects of her job is educating the community.
"We love to be able to talk about our farm and show what we're doing, but we also appreciate the wisdom and the insight that he's bringing," Bosworth said.
Students from Central Columbia High School's Future Farmers of America group also attended the event.
"It's so important. This is where we get our food. It's where we get our animals, we farm, get our crops. We need to educate our young minds because they are the ones who will continue this on," Alina Shannon said.
Redding stressed there is nothing more important than keeping family farms like this one going.
"If we can keep the people with the agritourism coming to the farms, our goal is to make sure that we successfully move these farms from one generation to another," Redding said.
Rohrbach's Farm has been family-owned for nearly 70 years.
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