SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, Pa. — It did not look like a day off from school on the day after Easter at Elk Lake High School. The halls were filled, and quite a lot of learning happened at Susquehanna County Farm and Home Day.
"It's an opportunity for us to celebrate rural life and agriculture. It's a chance to bring people together," said Mark Madden, Penn State Extension.
Susquehanna County Farm and Home Day is hosted by the Penn State Extension every year. It is the 33rd one, only canceled in 2020 because of COVID. So for most people who attend, like Alissa Philbin, it is a cherished tradition. Philbin used to come with her parents every year as a kid. But now that she inherited her family's dairy farm in Elk Lake and runs it on her own, it has even more meaning.
"Kind of like a reunion sometimes. I get to learn about the equipment and stuff like that and things that I'm looking for," she said.
And there is plenty to learn from the nearly 50 vendors and suppliers who are in attendance this year, including is the Susquehanna County Farm Bureau.
"So it helps with membership to make those kinds of connections, to show people what we do, what we've done," said David DeLeon, Susquehanna County Farm Bureau.
Probably the most popular vendor at Farm and Home Day is the one with the free ice cream from Manning Farm Dairy. But the Dairy Promotion Program in Susquehanna County is more than just free ice cream.
"It is my mission. I want to talk to everyone of all ages, young and old, about where their food comes from. Some of them don't know; even adults don't know what happens on a day-to-day basis at the dairy farm," said Dairy Princess Holly Harvatine.
When this event started as Dairy Day 34 years ago, there were hundreds of active dairy farms in Susquehanna County. Today, there are just 50 remaining.
"Let's face it; it's our roots. Agriculture is our roots. People are really about getting back to their roots right now, I think," said Susquehanna County Commissioner Elizabeth Arnold.
So Dairy Day eventually turned into Agriculture Day, which is now Farm and Home Day, to account for all of the changes in the agriculture industry in Susquehanna County and how the folks of Susquehanna County adapted to those changes.
Evie Goff helped plan the very first Dairy Day 34 years ago.
"But when I think about how things have changed, if I knew that back then, I would have thought, well, this isn't going to fly very long, but it's still flying," she said.
The agriculture community says it is an event that is still flying because of the pride they all take in the industry.
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