Penn State’s Ag Progress Days returns this week. What to know about parking, exhibits and more

Keely Doll
Abby Drey/Centre Daily Times, file

Pennsylvania’s largest agricultural exposition will take place this week, drawing in experts from across the U.S. and Canada. The free exposition takes place Aug. 9-11 at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center in Pennsylvania Furnace.

Ag Progress has been held at Penn State’s research center for 46 years and typically draws as many as 45,000 visitors. The exposition uses 55 acres only for the exhibits, with 35 acres for parking and 80 acres for crops, according to the Ag Progress Days website.

Whether you’re interested in a specific workshop, want to check out the Pasto Agricultural Museum or are looking to browse and visit food vendors, we’ve put together what to know about the three-day event.

Getting there and parking

The agricultural research center is off state Route 45, 10 miles from State College. The best address for GPS users is 2710 W. Pine Grove Road, Pennsylvania Furnace.

Parking is free and divided into East, West, Exhibit and Equine lots. Attendees will park in grass lots near the research center. Visitors coming from the westbound side will enter and park through Gate J and eastbound visitors will park through Gate M.

Attendees with mobility issues can bring their own golf carts or borrow ones provided by the Ag College. Provided golf carts are on a two-hour first come, first served basis.

Bus tours will take attendees onto grass or unpaved paths, so those with mobility issues should speak with staff. Those who can’t attend can check out the virtual tours online.

What to do

The exposition is open from Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

There will be 400 exhibitors at the event, including 40 exhibits from Penn State, according to the College of Agricultural Sciences website.

Exhibit topics cover all areas of agriculture and livestock, including:

  • Gardening

  • Antique Tractors

  • Hay Show

  • Vector-borne diseases

  • Climate-smart farming and forestry

  • Invasive species

  • Adaptive agriculture processes

  • Rural safety tent

  • Drone demos

  • Veterinary sciences

  • Equine demonstrations

  • Forestry

  • Conservation

A full list of exhibits and a map of the event grounds can be found on the website. There are also several exhibits centered around kids and families including butterfly tents, sunflower mazes and a kitchen demonstration.

Town Hall panels with experts and legislators will also be held throughout the week and streamed online. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, will be featured in the panels, talking to attendees and answering questions. Attendees can register to watch online in advance.

Penn State will also be hosting bus tours taking visitors to different research plots in the State College area. Tours last up to an hour and a half and require some walking and standing. Tours are limited so be sure to check times and dates available on the website.

How did it all start?

Penn State’s involvement with agriculture workshops back to the 19th century when faculty would travel across the state bringing new technology and methods to farmers. In 1951, Grassland Field Days started, a two-day event displaying equipment, production and plowing contests.

In 1963, the event was renamed to Ag Progress Days and moved to locations around the state until 1976 when it settled at Rock Springs. In 2020, the event shifted online due to the pandemic, holding live webinars and content for the event.

For more information on Ag Progress Days, visit agsci.psu.edu/apd.

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