Susquehanna County Ag Day 2020 was one for the books.
With one of the largest crowds organizers have seen in years, the Penn State Extension estimated more than 800 people attended along with nearly 80 vendor organizations supporting agriculture in the region.
This year’s event featured 18 workshops and presentations by the Extension staff and had record-high registration levels. “Cabot’s support allows Penn State Extension to bring in speakers from across the state who facilitate discussions on a variety of topics,” Penn State Extension educator Linda Falcone explained. “And that attracts people from throughout the region who want to learn more about the Extension and farming…and who like milkshakes.”
That’s right, milkshakes.
In addition to the many rewarding education opportunities, we were in charge of lunch for the second year in a row but this year, we didn’t forget the dessert.
If you’ve been paying any attention to our Twitter, you’d know how excited we were about this. By the end of the day, vendors served around 950 milkshakes, donating $950 to the Energy Education Fund, which provides unique and engaging educational programs for students across the Appalachian Basin.
“We were pleased to bring the milkshakes to Susquehanna County for the first time. It was a well-run event with so many great vendors and attendees,” said Ryan Herr who, with his father, contracts with the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association to sell the iconic Farm Show shakes at events across the Commonwealth.
Organizers, vendors, and attendees all noticed the event’s growth in the past couple of years. “Cabot’s support increased participation by 150 people each year for the past two years,” said Falcone. It might have been the milkshakes talking, but guests were also highly impressed with the turnout, noting the wide range of participating organizations.
“I was overwhelmed by the success of Ag Day this year,” Bill desRosiers, External Affairs Manager at Cabot, said. “The crowd was the largest I’d seen, and they were very active and engaged in the educational opportunities.”
With the amount of support shown for the region’s agricultural industry, we’d certainly call this year’s event a success. Coordinators of the event, including the Extension, Susquehanna County 4-H, Susquehanna County Dairy Promotion and the Elk Lake School District are already looking for ways to continue this momentum into next year and are planning to see even more vendors, attendees, and of course…milkshakes.
