South Central PA News

HARRISBURG – Just before a scheduled press conference on Tuesday, the Wolf administration informed the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee via email that it would move to reopen the Farm Show Complex. The announcement came minutes before Reps. Dave Zimmerman (R-Lancaster), Dan Moul (R-Adams), Clint Owlett (R-Bradford/Potter/Tioga), and John Hershey (R-Franklin/Juniata/Mifflin) were set to discuss the status of the 2021 Keystone International Livestock Exposition (KILE).

The Farm Show Complex has been housing $50 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing outside events from being held there and causing economic losses in Harrisburg.

Jana Malot, past president of the Pennsylvania Livestock Association, attended the press conference along with American Dairy and KILE show competitors Brittany Truax of Fulton County, Daniel Kitchen of Lancaster County, Taylor Wolfe of Northumberland County, and Hayden Weaver of Lancaster County.

“What we don’t have is a time or how the reopening process will move forward,” Zimmerman said. “We are here today asking for it to be opened in time for the All-American Dairy Show on Sept. 18 and the KILE show Oct. 1.”

Committee chairman Moul read the email at the podium but noted there was no official date for a decision from the administration regarding when or how much of the building would be reopened or where they would relocate their PPE stockpile.

“There was no official date for a decision,” Moul said. “This caught me 100% totally off guard, and it came literally five minutes before I came to the podium. And it says it will take a month to clear it out of all the PPE.”

Zimmerman emphasized that both dairy and KILE shows require most if not all parts of the complex due to their size and number of animals involved.

“A week ago, at another committee hearing what we were told by the administration made it seem like having the building cleared of PPE anytime soon was a superhuman task,” Moul added. “But if they now say they can somehow magically do it, that is good and welcome news.”

Brittany Truax, an Ohio State University Veterinary School student, highlighted that these shows involve significant investment and preparation almost a year in advance.

“My time at KILE has been absolutely amazing,” Truax said. “It is more than teaching me hard work and respect... I just finished my first year of vet school, and I can honestly say that without my livestock, I would not have gotten there.”

Daniel Kitchen mentioned that networking opportunities provided by these events are crucial for developing future professional relationships.

“Through these competitions I was able to go overseas for events... The networking is important,” Kitchen said.

Taylor Wolfe pointed out that such events are vital not only for young participants but also for Pennsylvania’s family farmers' survival amid industry decline.

“If you look at past few years... If another event is taken away from these dairy farmers, more will be going out of business,” Wolfe stated.

Rep. Clint Owlett urged reopening so young farmers could gain essential life lessons through participation in these events.

“The life lessons our kids learn on farm go far beyond agriculture – they last a lifetime,” Owlett said.