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The Pennsylvania Farm Show returns for its 107th year

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One of the state's great spectacles, the show welcomed thousands of visitors.

Kai Konopinski, 4, is lifted up by High School Rodeo competitors as he pretends to ride a bull during the High School Rodeo Meet and Greet at New Holland Arena on the first day of the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa. on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.
Kai Konopinski, 4, is lifted up by High School Rodeo competitors as he pretends to ride a bull during the High School Rodeo Meet and Greet at New Holland Arena on the first day of the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa. on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

The Pennsylvania Farm Show, now in its 107th year, is one of the state’s great spectacles, a chance to see live calf births, eat a mushroom burger, and pet bunnies as big as dogs.

Agriculture brings in $132.5 billion to Pennsylvania annually, and supports 593,000 jobs. While many of those jobs have been modernized, with robotic milkers and GPS-guided tractors, the industry still needs rough hands to handle large animals. That’s why young children were learning how to lasso and tie steer there last week during rodeo training.

The farm show features several rodeo events during its weeklong run, and while they are performances, each one is grounded in practical skills handlers need on farms and ranches. The Pennsylvania High School Rodeo Association Championship took place on Jan. 7, the opening day of the show, with competitors barrel racing and bull riding in the complex’s New Holland Arena.

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