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On December 30, 2017

Attending the Pennsylvania Farm Show is a great winter day out and a great opportunity for everyone in your family to find something of interest to them.
The many faces of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will be evident at the 2018 Pennsylvania Farm Show, to be held from Jan. 6 to 13, in Harrisburg, Pa. The college’s presence will be felt throughout the sprawling Farm Show Complex. Those interested in home gardening, preserving their own food and protecting water quality in their region will have an opportunity to learn more about these topics by visiting the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences exhibit.
Other college-related displays and activities will highlight 4-H youth-development programs offered statewide through Penn State Extension. The College of Agricultural Sciences’ exhibit in the Main Hall will be the site of presentations throughout the week featuring Penn State Extension horticulture and food safety educators, Master Gardeners and Master Watershed Stewards. Master Gardeners and Master Watershed Stewards are volunteers who receive in-depth training from Penn State and, in return, help to educate their local communities, thus amplifying the impact of Penn State Extension’s expertise and programs.

Sessions led by food-safety extension educators will cover the basics of home food preservation. A display area will feature free publications on freezing, canning and other topics, and Penn State Extension experts will be on hand to answer visitors’ questions. The full schedule of presentations is available online at http://agsci.psu.edu/farmshow/events.

Visitors at the main Penn State exhibit also will be able to engage with students and advisers from the College of Agricultural Sciences, who will be on hand throughout the show to answer questions about the college’s academic programs and the many educational and career opportunities available in agriculture and related fields. Prospective students and their families can learn more about the college’s 17 diverse majors<http://agsci.psu.edu/futurestudents/academics>, career paths, internships<http://agsci.psu.edu/futurestudents/careers>, student clubs and activities<http://agsci.psu.edu/futurestudents/life>, and travel opportunities<http://agsci.psu.edu/futurestudents/study-abroad>.

Pennsylvania 4-H<http://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h> — which is administered by Penn State Extension — also will have a large presence at the Farm Show, with educational and informative exhibits highlighting the opportunities that 4-H offers to youth, ages 5-18, in topics such as robotics, plant and animal sciences, entomology, and family and consumer sciences.

Many 4-H members enter their projects in Farm Show youth livestock shows and other competitive events, including the 4-H Potato Judging contest that takes place on Jan. 9. In addition, youth members who comprise the 4-H State Council will represent the organization at several events during the week, including the opening ceremonies.

At the 4-H Ag Learning Station, youth visitors will explore citizenship by identifying how their home county contributes to the state’s agricultural economy. Visitors will receive a “passport” of fun facts about their county, Pennsylvania and 4-H.

Throughout the complex, many other Farm Show events and activities depend on behind-the-scenes contributions from College of Agricultural Sciences personnel. Each year, more than 100 faculty members, county-based extension educators, and staff from the college lead and participate on Farm Show committees, develop displays, and coordinate competitive exhibits and shows ranging from dairy cattle and poultry to maple products and mushrooms.

The college’s role at the Farm Show is part of Penn State’s land-grant partnership with the state.
Sponsored by the state Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural event in America, with 24 acres under roof, spread throughout 11 buildings and three arenas. Farm Show officials expect more than 500,000 spectators, some 6,000 animals, more than 10,000 competitive exhibits, and about 300 commercial exhibitors at the eight-day event.
The show is held at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, at the corner of Cameron and Maclay streets in Harrisburg, just off exit 67 of Interstate 81. Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 6-12 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 13. Admission is free, and parking is $15. For more information, visit the http://www.farmshow.pa.gov<http://www.farmshow.pa.gov/>.

To Use Chain Saws Safely

As you head to the woods to restock your firewood supply, having proper safety equipment is an important step in preventing accidents. Starting at the top, a hard hat or bump cap protects the head from bumps against trees and from falling limbs and branches. Safety glasses or goggles keep flying wood chips and springing branches from injuring the eye. A safety visor in combination with a hard hat will provide added protection for the face. Operators need to protect their ears from the damaging noise produced by chainsaws Good ear muffs or ear plugs will help prevent ear damage. Some hard hats even come equipped with ear muffs.
Proper protective equipment includes chain saw resistant boots. Steel-toed boots with chain saw resistant tops layered with ballistic nylon can slow the action of a chain saw enough to give you precious time to react and save yourself from disaster. Cut resistant gloves protect you from the saw as well as wood shards.
Chainsaw pants legs protect from injury due to contact with the chain. The outer surface works to keep you dry. The inner surface of ballistic nylon will choke a chain saw before it can reach your leg.
Protective chaps may be worn, but they do not provide the full protection of chainsaw pants. Trim-fitting trousers, shirts and jackets reduce the risk of clothing getting entangled in the saw. Tight-fitting clothing also is less likely to catch on limbs and branches.
Of course good maintenance on the saw itself is an important step in safety. Make sure the safety shutoff is working and the chain guard is in place. Also keep the chain sharp. When cutting position yourself so your limbs are not directly in the way if the saw kicks back from the wood.

To Improve Energy Efficiency In Your Greenhouse

Many greenhouses are extremely “leaky”, meaning that they have cracks, holes, and openings in the walls or roof that allow air to leak into the house at will. This “infiltration” can account for a significant portion of a greenhouse’s winter heating bill, and can often be eliminated with the help of a sharp eye, a can of spray foam, and a tube of caulk. This measure can often reduce your heating bill by 5 to 10%. Tightening up the house has the added benefit of improving control over airflow patterns in the house, which can make temperatures and humidity levels more uniform.

To Welcome The New Year

New Year’s celebrations like birthdays are reminders of how quickly our season of life is passing. This provides a reminder to review how we are meeting life’s most important goals. We may need to evaluate how to modify our business activities to make sure our work isn’t crowding out other important goals. Think about how to get more time for family, faith and service in your activities in 2018. Seek advice on modifying your business plans if it is needed.

Don’t forget to start off the New Year properly supporting the livestock and horticultural industries while enjoying a hearty meal of pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes! If you start the celebration for lunch on December 30 you can then proceed to supporting the Nittany Lion Football team at 4:00 PM playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and Penn State Football is a great way to start 2018!

Quote Of The Week: “Learn to do common things uncommonly well; we must always keep in mind that anything that helps fill the dinner pail is valuable.” George Washington Carver