2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show Opens Kicking Off a Year of America250PA Commemorations

HARRISBURG – Saturday, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, Executive Director of America250PA Cassandra Coleman, and a host of state and local officials, as well as current and future Pennsylvania agriculture industry leaders, cut the blue ribbon, officially opening the 2026 PA Farm Show.

“Today, we celebrate an enduring symbol,” Secretary Redding said. “One not stitched in fabric, but from soil and sweat, from orchards and barns, from classrooms and city gardens, from the hands and hearts of people who care and persevere and believe in the promise of tomorrow. Today, we celebrate agriculture’s role in ‘Growing a Nation’.”

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Lisa Graybeal emceed the ceremony, which included mounted PA State Police, the Revolutionary New Philly Fife and Drum Company, Betsy Ross, a color guard from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Pennsylvania State Police mounted unit, and the singing of the National Anthem by Carly Green, 14, of Schuylkill County, one of the winners of the 2026 PA Farm Show Star Spangled Sing-Off.

This year’s theme, “Growing a Nation”, celebrates Pennsylvania’s critical role in shaping the United States through agriculture. It highlights how the Commonwealth’s farming heritage helped feed the early nation and continues to drive economic growth, innovation, and community through its agriculture and food industries.

“It feels exactly right to usher in the semiquincentennial year at the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the nation – alongside the people who feed our communities, care for the land, and keep Pennsylvania growing,” Coleman said. “The Farm Show reminds us that our Commonwealth is strongest when we come together around the values and traditions that have shaped 250 years of American independence.”

During the ceremony, Secretary Redding and guests unveiled an America250PA-Semiquincentennial Bell, one of a series of liberty bell replicas throughout the state. Pennsylvania artist Cody Sabol of Pittsburgh painted the bell with a quilt theme, commemorating the many elements of our nation’s agricultural roots and future. The Liberty Bell will be moved throughout the Farm Show Complex during the eight-day event for visitors to enjoy. A second bell can be signed by visitors to the America250PA exhibit during the show.

The 2026 Farm Show – Pennsylvania State Fair™ – is the official kickoff for a year of America250PA commemorations celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. America250PA emphasizes Pennsylvania’s pivotal place in U.S. history as one of the original 13 colonies and its contributions to the nation’s founding, democratic traditions, and future prosperity.

The Farm Show runs Saturday, January 10 through Saturday, January 17, 2026.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show draws scores of visitors to our capital city every January to connect with the people and products who make Pennsylvania agriculture great. The largest indoor agricultural expo in the nation, the Farm Show features nearly 5,000 animals, 12,000-plus competitive entries from more than 4,600 competitors, plus more than 250 commercial exhibits, and hundreds of educational and entertaining events. Admission is free. Parking is $15 per vehicle.

Pennsylvania’s State Fair showcases top competitors from 108 county and local fairs, the diversity and quality of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry, the innovative people who make it thrive, and the faces of our proud past and promising future. The show offers visitors a look at the industry that supports 593,000 Pennsylvania jobs and contributes $132.5 billion to the state’s economy each year.

The event will once again showcase beloved traditions, including the 1,000-pound butter sculpture, the Farm Show Food Court and Farm Market, Sheep-to-Shawl, sheep herding, lumberjacking, cow milking, and hundreds of daily competitions and demonstrations. Visitors can enjoy live cooking demonstrations at the PA Preferred Culinary Connection and explore more than one million square feet of hands-on agricultural education, exhibits, and opportunities to meet the people who are ‘Growing a Nation’ through Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

Hours, a daily schedule of events, maps, and additional information to help visitors enjoy the show are available at farmshow.pa.gov under the 2026 Farm Show section.