Potter County Agriculture In Spotlight Thursday

Potter County has lost many of its farms over the quarter-century that has passed since local agriculturalists put together the concept of a “Progress” tour. But a new generation of younger farmers has stepped forward in recent years to sustain and even grow their operations, despite the challenges. That trend will be spotlighted on Thursday during the annual Progress Through Communications for Agriculture farm tour and picnic.

It will start at the usual launching point, the Carl Erway farm off Rt. 49 near Gold, at 3 pm and include a tour of the God’s Country Creamery cheese-making plant. Next stop will be Northern Potter High School, where the spotlight will be on FFA research plots and related programs. At approximately 5:30, a roundtable discussion of issues affecting agriculture will be held at the school, attended by public officials, agency representatives, agriculturalists and others. Final event is the traditional harvest dinner/picnic, featuring locally produced food, starting at 7 pm.

The tour and picnic are open to the public. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for anyone age 12 or under. For details, contact the sponsors, Potter County Conservation District (274-8411) or Penn State Extension (274-8540).