1. The Farm Show has roots in Pennsylvania’s earliest agricultural fairs. William Penn organized the Philadelphia Fair in 1686. Agricultural exhibitions eventually spread throughout Pennsylvania, and the first statewide Farm Show was held in Harrisburg in 1917. The event was once known as the Pennsylvania Corn, Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy Products, and Wool Show.

2. The famous milkshakes weren’t always part of the farm show. The PA Dairymen’s Association began serving its now-famous Farm Show milkshakes in 1953, partnering with Valley Grange of Lewisberry.

3. The butter sculpture doesn’t go in the trash. The Farm Show’s butter sculpture typically contains about 1,000 pounds of butter. In recent years, the butter has been taken to Reinford Farms in Juniata County, where it is turned into renewable energy.

4. There are thousands of animals behind those doors. The state’s 2026 Farm Show materials reported nearly 5,000 animals, more than 12,000 competitive entries from over 4,600 competitors and more than 250 commercial exhibits.

5. The potato stand has a century-old connection. The Pennsylvania Cooperative of Potato Growers, chartered in 1922, is the oldest potato cooperative in the United States.

6. Pennsylvania is a mushroom-growing  powerhouse. Pennsylvania leads the nation in mushroom production. PA provides approximately 60% to 68% of the mushrooms in the US. Chester County and Kennett Square are known as the “Mushroom Capital of the World.”

7. Farm Show visitors work up quite an appetite. At the 2026 show, vendors reported 20,200 gallons of milkshakes, 23,000 pounds of french fries, 90,000 pierogies, 20,000 pounds of potato doughnuts, 10,000 pounds of mushrooms, 2.5 tons of honey and more than 30,000 pounds of meat products were sold. The Pennsylvania FFA Foundation also used 4,400 pounds of lemons to make approximately 20,000 servings of lemonade, and sold 25,000 slices of pizza.

Source: PA Farm Show and the PA Department of Agriculture (pa.gov/agencies/farmshow) and the PA State Archives (Farm Show History)