Penn Vet Showcases Vital Role in Pennsylvania Agriculture at 109th Pennsylvania Farm Show

At the 109^th Pennsylvania Farm Show last week, with the theme ‘Powering Pennsylvania,’ the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Penn Vet) importance to the state’s agricultural industry was on full display during the eight-day event.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show, the nation’s biggest indoor agricultural exposition, is an annual extravaganza highlighting the state’s $132.5 billion agriculture sector. For those involved in animal agriculture around the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Penn Vet offers trusted education, biosecurity protocols, diagnostic and surveillance testing, and veterinary care, serving as an essential resource to the state’s largest industry.

Held at the Farm Show’s 24-acre Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Penn Vet students, faculty, staff, and leadership met with potential veterinary students, parents, public officials, alumni, farmers, and thousands of other attendees.

“The interactions that we had throughout the week underscored the value that Penn Vet, the state’s only veterinary school, delivers through the veterinarians we graduate,” said Penn Vet’s Chief Communications Officer Martin J. Hackett. “The Farm Show provides the School with a unique opportunity to connect with prospective students and the public, chat about animal health and our academic and research-oriented programs; and talk about the role we play in a healthy food system.”

One of those research programs, Penn Vet’s Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security (CSAFS), founded at the School’s New Bolton Center (NBC) campus, plays a key role in advancing animal agriculture in Pennsylvania. The interdisciplinary CSAFS mobilizes Penn Vet faculty who research and practice in nearly 20 agriculture-related specialties, along with Penn-wide affiliate faculty, dedicated to broadening the understanding of animal agriculture and food systems; uniting agriculture, ecosystems, and public health; examining soil health; and exploring climate change mitigation and resilience.

“The CSAFS enables Penn Vet to capitalize on its niche strength in animal agriculture to drive sustainable agricultural and veterinary healthcare practices and methods,” said Hackett. “Our participation in the Farm Show underscores our commitment to supporting the future of animal agriculture. We are immensely proud to participate in this annual event that celebrates the ingenuity shaping the future of agriculture.” The cattle farmer showed us some of his cows and they were sadly covered in hundreds of ticks.”