Crops, Soils and Conservation Area at Ag Progress Days offers a wealth of wisdom

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Visitors to the Crops, Soils and Conservation Area at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 12-14, can see a variety of exhibits, activities and demonstrations featuring crop management, renewable energy, conservation education, crop planting and natural resources. Specialists from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and other organizations will answer crop production, weed identification and biofuels questions.

Much of the activity will take place in and around the J.D. Harrington Crops, Soils and Conservation Building on Harrington Lane near the end of East 5th Street.

Highlights include:

Ag Energy

The Ag Energy display in the Harrington building will feature several interactive activities for visitors, including the ever-popular solar energy virtual reality experience, biogas hats for the kids and a firewood identification test. Several new handbooks on farm energy topics will be available. Discussions during the show will cover anaerobic digestion, credit markets, energy forecasts and even answer the long-standing question: “What’s the best energy source?”

Crop Management

Visitors can ask experts about crop and variety selection, when to crop scout, and how much manure or fertilizer they should apply. Experts will be on hand to help producers identify plants and provide advice on how to manage any weeds of concern on their farm. The Cover Crop Extension Team will be available at the demonstration plots on Harrington Lane at 11:45 a.m. all three days of the show.

The Penn State Extension Horticulture Team will staff the new Horticulture Exhibit, where visitors can get advice from horticulture extension educators. Representatives from Ernst Seeds and horticulture educators will be available to describe the plantings at the Warm Seasons Grass Plot, outside the Harrington Building.

Forage

Growing quality forages is key to raising productive and healthy cattle, sheep, goats, horses and other livestock on the farm. Experts from Penn State and the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council will be on hand to answer questions.

Hay Show and Wheat Grain Contest

Visit the Hay Sample display in the back of the Harrington building to see the premium samples entered. See the Hay Show Entry Form for more information on the 2025 Hay Show at Ag Progress Days and learn how to enter. 

This exhibit showcases all the wheat grain samples that were entered in the 2025 Wheat Grain Quality Contest from across the state. Come see the award-winning samples and learn about what makes a high-quality wheat grain.

Nutrient Management

• Visit with representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Nutrient Management Program and the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center to find the latest information on nutrient management regulations and best practices.
• PAOneStop provides reliable online mapping and planning tools. Training for programs associated with PAOneStop will be available Wednesday, Aug.13, from 9 a.m. to noon in the West Ninth Street Meeting Area. For more information, visit PAOneStop.psu.edu.
• Pennsylvania Manure Hauler and Broker Certification Program continuing education credits will be available Tuesday, Aug. 12, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 9 a.m. to noon, and Thursday, Aug. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon in the West Ninth Street Meeting Area.

The A-Maze-N-Corn

Up for some fun? Spend a few minutes — or several hours — wandering through the corn maze and answering quiz questions as you go. A popular attraction for children and families, this maze is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.

Environment and Water Resource Management

• Learn from the Penn State Extension natural resources teams and environmental management faculty how to maintain a sustainable environment and manage resources responsibly. Find out about safe drinking water and water wellhead best practices. Learn about the Agricultural Erosion and Sediment Control Plan from Department of Environmental Protection staffers. 
• Extension's Water Team is hosting Rain Barrel Talks outside the Pasto Museum daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Also, rural and farm pond tours are scheduled daily at 9 a.m., departing from the corn crib near the top of Main Street — free tickets are available at the corn crib.
• Water Wellhead Safety walking tour. Participants will meet at the Pasto Museum at 1 p.m. daily, to be guided by Penn State Extension Water Team educators.

Forest Resources

• Learn about the forestry industry by talking with representatives from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and Consulting Foresters Association at their booths in the J.D. Harrington Building.
• Penn State Forestry Extension educators will host the Forest Management Tour daily, titled “Slash Wall As an Alternative to Deer Fencing.” A slash wall is a cost-effective barrier — typically made from logging debris, known as “slash” — used to protect young trees from deer browsing and promote forest regeneration. Visitors will see a recently created slash wall on this free tour, which leaves from the corn crib twice daily. Forestry Extension staff also will be available in the Harrington building to answer questions and address landowner issues.

Conservation Exhibit Area and Planting Areas

• See several Natural Resources Conservation Service demonstrations, focused on working farms. No-till machinery will be on display, along with cover crop demonstration plots and warm seasons grass plot.
• Visit the Cover Crop Plots and Planting Green demonstration, located south of the Harrington building and Conservation Area, where Pennsylvania seed companies and Penn State Extension representatives will showcase new cover crop mixtures. Extension staff will host talks at 11:45 a.m. daily to discuss the new cover crop mixtures planted in the plots.
• Corn chopping demonstrations will be offered daily at 12:30 p.m. on the grounds at the equipment demonstration fields.
• Soybean demonstration plots also will be available to view just north of Route 45 across from the Gate J entrance.

Water Resources and Soil Conservation

• The Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance will feature rainfall simulator demonstrations showing infiltration at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily.
• USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service staff will feature an active livestock watering system with solar-powered pumps for grazing operations, a scaled concrete heavy-use area with roofed manure storage to address on-farm animal concentration areas, and a walk- through soil tunnel to demonstrate how soil health and its beneficial properties can impact farm operations. All demos will be supported by USDA technical staff who will explain how these systems work and answer natural resource questions. 

Sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, located 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 12; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 13; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 14. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. The official hashtag for social media is #agprogressdays, and the event also can be found on Facebook.