WITF, Inc., Harrisburg, PA
Transcript:
Although Pennsylvania is famous for its mining, steel, and manufacturing industries, it has also been a leader in agriculture which remains the state's leading industry. In the early 1800s, more than 90 percent of Pennsylvanians were involved in agriculture. Farming was a family affair in which men, women, and children all had their designated tasks.
Agricultural fairs–an important feature of rural life in America– began in 1765, when the Penn family granted a charter to permit York County farmers to hold two fairs a year to exhibit and sell their produce.
Pennsylvania farmers and agricultural colleges did pioneering work in the application of science to farming. Farm equipment manufacturers across the state designed and built agricultural machinery that increased farm productivity.
Today, Pennsylvania's 59,000 farm families continue to be the stewards of more than 7 million acres of some of the richest farmland in the world.
