39th annual Farm Fair highlights Harford County's agricultural roots

With more than 600 farms and 65,000 acres of permanently preserved land, there's no secret that agriculture is one of Harford County's largest industries.

This week, the importance of the industry is on full display by none other than some of the county's youngest residents at the 39th annual Harford County Farm Fair.

"So far it's been great. We've been parking cars across the street all week, so that's what we consider a win is when onsite parking fills up. So we're really excited to see the community come out and celebrate," said Kimmi Lyons, who serves on the board of directors for the Harford County Farm Fair.

What can you expect at the Harford County Farm Fair?

Lyons says this year is especially exciting, offering some new features, such as fireworks, a flat road motorcycle race, and the return of carnival rides.

But most importantly, it showcases what the farm fair is all about—the animals and agriculture in the county.

"We get further removed from ag education every generation," Lyons said. "We have kids that come here that thought their chickens were born and raised at Royal Farms because the name has farm in it. So just educating those kids on where their food comes from so that when they're older, and they're in their careers, they can make useful decisions that keep agriculture going."

180 4H students in the county will be presenting their animals throughout the week.

Each student is between 8 and 18 years old and has spent the year learning the importance of agriculture.

"I've learned how to work with my animals and bond with other people's animals," said 15-year-old Carson Rose. 

Rose has been working with his cow, Bruh, all year, walking him, cleaning him, and feeding him.

This week he will showcase "Bruh."

"There are two classes," Rose said. "There's showmanship, and that's about how you work with your cow. And then there's your market class, and that's how your cow is and what it looks like and how it's muscle is."

This week, Bruh will be auctioned off, and then Rose will get a new animal to care for.

The same is true for 10-year-old Cameron, who has two pigs.

"That right there is Hoggy Styles and I have a different pig named Mudflap," Cameron said.

He says his animals mean everything to him, and he's taken away life lessons from caring for them.

"To recognize how much they matter to earth and what they matter to you," Cameron said. "Treat animals the way you would want to be treated and love them."

Even if you're not interesting in purchasing an animal, you can still come out and have fun.

Organizers encourage people to learn not just about how agriculture has supported Harford county in the past, but also where it will go in the future.

"The development pressure on farms have never been greater," Lyons said. "We're fighting housing development, we're fighting renewable energy development, the land prices have gone up. It's almost impossible for a young farmer to buy a farm and get started. So we're just trying to preserve that for as long as we can so we can keep our community fed."

The fair will continue through Saturday.

You can find more information by visiting this website.