Less than 15 minutes after giving his opening-day speech at the 91st annual Pennsylvania Farm Show Saturday morning, Gov. Ed Rendell was in the food court chowing down a beef sandwich.


As the governor opened wide, a passerby asked, “Is he really going to eat that in front of all these people?”


Perhaps the visitor doesn’t know our guv, or the Farm Show, because food and sharing are what it’s all about.


Pennsylvania is a leader in food production, said Rendell in his speech, given before a nearly full arena just before lunchtime.


It’s also a leader in alternative energy production and technology, he said. Biofuels are increasing crop demand for state farmers. Soybean, corn and vegetable oils can be renewed into or grown specifically for fuel.


The theme of the 2007 Farm Show is “Growing Pennsylvania Agriculture to Feed and Fuel Our Future.”


The show’s exhibits highlight the industry’s alternative energy accomplishments and exploration into future roles for agriculture in a global economy. Even the 800 pounds of butter in the Farm Show sculpture will be recycled into fuel.


Glenn Cauffman, manager of farm operation and services for Penn State, University Park, said agricultural science is on the cusp of contributing new products for the growing market demand of power and energy.


Cauffman’s station is among 40 exhibits from Penn State University that showcase the latest developments on wind, solar, biogas, biofuel and biomass technologies.


Cauffman stood next to a New Holland tractor that runs on 100 percent soybean fuel. It also is lubricated with biodegradable hydraulic oil, he said.


Cauffman said his department has been working for three years to discover alternatives to fossil fuels. The goals are myriad: Clean up the air and water and decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil, as well as help farmers find new markets for their products.


Rather than pay farmers to not grow crops, the government can fund research and development that will find new uses for their crops. Thus, growers’ profit margins won’t be shaved thin because of an overabundance of corn on the market. Rather they’ll be paid to grow more to satisfy the biofuel market, Cauffman said.


The demand for alternative energy has “created a renaissance for agriculture,” he said.


Saturday, Rendell presented a $2.9 million check to Keystone BioFuels Inc., the state’s first company to manufacture and ship biodiesel made from Pennsylvania-grown soybeans.


The check, which represented financing from three state programs, is really a loan guarantee, said Race Miner, chief executive officer of Keystone BioFuels.


He said the agricultural industry is just beginning to rev up to take part in the emerging biofuel market. The key, he said, was to bridge the gap between farm commodity and petroleum futures to be able to steadily supply the retail market.


“Today, you’re seeing the price of a barrel of oil, at $55, being dragged down while corn is going up,” he said. “Things that used to drive the market, don’t anymore. We can turn fuel into a local commodity.”


Lancaster County has seven biodiesel distributors or retailers, according to Cauffman.


Growing fields


Biofuel and other alternative energy solutions are among many new directions that farm technology is taking.


Today’s farm industry is so much more than milking cows and pitching hay, say agricultural experts at the farm show.


Penn State College of Ag-Science reports that in the next five years, more than 50,000 jobs will be created in the ag industry. With just 47,000 graduates in the pipeline, businesses are hungry for qualified employees.


That’s the message that show organizers hope to get across to the 500,000 visitors expected at the event this week.


“The future of farming is changing big time,” said Keith Frey, 20, of Manheim.


Frey, a graduate of Manheim Central High School, was at the show Saturday to help the school’s FFA students with their display.


He plans to start at Penn State this month, where he’ll major in agri-business and minor in ag education.


Frey grew up on a dairy farm. His parents, John and Miriam Frey, used to manage 60 head of dairy cows. They sold their herd and concentrate solely on raising crops to feed other farmers’ livestock. They rent their dairy barn to another farmer, and John Frey operates a machine-repair business on the side.


Keith Frey wants to prepare for the future, and he wants to take his peers along with him. “Students need leaders to tell them what’s happening on the farm,” he said.


“Growing Agriculture Technology” is the 2007 theme of FFA exhibits throughout the complex.


Manheim Central and Penn Manor high schools were among seven FFA chapters in the state to participate in the exhibit. Winners will be named later in the week.


Manheim Central already won first place for its landscaping exhibit, said ag teacher Deb Seibert.


She and Frey said the message to get across to young people today is that agriculture is high-tech and global. Cotton grown in America goes into the T-shirts made in Taiwan, for example, Seibert said.


Manheim Central and Garden Spot high schools both teach a course called Introduction to Agri-Business.


The college-level course was developed by Allen M. Wenger of Elizabethtown. Wenger, 60, teaches at the Lancaster Campus of Harrisburg Area Community College.


He first developed the program for college students two years ago.


This is the first year it’s being taught on the high school level, Wenger said. Next year, Penn Manor and Elizabethtown high schools will offer the course. With the college-level course, high school students can earn three transferable college credits.


At a Farm Show banquet Friday night, Gov. Rendell presented Wenger with the state Department of Agriculture’s Excellence in Education Award for the college program.


Wenger, formerly co-owner of Wenger Feeds, said he expects the agri-business program to grow as food processors, distributors and retailers are in need of a skilled, educated work force.


He said a number of businesses have contributed a total of $50,000 in scholarship money to HACC for agri-business students.


“What we’re also looking for are parents, guidance counselors and students to learn about our program,” he said.


“No matter how you cut it, agriculture will go nowhere unless we educate our youth.”

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Contact Judy Strausbaugh at jstrausbaugh@lnpnews.com.