Mushrooms featured at the PA Farm Show & Inaugural Ball.

Mushrooms along with other agricultural products were featured in recipes, cooking demonstrations and commodity competitions at the January Pennsylvania Farm Show and Inaugural Ball.

The Community Awareness Committee (CAC) was a significant sponsor of the eight-day Farm Show held in Harrisburg, PA. About 30 Pennsylvania mushroom growers attended the opening dinner and participated in various programs. The show is the largest indoor agricultural event in the nation, featuring 6,000 animals, 8,000 exhibits, hundreds of shows and events and more than 400,000 visitors.

To-Jo Mushrooms Inc., Avondale, PA received top honors in the mushroom competition at the show. This is the second consecutive year for To-Jo Mushrooms to exhibit the best overall mushroom at the Farm Show.

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Workforce Development Forum

Agricultural producers and seasonal and migrant employees attended the Workforce Development Forum, hosted by PA Governor Edward G. Rendell's Seasonal Farm Labor Advisory Board at the PA Farm Show. AMI members Chris Alonzo and Gene Richard are members of the advisory board.

"Agriculture is the number one industry in Pennsylvania and many of our producers, particularly those in the mushroom, fruit and dairy industries, rely on migrant and seasonal workers to harvest their crops and products," said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. "This forum will aid in opening the lines of communication between producers and their employees, which can lead to improved efficiency and profitability."

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Recruitment, Retention and Promotion was the theme of the forum, offering information to help workers transition into the local culture and into the businesses where they work. The agenda included a panel discussion called Success, Challenges and Needs of Seasonal and Migrant Farm Labor, facilitated by PA Secretary of State Pedro Cortes. Alonzo and Richard were presenters along with Attorney John Winicov who works with the Community Awareness Committee and provides legal aid for employees at local farms.

The keynote speaker was former U.S. Undersecretary of Education Beto Gonzales. He shared his story of growing up in a migrant family of farm workers and his desire to further his education and later become a teacher.

Sponsors included Pennsylvania's mushroom growers, the PA Landscape and Nursery Association and the Fruit Industry Task Force.

Celebrity Chefs Participate in PA Preferred Cooking Demonstrations and Competitions

Popular chefs from the Food Network and Pennsylvania restaurants entertained visitors at the Farm Show with cooking demonstrations and competitions. Chris Cognac, The Food Network's "Hungry Detective" helped kick-off the event to highlight PA Preferred products at the Culinary Connection. PA Lieutenant Governor Catherine Backer Knoll joined the festivities. The winner of the "Best Chef" competition was Michael Adams, chef at The Farmhouse Restaurant in Emmaus, Lehigh County, PA.

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Rendell/Knoll Inaugural Ball Celebrates Cuisine from PA

Pennsylvania is well known for its regionally unique and diverse cuisine. From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania boasts crowd favorites including Heinz ketchup, Philly cheese steaks and delicious and nutritious Pennsylvania mushrooms. Governor Rendell's Inaugural festivities celebrated that diversity at the Inaugural Ball on January 16 by featuring samplings of famous foods from around the Commonwealth. Vendors and restaurants from across the state generously donated food and time to help make this celebration a truly Pennsylvania event. Basciani Foods, Inc., Kennett Square, PA, contributed mushrooms.

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