The 36th annual Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Martin Farm, 115 Clearfield Road, Shippensburg, Pa. 17257.
The free event is a project of the Franklin County (Pa.) Farm Bureau, which opens a working dairy farm to the public each year to promote education and understanding of agriculture.
Parking and admission are free. Free milk and ice cream will be served. Lunch is available for purchase from a stand operated by the FFA.
Randell and Helen Martin own and operate the host farm while raising their five young children. After growing up on dairy farms, Randell and Helen have continued working in the industry and in 2023 purchased the 250-acre farm just south of Shippensburg along U.S. Route 11. The Martins currently milk 300 cows three times each day. It is one of 300 dairy farms in Franklin County.
The Martins place importance on cow management and care in the operation of the farm, along with taking care of the land and growing high quality feed for the animals to produce nutritious milk and dairy products for consumers. They hope that sharing their farm during this event will help provide an opportunity for the public to see what farmers do to provide food for consumers.
The event will feature family fun and agriculture education. Visitors will be able to take a farm wagon tour and milk a cow by hand, as well as find out about other segments of Franklin County agriculture.
Franklin is among the leading counties for agriculture output in Pennsylvania, that includes being the number two county for dairy production. Agricultural products eclipse $655 million in market value each year in Franklin County. Multiplying farm gate receipts makes agriculture a $1 billion industry in Franklin County, providing jobs, nutritious food and stability for local business.
“The Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest allows farmers the opportunity to showcase the commodities they produce,” said Sarah Meyers, co-chair of the bureau’s Agriculture Education and Promotion Committee.
“The event also serves to educate those who enjoy those products about where their food comes from and the processes needed to get it from farm to fork.”
The Martins are pleased to open their dairy farm and explain how they exercise a passion for the work they do each day and the joy that brings to the family. Randell and Helen look forward to sharing a piece of this joy of how agriculture and dairy benefit their community and the world on a daily basis.
“We’d like to educate people on where their food comes from,” says Helen. “And to let them know that the cows are well taken care of.”
For more information, visit the Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest on Facebook.
