Members of the Tyrone Area FFA Chapter participated in the annual Tyrone Rotary Club’s Farm City Day on Saturday, September 14.

Tyrone students sponsored two tents containing various activities for visitors.

“Through interactive public events such as this, we are helping others to gain an understanding of where their food comes from and the important role agriculture plays within Pennsylvania and our daily lives,” said Tyrone Area FFA Advisor Tiffany Hoy.

One of the most popular attractions in the tents were the animals. Visitors saw and could pet sheep, goats, rabbits, and a chicken that were owned and brought to the event by local FFA and 4-H members.

The Blair County Dairy Princess, Vanika Rice, and Blair County Alternate Dairy Princess, Dana Heltzel, joined the members for the day as they advocated for the dairy industry. They asked trivia questions to the tent visitors who were then able to pick a prize after answering the question.

There was also a milking cow, built by the FFA Chapter, which caught the attention of many children.

Another attraction for visitors was the virtual reality units provided for the day by Capri Stiles-Mikesell of the Penn State Extension. The units allowed visitors to view and collect information about the Spotted Lanternfly, an insect ravaging trees and crops in Western Pennsylvania. Penn State Extension, with the help of others, is attempting to get rid of the Spotted Lanternfly due to its drastic impact in Pennsylvania agriculture. These units teach the public about the Spotted Lanternfly and give them a chance to see the insects so they can easily identify it.

The goal of the chapter during Farm City Day is to engage the public in agriculture by showing the relationship with science, technology, engineering and math.