A Berks County farm with more than five decades of agricultural history served as the backdrop Wednesday for the unveiling of the 2027 Pennsylvania Farm Show theme.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced “Leading A Legacy” during an event at Winterside Farm in Lenhartsville, where Roger and Nancy Bowman have raised sheep and other livestock for 53 years.
The Bowman family has competed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show for 38 years, with three generations participating in livestock competitions, judging, volunteer activities and agricultural education.
Roger Bowman said he and his wife purchased the 20-acre northern Berks County farm in the early 1970s after it had gone unused for years. The property required extensive work, including repairs to the house and barn and clearing land for pasture.
Today, the farm includes about 125 laying hens and between 60 and 100 sheep, depending on the season. The family also produces hay and earns farm income through eggs, market lambs, breeding stock and wool.
“There’s no better place to raise a family than in agriculture,” Bowman said during the event. “We feel very fortunate that both of our children, their spouses, and our seven grandchildren, all of them, are involved in agriculture in some capacity in their daily lives.”
The family’s involvement has extended beyond its own farm. Bowman said he and his family have held leadership and volunteer roles with the Berks County Sheep and Wool Growers, Berks County 4-H, the Kutztown Fair, other regional fairs and the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
For the past 38 years, members of all three generations of the family have participated in the Farm Show in some capacity, including showing animals, judging potatoes and wool, volunteering on livestock committees and helping Roger and Nancy continue exhibiting.
Redding said the Bowman family represented the idea behind the 2027 theme, particularly because Roger and Nancy were first-generation farmers who built the farm themselves and then involved their children and grandchildren.
“They didn’t simply ask to preserve what they have built,” Redding said. “They’ve given the family an opportunity to build on it. And that’s leadership.”
Redding said “Leading A Legacy” reflects both the agricultural traditions passed from one generation to another and the responsibility to continue building on them.
“A legacy isn’t simply something that you hand down. It’s something that we have a responsibility to shape,” he said. “And leadership isn’t simply about being the person in the front. It’s about seeing something that doesn’t exist yet and having the courage to build it.”
The Bowman family’s third generation was represented during the announcement by Evangeline “Eve” McGargle, one of Roger and Nancy’s seven grandchildren.
McGargle said some of her earliest memories involve stepping into the show ring at the Farm Show and learning from her grandparents. She said her family has treated its animals not only as competition entries, but also as a way to educate visitors about agriculture.
“If we’re scrambling to get ready for the show or in a hurry to leave after a long day, we’re reminded to always take a moment, pause, and allow an interested passerby to stop and ask a question or pet our sheep,” McGargle said. “Because you never know if that is their only opportunity at a firsthand interaction with agriculture.”
Winterside Farm has also found competitive success at recent Farm Shows. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the farm recorded 50 entries, 31 top-three finishes and eight first-place finishes over the past three shows. Its 2026 honors included Best Fleece, Reserve Champion Ewe, first place for an Ewe Yearling Pair and a Good Housekeeping Award.
McGargle also received a Farm Show Foundation Scholarship at the 2026 Farm Show to support her studies at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
The 2027 Pennsylvania Farm Show will run Jan. 9 through Jan. 16 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.
Organizers said the show will again include longstanding attractions such as the 1,000-pound butter sculpture, Farm Show Food Court, agricultural competitions, cooking demonstrations and educational exhibits.
Several new or expanded features are also planned for 2027, including Extreme Bulls on opening day, a redesigned milking parlor focused on showing visitors the journey of milk from cow to consumer, agricultural literacy programs for children, peewee showmanship and sheep obstacle-course competitions.
New food offerings announced Wednesday include Lion’s Mane coffee, honey ice cream, vegetable dumpling stir-fry, fry pies and a savory sundae featuring Dutch noodles, gravy and beef topped with a cherry tomato.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show draws about half a million visitors each year and showcases an agriculture industry that state officials say supports about 600,000 jobs and generates $132.5 billion annually in Pennsylvania.
