2016 marks the 100th time Pennsylvania has celebrated agriculture and farmers with a multi-day exhibition in the state capitol of Harrisburg. Building on the number 100, this year Pennsylvania's Historic Preservation Office is partnering with the State's Department of Agriculture's Century Farm Program  to recognize farms that have been owned and operated by members of the same family for at least 100 years.

The Farm Show, as it now known, takes place in Harrisburg the second week in January and is one of Pennsylvania's valued traditions. It has its roots in 19th century agricultural fairs that were common across the state. In 1916, the then Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Charles Patton organized a new type of agricultural fair. In January 1917, the "Pennsylvania Corn, Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy Products, and Wool Show" was held in a farm machinery dealer's building in Harrisburg. The Show was a success, and became an annual event, evolving into what is now the Farm Show. In 1921, the Show presented its first livestock exhibits, for beef and dairy cattle, horses, sheep, and swine. The first livestock competitions and sales were held in 1922. The next year poultry exhibits were included, and the event expanded from three days to five. In the late 1920s a dedicated complex for the Farm Show was built in the State Capitol city of Harrisburg.