While many of you might not be familiar with the 2000s rock band “A Day to Remember,” their moniker was front of mind for me last week as I attended A Field Day to Remember in Elizabethtown, Pa. 

It was the 20th anniversary celebration of the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance (PANTA) hosted at Jim Hershey’s farm. And while I’ve attended at least two dozen field days over the last several years spent as an ag journalist, I can confidently say this was the best field day I’ve seen yet. 

The schedule was packed with great speakers and equipment demonstrations from 8am-5pm and the excitement and learning never faltered from beginning to end. 

Possibly the most valuable session of the day came when Lisa Blazure of the Stroud Water Research Center and Sjoerd Duiker, Penn State University no-till and cover crop researcher, conducted a soil pit and water infiltration demonstration. They were able to show how deep the roots on Jim Hershey’s farm are after 25+ years of cover crops and no-till and how there is proof in the soil that nightcrawler bugs are infiltrating deep into the lower layers of the soil. 

Blazure also spent time showing just how deep water was able to travel into the soil. The pit she and others dug for the demonstration was at least 4 feet deep and after mixing water with white paint and spraying the mixture onto the soil’s surface the day before digging the pit, attendees could see white specks and proof of the water’s infiltration all the way at the bottom of the pit. 

Another major highlight of the day was fifth generation farmer from Ontario, Canada, Blake Vince, as he delivered two separate talks on his Canadian no-till journey and how cows, crops and community are what keeps him going in the world of agriculture. 

Overall, the field day was a great reminder of my favorite part of my job as an ag journalist — getting out in the field and talking directly with the farmers who consume our content. This is what allows us as writers to know what topics are important to our farmer audience and to continue growing in our own education as ag journalists. 

From the content to the overall organized and educational nature of this field day, I can confidently say this is the best one I’ve attended, and I swear — that has NOTHING to do with the free milkshakes that were available.