Mercer tour includes farms, rodeo

Staff report

MERCER, PA.

The 30th annual Mercer County Country Tour, which showcases the county’s agricultural and rural life, will be Saturday and Sept. 21.

This year’s drive-yourself tour will feature five stops in an area south of Greenville. Each will be open between 1 and 6 p.m.

Participants in the free tour can make the stops in any order and stay for as little or as long as they like at each stop.

A self-guiding tour map with descriptions and driving directions may be obtained at many area agriculture businesses, libraries and at the Mercer County Cooperative Extension office, Pa. Route 19, north of Mercer. For details, go to mercercountyagdevelopment.com.

Here are the stops:

Earthquake Pumpkin Farm, 19 Blahut Road, Greenville: Owner Bob Scott added pumpkins to the crop mix and has found that they work well with his other crops of corn and soybeans.

Hunting Valley Farm, 141 Glory Road, Greenville: This farm began as a dairy operation and moved to elk and fallow deer. The 75-acre farm is easy to spot as you travel along Fredonia Road with its high fencing that keeps the deer at home. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the deer in their favorite habitat of open range and wooded areas.

Stony Point Grange, 141 Glory Road, Greenville: The grange is extending its monthly ice-cream social over the weekend to provide the food stop for the tour. Refreshments will be available at the grange throughout the tour. The Mercer County Dairy Promotion Committee will have a display at the grange.

Powell’s Grain Farms, 63 Eich Road, Greenville: The farm will provide an opportunity to learn about the modern technology and methods used by farmers today. Get up close and personal with the big equipment and learn about the science behind the production of corn and soybeans.

Center Cross W Livestock & Arena, 69 McCartney Road, Fredonia: Visitors can watch members of the Penn-Ohio Youth Rodeo Association demonstrate their skills.

Visitors also can learn about raising animals for rodeo performances and the training that the riders undergo.