HARRISBURG (TNS) — Pennsylvanians may not know the Farm Show is an international event, but the Consul General of Great Britain in New York took time out of her busy schedule to spend two days here. And that’s saying something.
Melanie Hopkins got a first-hand look at Pennsylvania’s unique culture, petting goats, sampling our world-famous milk shakes, potato donuts, and marveling at the sheer artistry of our pride and joy — the butter sculpture, declaring it nothing short of “dramatic.”
But her biggest thrill came in serving as a judge of the “The Best Tater Creation Kids Showdown.” The consul general took her job seriously judging the father-daughter competition that called for contestants to take ingredients from a mystery basket and create a winning dish. In the mystery bag were potatoes, Utz potato chips, honey, and yogurt — all from Pennsylvania.
Briana and her father Bryan Sanders took the top prize by combining the ingredients into a breakfast bowl. Turns out Briana had an ace in the hole. Papa is a Harrisburg chef.
All fun aside, there’s a serious business reason why Consul General Hopkins and representatives of countries from around the world made a beeline to Harrisburg for this year’s farm show. Andrew Mitchell, the UK consulate’s press secretary, noted representatives of 28 countries turned up at the Farm Show to see and be seen. They came not only from Europe, but from Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
And there’s a good reason why: business.
Agriculture is big business in the world economy, and Pennsylvania is a major exporter of agricultural products and services. Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector is using cutting edge technology, including artificial intelligence and robots that could help farmers around the world. And it’s a fun way to learn not only about the food and culture of Pennsylvania but about advances in agricultural science that can fuel international trade.
Trade between the United Kingdom and the United States now totals more than $250 billion a year, according to Hopkins’s statistics, and a good bit of that comes from Pennsylvania.
The UK is among the top five markets for four of Pennsylvania’s largest exports, and we all know what the first one is: chocolate and cocoa products. Only Canada and Mexico import more Pennsylvania chocolate and cocoa products than Great Britain.
Pennsylvania businesses also export tons of bakery goods, cereals, and pasta; as well as non-alcoholic beverages and essential oils to the UK, representing millions of dollars in trade and investment.
Overall, business ties between the UK and Pennsylvania fund more than 55,000 jobs in the commonwealth and are vital to our economy. Despite the close cultural and business ties, some changes are on the horizon that will impact the ability of Pennsylvanians to hop a plane to London or for Brits to come to our Farm Show.
Americans now need what’s called an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter the UK. Brits entering the United States have needed an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) since 2022.
Britain’s ETA rules took effect Jan. 8 of this year, just as Hopkins was enjoying the Farm Show. ETA is not meant to be punitive or to create obstacles to travel, but to increase safety, she said.
The hope is that none of this will impact the growing number of international visitors to the Farm Show nor stifle the booming business ties between Pennsylvania and the UK that benefit both.
(Joyce M. Davis is PennLive’s outreach and opinion editor.)
