Agriculture is still Pennsylvania’s largest and most vital industry. This website will introduce you to Agrarian Country - a new project that may become Pennsylvania’s premier agricultural educational center and tourist attraction.

Many people are familiar with the 1872 historic Star Barn located on Interstate-283 between Harrisburg and Lancaster. Agrarian Country purchased The Star Barn in December, 2007, and our first major project is to relocate it to its new site in northern Lebanon County, restore it to its original condition, and establish an Agricultural Education and Exhibition Center. However, Agrarian Country’s larger goal is to bring together agricultural people and groups, including commodity associations, higher education institutions, local schools, legislators, state agencies, and the general community of farm producers and businesses - all for the purpose of promoting Pennsylvania agriculture.

Visualize this! Located on an approximately 1,000-acre main campus are more than 40 fully-functioning model agricultural enterprises, each facility developed and overseen by its own industry’s management council, each commodity with its own museum and hall of fame, meeting rooms, offices, and other tourist attractions. Now add a comprehensive educational program for each industry, serving farmers and general consumers. The final image is an interactive tourist attraction that includes farm vacations, festivals, cultural events, conferences, shows, and other community events. Agrarian Country’s structures will be historically significant, promoting preservation and our rural way of life.

Once in operation, Agrarian Country will have created a magnificent showcase for Pennsylvania agriculture, its history, its culture, its way of life, and its future. Click here to see the Agrarian Country Concept Site Plan.

Have you ever chased chickens or milked a cow? Did you ever rub your cheek on a shawl made from alpaca fleece or plowed a field powered by a Belgian horse? Have you ever watched a young sow feed eight newborn piglets?

Have you ever planted a garden or harvested fruit? Did you ever wonder how maple syrup or cheese is made? Have you ever watched bison feed in a pasture and marveled at their magnificence?

Have you ever wondered how catfish, trout, or tilapia are raised? Did you ever ride on a farm tractor or watch a ewe give birth to a lamb? Have you ever ridden a gentle Quarter Horse through wood-lined and open trails?