It’s never too early to get children interested in learning about things that could benefit them one day as adults.

One of the region’s annual events not only offered fun activities last weekend for area youths, but it also provided the possibility of engaging them in a field that could benefit their community and the state.

Saturday’s Butler County Farm Tour featured everything from corn mazes and hay rides to tasty apple cider and aquaponics.

But it also provided a window into the state’s top industry — which experts fear is failing to attract a new generation of workers.

“Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Pennsylvania,” said Ken Metrick, owner of Metrick’s Harvest View Farm & Market, one of three farms on this year’s tour. “We need to promote that to the people.”

During the tour, participants were provided with a display by beekeeper Terry Shanor, learned about fibers obtained by shearing alpacas at the West Park Alpacas farm and got a glimpse of the aquaponics operation at North Country Brewing’s canning facility.

This year’s farm tour not only highlighted traditional area farms, but in the case of North Country’s operation, it aimed to educate young people about new technology that could become more prevalent at county farms in the future. Aquaponics combines raising aquatic life with cultivating plants in water, resulting in the production of herbs and other edible greens for local restaurants.

Giving young people the opportunity to learn about and become interested in aquaponics and other growing agricultural programs is a great — and necessary — idea.

Agriculture makes up an estimated 18 percent of the state’s economy and employs more than 500,000 people.

However, a 2018 study found the state’s $135 billion agriculture industry is facing challenges replacing its aging workforce.

The study found the average age in the industry is 39 years, and that there has been a decrease in workers between the ages of 20 and 34 years from more than 50 percent in 2000 to less than 40 percent.

Therefore, a workforce deficit of nearly 75,000 people is expected over the next decade.

So, events like the Butler County Farm Tour — and an event hosted by the state’s Department of Agriculture late last year at Slippery Rock University to promote aquaponics — are important teaching tools.

Pennsylvania can’t afford a diminished workforce in its top industry, so getting children interested in agriculture at an early age is vital. More local events aiming to do so would be welcome.