Coping with Cuts
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — With the 61st Annual Butler Farm Show only days away, organizers are finding ways to cope with a lack of state funding now and in the future.
"We're cutting back on some things we would have liked to have done, such as repairs and maintenance," said Ken Metrick, who sits on the farm show's board of directors and oversees vendors and exhibitors. "We're kind of fortunate to have off-season income, such as renting the building."
Potential solutions to Pennsylvania's projected $3.2 billion budget deficit include heavy cuts to state agriculture venues, such as the Farm Show.
Those cuts include the exclusion of $29,000 for premiums paid to exhibitors at the show. The money is used for the cash and awards offered to prize-winning exhibitors.
"We're now taking care of that ourselves. We're just going to have to push a pretty sharp pencil and be good managers," Metrick said.
Metrick compared the plight of Pennsylvania's 115 farm fairs to the dairy industry, which he said is coping with 2009 input costs and 1970 consumer milk prices.
The Butler Farm Show, however, has alternative sources of income which other shows may lack.
The USDA rents a building on the Route 68 property, and that building also is rented for boat and vehicle storage during the winter. In addition, the farm show grounds are rented to various groups for shows during the summer and the operator of a cell phone tower on the property pays a monthly fee.
As for the farm show, ticket sales at the gate usually cover the cost of the event and can contribute to other "hidden costs," such as liability insurance, during a good year, Metrick said.
"The farm show is very community supported, as agriculture is a big part of Butler County. Also, payroll is very minimal. We couldn't have a fair without our volunteers," he said.
The farm show pays a skeleton crew of administrative staff, advertising representatives and a maintenance man, while the 17-member board of directors, three advisers and hundreds of show volunteers go unpaid.
Metrick said that, even though the state budget is in limbo, there still is a chance the show could benefit from state funds in the form of matching grants, but it is too early to tell.
