With more than a thousand people participating from Penn State, the university left its paw print on the 93rd Pennsylvania Farm Show last week at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.

Penn State had several exhibits arranged for the show to "improve [agricultural] literacy," said Mary Seaton, assistant director of college relations at Penn State.

One of the reasons Penn State is involved in the show is for students to learn about research going on in the agriculture community, said Deborah Topper, research technician in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"It helps Penn State reach out to the public," Seaton said.

One exhibit detailed biodiesel, showing the advantages of biodiesel and how it "has less environmental impact" than petroleum, said Patrick Topper, agricultural research technologist in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Topper said biodiesel comes from "a crop that's grown to produce an oil that can fuel a diesel engine." The oil is located inside seeds and does not emit smoke when it is burned, he added.

"We're trying to show people the different kind of crops that can be used to make biodiesel," he said.

Penn State's Agricultural Safety and Health program organized an exhibit about unsafe farm equipment. The signs on the equipment asked visitors to identify their hazardous qualities.

"We do this to encourage parents to talk about mowing safety with their children," said Dennis Murphy, professor of agricultural safety and health.

Another exhibit focused on the lives of amphibians, said Sarah Miller, senior research assistant for the Cooperative Wetlands Center in Penn State's department of geography.

The purpose of the exhibit was teaching kids about different species of frogs, Miller said.

Along with the exhibits, attendees could see Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Nicole Wasson experiencing part of a farmer's daily routine.

"It's a lot of fun," Wasson said. "I got to participate in the cow milking contest, and there's a lot of neat things to see here."

Among the various sights of the farm show was a 900-pound butter sculpture. This piece of art crafted completely out of butter depicted a National Guard soldier and a family standing in front of a cow.

The farm show also featured live animals such as cows, horses, rabbits, roosters, ducks and turkeys.

"There is a lot of variety for people of all ages," said attendee Trish Springman of Montoursville.