The showcase is an "agricultural billboard on wheels" traveling throughout Maryland in its inaugural year educating Marylanders about that state’s top agricultural products and the impact that agriculture has on the lives of every citizen everyday. It has been on the road since the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation rolled it out at the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Annapolis last April and is expected to be visited by 75,000 to 100,000 persons before it returns to its winter home in Havre de Grace.

The showcase features a variety of educational exhibits featuring information and interactive fun for both children and adults. Hands-on activities include a simulated cow milking experience, broiler chicken kids’ puzzle, fruit and vegetable riddles, mini-greenhouse, landscaping magnet board and more,. The exhibit on Maryland’s horse industry provides the opportunity to measure your height in "hands," which is the way that horses are measured. A changeable display featuring beef cattle, hogs and sheep provides visitors the opportunity to test their knowledge about these agricultural products.

What else can you learn from the Maryland Agriculture Showcase? Did you know that a dairy cow can produce 150 glasses of milk a day or that corn is used to make ethanol, an environmentally-friendly fuel that is made from a renewable resource? How about the fact that Maryland’s farmers are not just tillers of the soil, but are also mechanical engineers, businessmen, environmentalists and computer programmers? Did you know that agriculture is the largest industry in Maryland with $17 billion in cash sales in 2002? How about a visit to the Maryland Agriculture Showcase that ends with an Ag Fact fortune cookie along with the opportunity to have your photo taken with the Showcase’s Farm Animal Family Photo Board? Before you leave the showcase, you are reminded to thank a farmer.

This "agriculture on wheels" exhibit is heated, air-conditioned and has a friendly staff, trained to answer your questions about agriculture and how it affects your life in more ways than you can imagine. The showcase is visiting many county fairs, farm tours, community festivals, field days, the Maryland State Fair, and even the Maryland Million throughout the summer and fall.

Funding for the showcase is provided through sales of Maryland’s "Ag Tag" license plates, public and private grants and private donations to the foundation. Additional funding for this project has been provided by several industry partners including the Delmarva Poultry Industry, FORVM for Rural Maryland, Hargrove Inc., Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Farm Bureau, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland Nursery & Landscape Association and the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.

Founded in 1989, MAEF is a non-profit organization that promotes and enhances the understanding and appreciation of agriculture in the daily lives of Marylanders. Current foundation programs include Ag in the Classroom, mobile educational labs, Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Awards, mini-grants for agricultural projects and management of the Maryland FFA organization.