By FOX43 Newsroom

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPMT) -- The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced the cancellation of the annual butter sculpture at the Pennsylvania Farm Show for the virtual edition in 2021.

Originally scheduled as one of the features of the virtual 2021 Farm Show, the Department of Agriculture decided against the butter sculpture this year due to the rise in COVID-19 cases across the state.

The sculpture is expected to return in 2022.

You can read the full press release from the Department of Agriculture here:

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today announced the cancellation of the annual butter sculpture, scheduled to among virtual features in the 2021 Farm Show.

“Pennsylvania is experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases with higher daily case counts than we saw in the spring,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “While we are heartbroken to have to cancel popular features of our annual Farm Show, we simply cannot afford to compromise the health and safety of our staff, the sculptors who would have to travel to Harrisburg, and those involved in recording and broadcasting virtual events.

“The 2021 virtual show will go on. Our focus will continue to be providing educational, engaging, 100 percent virtual stories, pre-recorded video tours, and lively, issue-oriented conversations that invite Pennsylvanians, wherever they are, to encounter agriculture for the first time or to see it from a whole new perspective from the safety of their homes. We will continue to adjust plans for Farm Show and release further details as the pandemic unfolds.”

The annual butter sculpture, which highlights the goodness of dairy and the industry’s importance to Pennsylvania’s economy, is sponsored by the American Dairy Association North East, or ADANE.

“While we are disappointed that the butter sculpture at the Pennsylvania Farm Show is canceled, the safety of our neighbors and the community is of utmost concern of our dairy farmers,” explained ADANE CEO Rick Naczi. “Everyone will miss viewing the butter sculpture in 2021 because it is a creative way to highlight the state’s hardworking dairy farmers. However, we will explore other opportunities to highlight the importance of dairy to the state’s economy and the real enjoyment by consumers during the Virtual PA Farm Show. We will look beyond next year and forward to working with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to bring a butter sculpture to consumers in 2022.”