Farm show wraps up; 500K attend
HARRISBURG — The 104th Pennsylvania Farm Show wrapped up Saturday after hosting more than 500,000 visitors over eight days.
Holly Long of New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, won the first-ever Master Showmanship Competition for breeding livestock. Holly took home the title of Grand Champion Showman and the use of a stock trailer for one year.Reserve Champion for this year's competition was Kaitlyn Flaherty of Bernville, Berks County.Among participants for the Master Showmanship class include Jillian Ranko of Butler, Grand Champion Showman in Alpacas.The new contest was an opportunity for youth to demonstrate their knowledge of the animal they were showing, as well as their poise and presentation skills.The contest was open to Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Showmen from the divisions of dairy cattle, breeding cattle, dairy goats, meat goats, alpacas and poultry. An individual may only qualify with one species each year.Each competitor shows an animal from each species included. Contestants are not allowed to show their own animals.
Rachel Oliver of Beach Lake, Wayne County, won Supreme Ram with her Hampshire and Callie Taylor of Timblin, Armstrong County, won Supreme Ewe with her Shropshire.Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion competitors for each breed included Rylee Colterahn of Reinholds, Butler County, Reserve Grand Champion Ewe, Suffolk.The Pennsylvania sheep industry currently ranks fourth in the country for the number of sheep producers. There are approximately 3,590 sheep operations, valuing state's sheep and lambs at $19,872,000.Pennsylvania also ranks 14th for the number of sheep and lambs produced by a state, with approximately 96,000 per year.The number of sheep and lambs in the state has increased by 3,000 head from 2017 to 2018. Growth can be partially attributed to dairy farmers adding sheep to their operations to diversify their revenue streams.
The farm show is an opportunity for children and adults to interact with growers, producers and animals, and raise awareness for the vast array of opportunities within Pennsylvania agriculture.Agriculture has a $135.7 billion annual impact on Pennsylvania's economy and supports more than 580,000 jobs in the state.But there is a projected need for more agricultural workers. By 2027, the commonwealth estimates 75,000 new and replacement job openings in the agriculture industry.In addition to traditional farming, these job titles will need workers: soil and water conservationists, veterinarians, butchers and small and large batch bakers. Also needed are farm equipment mechanics, truck drivers, lumber industry workers, agricultural scientists and a host of other jobs, officials said.The farm show theme, “Imagine the Opportunities,” invited the public to reflect on how they already interact with agriculture — the source of every meal — and consider whether they or their children would thrive in an agriculture career.A broad range of exhibits offered hands-on opportunities for all ages to try out tools and equipment, and learn from experts how much they would need to invest, what education they might need, and what methods would suit their budget and resources to try a new venture or be profitable and sustainable at any scale.While the farm show is for all ages, many events fostered youth interest in agriculture.“These activities teach useful skills that inspire careers. It is important to expose children to agriculture early,” said state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “For those wishing to pursue an agriculture career, there is no better place than the farm show. For those not sure what career to pursue, consider agriculture and 'Imagine the Opportunities.'”During the farm show, the Department of Agriculture announced several grants, including $500,000 in PA Farm Bill Ag and Youth Grants, funding more than 50 projects to improve access to agriculture career paths.
The 2020 farm show featured numerous ways for youth to interact with agriculture, including 4-H members spinning sheep's wool and rabbit angora into yarn and weaving textiles; youth participating in exciting rodeos; and competitive cooking.At Monday's FFA Mid-Winter Convention, held annually at the farm show, more than 5,000 FFA members and guests celebrated agricultural education. The convention recognized the academic, leadership and field-based experiences of 405 Keystone Degree recipients, the highest honor earned at the state level.In addition, the Pennsylvania FFA Alumni Association awarded 420 first-year members their own official FFA jacket after completing a competitive application process.At Tuesday's annual junior livestock sale, more than 400 market animals — hogs, steers, lambs, rabbits, lambs and goats — that were raised and shown by youth, were auctioned off.A percentage of auction earnings goes to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Scholarship Foundation which uses the money, along with donations, to provide scholarships for agriculture students.In total, 24 college students received $84,000 in scholarships Tuesday through the foundation. Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Delaware Valley University awarded an additional $2,000 to their students for receiving the award.
