Saxonburg family wins Eagle Bowl at Butler Farm Show
CLINTON TWP — For Mike and Shana Sutej, the Butler Farm Show is a yearly chance to show off what they and their two children, 14-year-old Sabrina and 11-year-old Paul, can do with the seven-acre property on Glade Mill Road where they live.
And the Sutej family does a lot. The family raises pigs, sheep and chickens, and has been heavily involved in 4-H since Sabrina and Paul became old enough to participate. They've come a long way since then, and this year, the Sutej children helped their parents win the 2017 Eagle Bowl. It is the first time the family has won the honor, which recognizes the family that is most involved in the farm show.
Shana Sutej says her children have always exhibited an interest in agriculture and animal husbandry.
“I love watching them learn and try something new — especially outside of their comfort zone — and grow. It's a good thing,” she said.
Shana Sutej said the news that her family had won the 2017 Eagle Bowl shocked her. This is the first year the family has entered the contest, Sutej said, and she only did so after friends at the farm show urged her and said the contest wasn't only for full-time farmers.
“I always thought it was for people who had farms or had been in the farming industry for years, and people kind of redirected me and said 'no, it's for everybody',” she said.
At home and at the farm show, Mike Sutej said, farming and raising animals is something his family does together. He enjoys helping his children setting up animal pens and sales and show rings at the farm show, and this year served for the first time on the show's sales committee. The family made a dish featuring lamb for the farm show's sale night dinner this year.
“We do this as a family,” Mike said. “And this (the farm show) is our yearly vacation. We bring a camper up here and stay for a week and have a good family time out.”
This year, Sabrina won two first-place awards in the youth pictures category, she said, and she's focused her time in animal husbandry on lambs and hogs. But her favorite part of Farm Show week is the camaraderie.
“Some of them, you don't get to see at all until one week a year,” she said. “It's a lot of fun. You get to see all these different animals — and there's so much to do: rides, animals and food.”
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
