I&—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Jan 24. 1976
Lancaster Young’s nutritionist
given 10-year service award
ROARING SPRING - Earl
Umble of Ijincastcr recently
received an award marking
his ten years of full-time
service as a “Man from
Young's ” in Lancaster
County The attractive gold
lapel pin was presented to
Umble at the 1976 Penn-
First 4-H beef exhibitor
presents 50th banner
By DIETER KRIEG
HARRISBURG When
this year’s grand champion
4-H steer was chosen at the
Farm Show, the much
sought after purple and gold
banner was presented to the
winner (James Greider of
Columbia R 2) by the man
who exhibited the very first
grand champion 4-H steer at
the Farm Show 50 years ago.
He is Francis Murren, now
67 years old, of Hanover R 4.
The Adams Countian was a
member of the first beef club
east of the Mississippi River
and served as a leader within
that organization for more
than 20 years after he
himself became ineligible
for competition. In
On best dressed list
York County 4-H members Rd., Dover; captured
produced the top entries in Reserve Champion Honors
the 4-H Dressed Capon class while her sister, Joyce, had
at the 60th Farm Show. Roy the 3rd place capon.
Thompson of R. 1, East Other placmgs were; sth -
Berlin, who last year Kerry Zinn, Davidsburg
produced the Reserve Rod, Dover; 6th - Pearl
Champion, exhibited the Kneller, Rl, Brodbecks; 7th -
Grand Champion bird at this Wanda Kneller, Rl, Brod
year’s show. Emily becks, and Bth - Lisa Hoover,
Livingston, Davidsburg, Rl, Mt. Wolf.
CALL US FOR INFORMATION ON YOUR REI
sylvania Farm Show,
Umble represents Young's
Inc., a marketer of high
quality mineral-vitamin
supplements for livestock. In
the field he serves as a ration
programmer and feeding
consultant offering his
services and Young's
remembering the show of
half a century ago, Murren
noted that all of the entries
were Hereford steers from
Adams County. No other
county had a beef club and
the number of breeds was
rather limited too.
Organized by Adams County
Agent, Russ Underwood,
members of the beef club
chose and exhibited animal*
which best met the criteria
set by Penn State’s College
of Agriculture. That’s still
the way it’s done, basically,
but the traits looked for have
changed drastically.
The steers of today are
much longer, leaner and
rangier, says Murren. “Back
in ’26 you couldn’t get a steer
lUIREMENTS
products to the dairy, beef
and swine industry.
Umble has had extensive
experience in the dairy in
dustry having been a well
known registered Holstein
breeder for many years
prior to his joining Young’s
in 1965.
too fat, Penn State taught,”
he remembered. The win
ning steer he showed was a
blocky and fat 1,066-pound
Hereford. “I believe the
steers we have today will
gain faster,” he said, adding
that he still farms 85 acres
and maintains a beef herd
consisting of Angus,
Herefords, and crossbreds.
This year’s show had 140
entries making the
competition and judging
anything but easy while
the 1926 version had 49
contestants. Not only has the
size of the show grown, the
prizes paid have risen
considerably too.
Murren sold his grand
champion for 25 cents a
pound, for a total of $266.50.
By comparison, Greider sold
his champion for $6.40 per
pound for a whopping total of
$8,256. Commenting on the
prices being paid for
champion animals today,
Murren says the spread
today is too much. He notes
that there was only a dif
ference of 12 cents between
Russell F. Brown, president of the Earl Umble, right, representative
Roaring Spring based company which from Young’s Inc. for parts of the
manufactures nutritional sup- Garden Spot area, recently received
plements for livestock. his Ten Year Service Award from
his high of 25 cents and the
average price paid per
pound for all of the other
steers in the show.
Nowadays the champions
bring close to six dollars
more per pound than
animals which didn’t place
at or near the top. The same
holds true for swine and
lamb sales. In fact the
spread in prices is even more
pronounced at those sales.
This year, for example, the
grand champion market hog
was sold for a record
smashing $lO per pound. The
reserve grand champion
brought $2.70 per pound, with
lower placing animals going
for close to open market
prices.
Murren’s point in this is
that, generally speaking,
and allowing for an ex
ception or two, all of the kids
in the contest have worked
equally hard and their ef
forts should be rewarded
more evenly.