818-Lancaster Farming, Saturday November 24,1984
York Co. teen
BY JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
RED LION An essay written
over two years ago has changed
the life of York County 4-H’er
Melissa Trostle.
And the Dallastown High School
senior, who not long ago knew
almost nothing of the sheep in
dustry, is now the national
Southdown queen.
Active in the work of the horse
clubs, Melissa learned one day that
the county’s sheep and wool
producers group was offering a
top-bred project lamb to a
deserving youth. Contestants were
to write a paper on why they would
be interested in becoming a
shepherd and what they planned to
do with the animal if chosen to
receive, the ewe-chain award.
Although she had never owned a
sheep, much less shown one,
Melissa put her thoughts on paper
and sent it to the contest. A few
weeks later, the Ronald and
Yvonne Trostle family of Red Lion
R 2, hauled home its first wooly
houseguest.
“Buzz” soon lived up to her
name, becoming as tame as a pet
puppy, as she buzzed in and out of
the house.
“Sheep are supposed to grow
better in pairs, we were told,”
Melissa relates. “So I bought a
market lamb and started it as
another 4-H project. It helped Buzz
understand that she was a sheep
and not a housepet.”
Melissa soon realized that sheep
“fit” the limited barn and grazing
space available on the family’s
small farm, and the compact
Southdown’s were of a size easily
handled by a petite exhibitor like
herself.
By the time the York Fair had
ended that fall, with Melissa and
Buzz claiming the breed cham
pionship ribbons, she was sold on
sheep. A bred ewe, purchased at
the Keystone sale, increased the
flock with a ram and ewe lamb
delivery. Others have swelled the
ranks by birth and by purchase,
with Melissa’s flock now num
bering nine ewes, two rams and
one ewe lamb.
Six Hampshires also graze
nearby, the initial members of this
second breed added when Matt, the
youngest Trostle, spied them at a
dispersal and pleaded for a “sheep
with a blackface.”
Last November, the Mid-
Atlantic Southdown Breeders
Association crowned Melissa their
queen at banquet ceremonies held
in conjunction with the Keystone
International at Harrisburg. As
first lady of the area, she
represents members from Penn
sylvania, Maryland, New York,
New Jersey and Delaware.
A second crown followed, when,
Melissa Trostle, national Southdown queen
is national Southdown queen
A proui
parents Ronald and Yvonne, Melissa, Matt, and even Tramp
who chose to join the portrait. Big brother Steve was absent,
due to studies at Delaware Valley College.
in January, the York County sheep breeders were pleased with the job
and wool producers chose this Melissa had done representing
poised and pretty young lady as them and asked her to remain for a
their own county commodity second year as their queen. After
queen. handing out ribbons at the KILE
At many appearances, she was
able to combine these two roles,
representing the general sheep
industry, along with Southdown
breed. With her to these events go
two tabletop displays offering
promotional and educational
material on the two areas that she
represents.
Every time she attends an event
as a representative of the sheep
industry, Melissa wears wool
garments. Curiosity by observers
as to why she is dressed in wool,
even in mid-summer, gives
Melissa a chance to promote the
unique insulating, quality of the
natural fiber.
Among her official appearances,
which often include handling out
ribbons and congratulations in
show rings, were the KILE show,
Farm Show, Keystone show and
sale in July at Carlisle, the Sussex
County, New Jersey show,
Maryland State Fair, Gaither
sburg, Maryland, York Fair and,
most recently, the York County
Farm-City dinner.
Mid-Atlantic Southdown
’
* V
ly poses with their new national queen:
rostl
'ami
...
show earlier this month, she
packed her bags for the trip to
national competition in Louisville,
Ky.
Site of the Southdown queen
contest was the North American
International Livestock Ex
position. Southdown breeders
Maude and Mike Carpenter, of
Jefferson, Md., invited Melissa to
travel to the NAILE with them.
During her stay, they and other
Southdown breeders at the show
lent her their enthusiastic support
and took special pains to ensure
that she had transportation and a
chaperone for all events.
Competition began on Saturday
evening, Nov. 10, with Melissa and
contestants from Illinois, Oregon
and Tennessee presenting
prepared five-minute speeches on
a sheep-related subject. “South
downs and Youth, a great com
bination” was Melissa’s presen
tation title, and it enabled her to
promote the idea of the ewe chain
methods of involving youth.
Personal interviews with two
(Turn to Pageß2o)
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