Vol. 39 No. 9 78TH PENNSYLVANIA STATE FARM SHOW JANUARY 8-13,1994 FARM SHOW COMPLEX, HARRISBURG, PA Features This Issue FFA Keystone Degree Profiles: Pace E-23 Jennifer Flinchbaugh Develops Show String: Page B-27 Facts And Special Attractions Listed: Page E-15 Exhibitors And Their Locations, Show Layout: Pages F-18 & F-19 Judging Schedule: Page F-17 Father, Son Bonding Happens At Old Oley Farm: Page B-IO'""" Butter Sculpture Salutes Foot ball: Page E-2 Father, Son To Show Ayrshires At i Farm Show Page A-32 , Berks Sheep Family Heads To ) Farm Show: Page A-36 jj Out Of School, Into The Show Ring: Page C-2 For Sniders, 35 Years Of The Farm Show; Page C-5 Editor’s Note: Our special Farm Show Issue this week brings you features, news articles, event schedules, the building layout, and messages from agribusinesses to make your visit to the show enjoyable and profitable. We hope you have the opportunity to attend. For your infor mation, this index of Farm Show stories and our regular weekly features continues on Page A-3. National Holstein Winter Forums Scheduled FREDERICK, MD—A national network of winter meetings coast lo-coast is set for all Holstein breeders. Known as the Holstein Winter Forum, the National Hols tein Association each year holds grass roots meetings to obtain opinions from breeders on all areas of interest to the dairy industry. “Now more than ever, the National Holstein Asociation is Peking input from the breeders on •he key issues facing the dairy _ I Enjoy Our Tribute To The 78th Pennsylvania Farm Show This Week 609 Per Copy industry'and the association,” said Marlin Hoff, director from Mary land. “Come to the meeting nearest you and add your voice to those of your neighbors at the breed meet ings. National directors from your region will carry your message to the association leadership,” Hoff said. Some of the topics for discus sion include the new classification options, finances, genetic issues, (Turn to Pag* A4O) Lancaster Fanning, Friday, January 7, 1994 Slat* Farm Show participation is in full swing for Amos and Patricia Good with sons, from laft, Justin, 18; Christopher, 10; Patrick, 14; and Jonathan, 7. Justin has been showing hogs for four years, but It will be the first time at state competition for Patrick, who Is autistic and a member of the 4-H swine club. Farm Show Provides Opportunity For Autistic Teen To Participate LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) New faces enter the Pennsylva nia Farm Show livestock competi tion every year. This year. Patrick Good will be one of those new faces when he shows his pigs in competition. Patrick is autistic. No two cases of autism are pre cisely alike. For Patrick, who is at a higher functioning level than many youngsters with autism, it means he is limited in his ability to under stand and speak. Patrick was bom 14 years ago, when little was known about autism. This rare condition affects approximately 1 out of every 2,000 children. It is four times more common in boys than in girls and is found throughout the world in diverse ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds. Patrick’s parents, Patricia and Amos, said that some form of men tal disability was suspected by the time Patrick was two years old, but it wasn’t until he was six that he was diagnosed as being autistic. The diagnosis is often difficult to make because a whole spectrum of symptoms is possible. For Pat rick, the diagnosis was made from an array of behaviors of which object fixation was one. For exam ple, when Patrick was two years old, he would spend hours watch ing the windmill at his grandpa rents’ home go round and round and he continues to spend hours twiddling with rubber bands. Unlike many autistic children who avoid physical contact with others and rarely make eye con laci, Patrick, from the beginning, was affectionate and often crawled into his dad’s lap and curled up to sleep. His large motor skills such as crawling and walking developed normally but language skills 1994 Farm Products Show Bigger, Better, Busier VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) The 1994 state Farm Show, Pennsylvania’s 78th expos ition and agricultural fair held at the Farm Show Complex in Harris burg, is set to open to the public 8 a.m. Saturday with the judging of draft horses, followed at 9:30 a.m. with the naming of the supreme champion swine. By that time, hundreds of exhi bitors will have had less sleep, and caught catnaps, sleeping on blank Six Sections seemed almost nonexistant for many years as Patrick depended on grunts and pointing to have his family understand him. His mother, a nurse, searched for ways to help Patrick who needed in-depth language stimula tion to help him speak. Therapists stressed the impor tance o’f the parents expecting Pat rick to verbalize his wants. When Patrick pointed to a glass and grunted, the parents repeated, “Water. Do you want a glass of water?” (Turn to Pago B 2) ets on hay bales near their show animals’ stalls. Others take up residence in motels and hotels. Some make a daily drive and get support from friends or hire extra help to do milkings and feedings. There is the washing area, with its water mist almost ever-present. Wheelbarrels of manure and hay being taken to a storage area. Crowds of people with candy cones, pretzels, baked potatoes. Young and old. (Turn to Pag* A2O) $19.75 Per Year