Jennifer Flinchbaugh Dev
JOYCE BUPP
York Co. Correspondent
YORK (York Co.) As a six
year veteran sheep exhibitor, Jen
nifer Flinchbugh has developed a
philosophy about the size of a
show string.
“It is better to show a couple
good ones than a lot of poorer
ones.” figures this 12-year-old
shepherd.
Jen’s entries for the 1994 Farm
Show open a new show year, on
the basis of an extremely success
ful one for her at local, regional
and national sheep shows. It was a
year that spanned the excitement
of a reserve breed champion on
her first trip to the North Ameri
can International Livestock Ex
position in Kentucky and a heart
break when her favorite ewe died
an untimely death in a freak acci
dent.
At the age of 12, Jennifer
Flinchbaugh has amassed an im
pressive array of show ribbons,
plaques, plates, and awards
through the haif-dozen years she
has been parading lambs across
Ribbons, plaques and banners from the North American International Livestock
Exposition and the York Fair are among the numerous awards won through 1993 by
Jennifer Flinchbaugh with her Southdown, Hampshire and natural colored sheep
showstring.
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the tanbark. With her parents, Ed
and Lou Ann Keeny, Jennifer has
helped to truck, wash, trim, halter
break and show sheep from the
family’s Walnut Lane Farm, York
RB, since she was six.
Last year’s Farm Show compe
tition earned Jen the reserve
champion honors in the market
iamb lightweight division. A per
sonal goal of hers is to someday
exhibit the champion overall mar
ket lamb in the highly-competitive
show of some 200 entries, with
only a single entry allowed per ex
hibitor.
“It takes a very, very, very good
sheep to do that,” emphasizes this
goal-oriented exhibitor. Cross
breds, she adds, usually make bet
ter market class entries than pure
breds.
From her present flock of about
SO animals, she captured numer
ous champion and reserve awards
in both breeding and market lamb
classes at summer and fall shows
throughout the region. Jen wrap
ped up the show year in November
by snagging reserve champion
MWH.WWI MM
Southdown ewe honors at the not
ed Louisville international show,
taking fifth in the breed’s futurity
class and copping a third place
showmanship award from more
than 20 junior exhibitors of all
ages.
Wilma, her since-retired win
ning ewe. had earlier earned breed
and supreme honors during the
fall Eastern National show at Ti
monium, Maryland and junior
show breed honors at the Key
stone International Livestock Ex
position in Harrisburg. She also
exhibited the champion Hamp
shire ram at both shows and took
the champion natural colored ewe
honors at Eastern National and the
Maryland Slate Fair.
Early on, her parents encourag
ed Jen to work with various breeds
to decide which she liked the best.
She is now narrowing her breed
ing focus to concentrate primarily
on her favorites, the Southdowns.
“I like their calm tempera
ment,” Jen says of the gentleness
of her Southdowns, and adds jok
ingly, “and they can get fat on
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It's feeding time for Jennifer Flinchbaugh'e pigs. Four of
her Yorkshire breeding animals and one market pig are en
tered for Farm Show competition.
air.” That efficiency of feed con
version is especially important to
Jen, since she is responsible for
managing both the income and ex-
penses of her livestock enterpris-
In fact, Jen estimates that she
can grow out her Southdown
lambs on half the feed of the
somewhat larger Hampshires. She
does plan, however, to maintain a
group of about IS Hamps within
her flock for show and market ani-
mat purposes. chose Yorkshires partly be-
Three years ago. this shepherd cause that’s the breed my grandfa
dccidcd she would like to diversi- er ecause *^ e y ave
fy a bit and acquired a few 4-H good temperament and good mo
project show pigs. Bering abilities,” she explains of
“My grandpa and my dad had er selection process.
She will show the one-per-exhibitor allow
ed in Farm Show market and sale competition
as well as a few breeding class entries. During
a previous Farm Show sale, Jen found herself
in possession of (he hats of two potential buy
ers. She went into the sale ring wearing one—
with her pig wearing the other. The advertis
ing effort paid off, earning Jen a highcr-than
average, per-pound sale price.
A year ago, Jen took out a Youth Loan
through the Farmers Home Administration in
order to rework some of the farm’s facilities
for her livestock. She’s already repaid half the
loan, returning virtually all of her pig income
into paying off the debt Her goal is to be debt
free in another year.
Having to write checks from her own
checking account for loan payments has been
a learning experience for Jen, her mother Lou
Ann says. She recounts a recent observation
of Jen’s that it is much more fun to be a lender
than to be a borrower.
Jen is a seventh-grade student at Dallas
town Middle School, where she plays violin
in the school orchestra. A member of the
county’s 4-H lamp and pig clubs, she prac
tices with the livestock judging team and
hopes to qualify for the junior team when she
is old enough.
With an eye toward her future, Jen plans to
pursue a career as a large animal veterinarian.
Though college is several years away, she’s
already thinking about Kansas Slate, where
her uncle is on the university staff, or perhaps
remaining a bit closer to home at Penn State.
For now, caring for her growing number of
animals takes about 45 minutes each day,
longer on weekends when pens and bams gel
added cleanout time. Lambing time for the
family’s 45-head flock will soon get under
way; Jen helps at lambing whenever an extra
pair of hands is needed. Three bred nanny
goats, kept primarily as pets, and two riding
horses round out the barnyard population at
MIX
TCWHTWUM
UnoMftr Fuming, Frtdty, January 7,1914427
pigs in FFA,” explains Jen as one
of her reasons for getting into the
pig breeding and showing busi
ness. She now has about a dozen,
four of them market animals. Be
cause of her relatively small num
ber of breeding pigs, Jen and her
parents are contemplating use of
artificial insemination for her gilts
and sows in the future, as more
practical and safe than housing a
boar hog.