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Stephanie Singo
To Crown Successor
On June 25
GAY BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
SOMERSET (Somerset Co.)
For a young woman who seldom
rubs shoulders with idleness, bus
tling Somerset County dairy prin
cess, Stephanie Singo found her
niche doing dairy promotions, but
will surrender her crown and
her duties, to another industrious
promoter on dune 25.
It isn’t that the energetic
17-year old doesn’t have her
weary moments, mind you, but
she is simply endowed with an
innate drive to achieve worthwhile
purposes.
Stephanie says that among the
first of her lessons as dairy prin
cess was memorizing the local
highway network.
“I learned my way around
Somerset County real fast,” she
said.
Of course, her travels took her
to area stores and malls, to the
radio stations to record dairy
promotion spots which ultimately
revealed that she talks too fast and
really needs to slow it down.
“Talking on the radio taught me
to talk slower. Now my dad can
understand me on the radio,” she
said, grinning.
Too, there were farm and non
farm appearances and special
events, newspaper articles, and
school promotions, which she
says were so enjoyable because of
the spontaneity of the youngsters.
“I liked going to the school and
talking to the little kids because
they always figured out the cow
was a real person,” she says about
her bovine impersonating con
sort's identity being revealed.
Invariably, the responsibility of
being an official dairy spokesper
son for 12 successive months
changes a girl.
“I took on a lot of responsibili
ty,” says Stephanie. “It taught me
how to be flexible, independent
and to be a communicatoi.” She
developed skills in talking with
people she’d never met which
boosted her confidence.
Despite her non-farm back
ground, Stephanie’s experience in
the family feed business was a
helpful preparation for dealing
with a public generally unedu
cated about dairy farming and
dairy products. Chatting with the
farmers helped further.
“I knew about dairy when I
tried out (for the dairy princess
pageant), but I really learned more
about dairy when I got out and
talked to the farmers and heard
their views,” she said.
“High quality feed matters if a
farmer wants high quality milk,”
says Stephanie, “and a farmer has
to have good management or he
won’t get good milk production.”
“I think the public should be
more aware of the difference
between real dairy products and
the imitations,” she says, explain
ing they should read a product’s
label to know what is in it. If the
first ingredient listed isn’t milk or
skim milk, but rather oil or water,
Stephanie says to beware because
it’s an imitation.
Persons in a local PTA were
shocked, she says, when she
demonstrated how easy it is to
fake milk. Before them she com
bined water, a popular vegetable
shortening and oil, then shook it.
They were astonished when it
looked exactly like the milk she
had in a second jar.
Working at Slngo Feeds, a family operated business In
Somerset, helped Somerset County dairy princess, Ste
phanie Slngo learn technical information about feeding
dairy animals for top milk production. In turn, she passed
the formation to the less-educated general public.
Mother, Brenda Singo, was
equally surprised by the revela
tion. The powdered coffee cream
ers in the kitchen cupboards were
dismissed into the garbage and
replaced by a Half and Half dairy
product for her aromatic cup of
java.
Stephanie says her dairy prom
otion work has persuaded both
friends and family to use real dairy
products. Even little Andy, her
three-year-old nephew now
knows you look for that “Real
Seal” in the supermarket before
you buy it. And he says so imme
diately if it’s missing.
At the Rockwood Area High
School Stephanie is a cheerleader,
majorette, band, and chorus mem
ber and in the Friends program.
But membership in the Rockwood
FFA Chapter gets the lion’s share
of her time.
Just named the Somerset Coun
ty Outstanding FFA Student, Ste
phanie says she’s running for state
officer at the FFA state conven
tion this month at Penn State.
Public Speaking competitions
found her winning several times in
her county and at regionals. Twice
she was third at states.
Stephanie participated on the
demonstration team, in parliamen
tary procedure, wildlife, inter
view, envirothon, and supervised
agriculture experience.
Among the fond memories of
the year just passed is the
painfully-less fond one of a
cracked tailbone, which curbed
but didn’t curtail, the active lifes
tyle of this tough little go-getter,
the smallest girl on the cheering
squad.
A new gymnasium was con
structed at her high school, which
had a super slippery floor. During
a sports activity, Stephanie fell
and the damage occurred. Two
weeks later, she accompanied the
cheering squad to a competition
held at Busch Gardens. As the
most petite cheerleader, she was
necessary to cap some pyramid
formation they were all counting
on to look good m competition.
“I took along my heating pad,
my Ben-Gay and my ice pack.”
She laughs, then adds, “Three
weeks later, I fell again.” Her doc
tor was wondering if his patient
was forming a lasting habit
The summer of 1993 found Ste
phanie facing an unending whirl
of dairy promotions that pretty
well consumed her time. “I
thought, ‘dairy princess is my
life,’” she recalls, “I didn’t see any
of my friends.” Though difficult,
it was but a few weeks until they
were together again.
Stephanie says that when she
attends to college in the fall of
1995, she wants to devote all her
time to studies. Her reason for
delayed entry to the Delaware
Valley College in Doylestown, is
the hope of holding a state FFA
office during the next year.
Robert Singo, Jr., Stephanie’s
dad, took over Singo Feeds in
Somerset about five years ago.
The business was begun by his
father, Robert Sr., in 1955. The
Singo family including Stepha
nie’s brothers, Robert 111 and
Jamie all work in the business.
Here is one of Stephanie’s favo
rite dairy recipes:
Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder
8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch
pieces
2 cups cubed 1/2 inch new red
potatoes
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 1/4 cup milk
10 3/4 ounce can condensed
cream of chicken soup
8 ounce can whole kernel com,
drained
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
In 3-quart saucepan, cook
bacon over medium heat for five
minutes; add potatoes and onions.
Continue cooking, stirring occa
sionally, until potatoes are tender
(15-20 min). Add remaining
ingredients. Continue cooking,
stirring occasionally, until heated
through.
See your nearest
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and
Dependable Service!
PENNSYLVANIA
Annvllle. pa
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc.
ROl, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Partial#. PA
R&W Equipment Co. New Holland, pa
35 East-Willow Street A.B.C. Groff, Inc
717-243-2686 110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
in CH
F&S Supply Co. Olev. PA
nSS&S f BTO
215-987-6257
Elizabethtown. PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc. _ pitman. PA
Rt. 283 - Rheem s Exit _ . J —- .
717-367-1319 Schreffler Equipment
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Halifax. PA
Sweigard Bros.
mim" ouikee«Lß
Tamaoua. pa
Charles S. Snyder, Inc.
R.D. 3
Honev Grove. PA 717-386-5945
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA West Grove. PA
717-734-3682 S.G. Lewis & Son. Inc.
Loysville, PA R.D. 2, Box 66
717-789-3117 215-869-2214
MARYLAND
Frederick. MD
Ceresville
Ford New Holland, Inc.
Rt. 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MO,
800-331-9122
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton. NJ Washington. NJ
Leslie G. Fogg, Inc. Smith Tractor &
Canton & Stow Creek Equip., Inc.
Landing Rd.
609-451-2727
609-935-5145
Huaheavllle. pa
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 1
215-536-1935
15 Hillcrest Ave
201-689-7900
Woodatown. NJ
Owen Supply Co
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308