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Sheep Judging Champion Racks Up Fuil Scholarship
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
STRASBURG (Lancaster Co.)
Lisa Reiff has been in the news
for showing champion sheep
throughout the county and at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show. People
have read about her being a mem
ber of the county 4-H Livestock
Judging team that took national
honors in competition.
Now the 18-year-old has cap
tured another honor. She has been
awarded a full college scholarship
for her livestock judging abilities.
According to Chet Hughes,
Lancaster extension livestock
agent, Lisa is the first and only per
son in Pennsylvania to receive a
scholarship for her judging
abilities.
This award has opened up a
whole new window of opportunity
for Lisa, who was accepted and
had been planning to attend Penn
State University and now is headed
to Dodge City Community College
in Kansas.
*T found out that Midwestern
colleges recruit students for lives
tock judging teams just like they
recruit students to play football in
the East,” Lisa said.
Livestock judging in the Mid
west, according to Lisa, attracts as
much public attention as football
or baseball playing does in this
area. She also found out that in the
Midwest, students attend com
munity college that have livestock
judging teams the first two years.
If the student does well in competi
tion, he or she is then recruited by a
university for the final two years of
judging competition.
The agent who recruited Lisa
said that the idea to recruit an out
standing livestock judging mem
ber in the East was a novel idea that
came to him while reading about
Lancaster County’s judging team
in a national sheep magazine.
After reading the article, the
agent contacted Hughes, who in
addition to being a county exten
sion agent coached the judging
team. Hughes sent the team mem
bers’ names and addresses to the
agent, who contacted Lisa, the
only high school senior on the
team.
Not only did the idea to have
free college tuition appeal to Lisa
but also the opportunity to travel to
contests all over the country.
“San Franciso, Denver, Texas,
and Louiville are some of the
places where the team competes,”
Lisa said.
Livestock team members prac-
Dairy Collectible Afghan
Is Berks Fundraiser
MOHRSVILLE (Berks Co.)
The Berks County Promotion
Committee is selling afghans as a
fundraiser. Called the Berks Coun
ty Daily Collectible Afghan, it fea
tures all daily breeds found in
Berks County: Halsteins, Milking
Shorthorns, Guernsey, Ayrshire,
Brown Swiss, and Jersey. These
names surround a daily farm scene
pictured on the afghan. Berks
County is printed at the top and
Pennsylvania at the bottom. Also
in the four comets are shapes of
Berks County with either a milk
can or real seal found in the shape
of the county. Also written'on the
picture is a bible verse segment
tice every afternoon during the fall
judging season, Lisa said. She has
all morning classes so her schedule
can accommodate the strenous
judging practices. Although she
must attend all the practice ses
sions, Lisa will not be able to com
pete during her freshman year.
“It’s a rule they have. You can’t
compete until your second year,”
Lisa said.
About 1,700 full-time students
attend Dodge City Community
College, which is in the city but
near to the agriculture area of the
Midwest
“Farming is so different out
there. You see massive feedlots for
cattle everywhere,” Lisa said.
Since Dodge City is a two-year
college, Lisa thought she’d finish
her degree requirements at Penn
State. But the Dodge City College
adviser told her to keep her options
open. He said, “If you do good on
the judging team, you’ll find other
universities at your doorstep wait
ing to recruit you.”
Lisa will be taking math and
business courses to earn a degree
in accounting.
“But I want to stay in agriculture
and do the agricultural end of
accounting,” Lisa said.
Lisa and her brother Lyndon
have the distinction of winning
every major sheep championship
in die county for five years
between 1990-1995. Her dream tc
show the grand champion sheep at
the Pennsylvania Farm Show
became.a reality in January.
“Farm Show was the biggest
highlight this year,” Lisa said. “1
put more energy into that than any
thing else. I was really committed
to exercising that lamb every day.”
It sold for $l,BOO.
With so many accomplishments
in her life, people tend to think that
Lisa has been lucky. But she said,
“People forget 1 didn’t start at the
top. I showed sheep four or five
years before winning anything.
And, I did really lousy in livestock
judging the first couple of years.
Actually, it wasn’t until my senior
year that things really started to
come together.”
Her parents think that Lisa’s
secret for winning lies in the fact
that she stuck to sheep and lives
tock judging rather than be
involved in a multitude of
activities.
“I would” have liked to be in
sports at school, but I had to chose
between sports and 4-H if I wanted
to do a good job. I’m glad I chose
4-H because now it’s paying col
lege,” Lisa said.
taken from Exodus 3:8, “A land
flowing with milk and honey."
The afghan measures about
47x67-inchcs and is made of 100
percent cotton. It is available in
three colors, Williamsburg blue,,
cranberry, and hunter green.
If ordered before June 30, the
afghan costs $4O. After June 30, it
is $45. Shipping and handling
requires an additional $5.
Profits will be used to help sup
port the Berks County Dairy Prin
cess Program.
To order an afghan, .contact
Maty Haag at 468 Shartlesville
Rd., Mohrsville, PA 19541 or calll
(610) 926-4211.
er Track
“Sometimes livestock judging
was really frustrating, but it was
worth it Even if we hadn’t won
nationals, it would have been
worth it. 1 made friendships that
will last a lifetime.”
Lisa said that judging requires a
lot of time. But it’s really the team
effort that wins. She is grateful her
team really worked well together.
“But without the coaches, I
wouldn’t be where I am today,”
she said of Chet Hughes, Greg
Musser, and Fred Weaver.
Lisa has two lambs to show at
the National Rib Cookoff and the
county 4-H roundup before head
ing off for college August 15.
While she is eager to attend an out
of-state school, she is also a bit
apprehensive because it’s so far
from family and friends.
Maybe Lisa won’t gel home
sick, but her parents know their life
will change when Lisa heads foi
the West. They have beer
extremely supportive in sheep
showing and 4-H. Although hei
dad Leroy will continue to lead the
4-H Woolies Club and served a:
chairman for the 4-H roundup
they know that the house will be
empty without Lisa and her
friends. Laura, Lisa’s mom, said,
“Leroy asked me the other day if
we should start bawling now?”
While home, Lisa also took
responsibility for most of the
cleaning and meal preparation
since her mother works as a mana
ger for a restaurant
“I guess I’ll need to hire a clean
ing lady and make my own sup
per,” her mother said.
Lisa’s two older toothers, Leroy
Jr. and Lyndon, are married and no
longer live at home.
Lisa, who has been banking her
winnings for college, purchased a
1993 Cavalier since her tuition is
paid. Although'she will fly to Kan
sas with her parents, her toother,
who is a truck driver, will transport
her car to the college.
“I’m very fortunate,” Lisa said
of the full scholarship. “This is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I
want to really encourage younger
kids to hang in there (4-H) even
when you aren’t winning. I want
them to know that I didn’t always
do well in the beginning, but I
didn’t give up.”
A whole room at the Reiff home is filled with trophies and ribbons that Lisa and her
brother Lyndon won by showing sheep In the county and at the Pennsylvania Farm
Show. Plus, Lisa said, “we have boxes of ribbons and trophies stored away because
there Isn’t room to display them.”
With so many accomplishments In her life, people tend to
think that Lisa has been lucky. But she said, “People forget I
didn’t start at the top. I showed sheep four or five years
before winning anything. And, I did really lousy in livestock
judging the first couple of years.”
Lisa .and her mother Laura review information from
Dodge City Community College in Kansas, where Lisa has
received a full scholarship for her sheep Judging abilities.
According to Lisa, livestock Judging In the Midwest com
mands as much attention and respect as football and base
bail do in the East. Colleges compete to recruit top achiev
ers on the Judging teams. As far as can be determined, this
is the first time that a full college scholarship for livestock
judging has been offered to a Pennsylvanian.