Melissa Willlard Is Frederick Farm Queen
Dee Guyton, outgoing Farm Queen, Melissa Willard, and
runners up Diane Ogg, and Emily O’Hara.
KAREN BUTLER
Maryland Correspondent
JEFFERSON, Md.—“ First we
must teach the people about agri
culture. They know what farmers
are, but do they know what we do?
If I could tell them about my ex
periences growing up on a farm,
they’d learn to appreciate the
farmer and agriculture,” said an
enthusiastic Melissa Willard when
asked how she would promote
agriculture.
And it looks like she will have
plenty of opportunity to do just
that; judges selected Melissa as
Frederick County Farm Queen
during this year’s annual contest
before the evening was over.
Strong attendance and a field of
seven outstanding contestants
highlighted the 6Sth Farm Queen
contest, held at the Community
Center in Jefferson. The pageant is
sponsored by Frederick County
Farm Bureau and the Farm Bureau
Women’s Committee. The Young
Farmers also give a cash donation
to each contestant.
Emily O’Hara, the 16-year-old
daughter of Edward and Kay
O’Hara of Frederick, was named
Erst runner-up. Second runner-up
was Diane Ogg, also 16, and the
daughter of Donald Jr. and Brenda
Ogg' of Frederick.
Other contestants included
Dana Bollinger of Thurmont, Bri
anne Myers of Frederick, Amy
Ramsburg of Walkersville, and
Jennifer Uebel of Jefferson. Each
entrant in the contest received a
lovely commemorative bucket
celebrating the Frederick County
Farm Bureau’s 75th anniversary,
and a T-shirt from the Farm Queen
contest committee.
This year for the first time, each
contestant will have an opportuni
ty to represent the county at one or
more special events, explained
Master of Ceremonies David
Eigenbrode. This is a change in
the way the program is run; in past
years only the winner or her alter
nates could fulfill the Queen’s du
ties. Now seven articulate, ener
getic spokespersons for agricul
ture will be circulating around the
county at different events.
“I hope to do well as a represen
tative for Frederick County Farm
Bureau!” exclaimed an excited
Melissa, the 18-year-old daughter
of Dennis and Peggy Willard, af
ter being honored. She said she
was surprised by her win. In fact,
she already had a commitment to
attend the state president’s confer
ence for FFA in Washington,
D.C., during an upcoming Farm
Queen promotion, so most likely a
runner-up will attend the promo
tion in her place.
Representing Maryland as the
State FFA Secretary is just one ac
tivity among many for this busy
Foxville teen. She is currently a
Youth Council representative for
the Rocky Ridge Progressives 4-H
club, and served as president for
the club in the past Melissa re
cently went to Kansas City, Mis
souri as a member of the Maryland
Livestock Judging Team. The
team won at the state level in
1995. She is also involved with
the Shorthorn Association. For the
past two years, she has been a
Shorthorn ambassador at the state
level.
Melissa has a reputation for
showing excellent steers at the
County fair. Last year she took
home ribbons for the champion
Crossbred, which was a home
bred. champion Shorthorn, and re
serve champion Limousin heifer,
which was also bred on the farm.
She also raises and exhibits cross
bred hogs. '
She finds time for conceit and
jazz band, where she is the low
brass sectional leader, plays piano,
and is involved in marching band.
In addition, she is active in her
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church.
And, she fits all this in around
her farm chores. Her family, con
sisting of her parents Dennis and
Peggy, Melissa, and her brother,
Dennis, operates a 400-acre beef
and grain farm outside of Smiths
burg. The Willards have a cow/
calf operation of about 140 head,
mostly Limousin. Approximately
one-third of die herd are regis
tered, according to Melissa’s fa
ther.
At home, the Catoctin High
Proud parents Peggy and Dennis Willard with their child
ren Melissa and Dennis.
y / J CLOSED SUNDAYS, NEW YEAR,
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School graduate is responsible for
feeding, watering, exercising, and
cleaning the pens of her show ani
mals. She teds and rakes hay, and
hauls and unloads wagons. She
also has to keep up with domestic
chares.
With Melissa applying her
boundless enthusiasm and seem
ingly unending energy to the role
of Farm Queen as she applies it to
her other commitments, Frederick
County should be well represented
during the upcoming year.
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