ASOLunfawter Fanning, Friday, January 9, 1998
JINNY WILT
Adams Co. Correspondent
GETTYSBURG (Adams Co.)
- Potatoes stacked on small
paper plates sit at one end of the
room. A blackboard is at the
other end.
They are both tools a group of
15 Adams County 4-H’ers are
using as they prepare to enter
the competition that will even
tually lead jfome of them to the
Pennsylvania State Farm Show
in Harrisburg.
At the head of the class in the
Penn State Extension Office
classroom near Gettysburg is
Jerry Tyson, a retired Adams
County extension agent, who is
providing information the
youths will need if they are to
take part in the innocuous, and
seldom publicized, potato judg
ing.
What can be that exciting
about looking at potatoes?
For these youths it’s the com
petition to possibly reach the
goal of a blue ribbon for their
knowledge about potatoes. They
want to be on one of two teams
who will represent their county
at the prestigious, and perenni
al, state Farm Show.
Competing for a spot on one
of the teams is Kristi
Cunningham, 15, Arendtsville.
It’s her second year and she
returned because “it was fiin, so
I thought I’d give it a try again,”
she said.
Last year, her first year in
potato judging, started when she
heard there was a need for team
members. As a member of Team
B, she said, “I learned that there
is more to potatoes” than most
people think.
The sophomore at Biglerville
High School said in competition
she will be looking for “cracks,
flakes, and spokes” on the pota
toes that may in some way make
them less than perfect.
“It could happen in growing
or shipping,” she said. It’s up to
Commodity
CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) - Will 1998 be a good year
for you? How will it be different
from last year? What can pro
ducers do to meet the challenges
the future holds?
You can learn the answers to
all these questions by attending
the Commodity Outlook
Conference sponsored by
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
(PFB). The PFB conference will
be held at two locations, on
Wednesday, Jan. 28 at the
Holiday Inn, Grantville, PA and
again on Thursday, Jan. 29 at
the Best Western University
Inn, Indiana, PA.
"We can predict with confi
dence that 1998 will bring many
changes to the agricultural
industry," said PFB president
Guy Donaldson. "For us to
develop a positive vision and
response to these changes, we
need to understand the chal
lenges that lie ahead."
Each Commodity Outlook
Conference will begin with reg
istration at 9:30 a.m. and will
run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with
lunch included. A registration
fee of $5 per person will be
charged.
All fanners or anyone inter
ested in what the future holds
Looking At Potatoes?
Youth Prepare For Exciting Contest
Laura Burdette of Biglerville takes notes on how to be the
best potato judge in an effort to make one of two 4-H teams that
will represent Adams County at the Pennsylvania State Farm
Show.
the competition to tell the judges
about the potato and that takes
practice, which will happen over
the next month as the youths
compete for a spot on one of the
teams.
As a representative to the
Adams County 4-H Senate and a
member of the Upper Adams 4-
H Program, she is aiming this
year for Team A and hopes last
year’s experience will provide
Outlook Conference Set
for agriculture is invited to
attend.
"As we look forward to the
coming year in production agri
culture, there is uncertainty as
to what to expect, no matter
what commodity you may be
producing," said Donaldson.
"How will you be affected by
government rules and regula
tions, industry mergers and con
solidation, new technology,
changes in consumer demand,
environmental and food safety
concerns, world markets and
trade, marketing trends or other
issues. These are questions that
will be addressed at the
Commodity Outlook Conference."
The featured speaker at the
conference will be Dr. Luther
Tweeten, Professor of Agricul
tural Marketing, Policy and
Trade at Ohio State Unviersity.
Professor Tweeten will lead off
the conference with a two-hour
session on the major issues
transforming the entire agricul
tural industry. During separate
sessions in the afternoon, com
modity experts from the
American Farm Bureau
Federation will discuss the out
looks for dairy, livestock, poultry
and crop producers.
what she needs to reach that
goal.
Visitors to the Farm Show
will also be able to see Kristi
doing her 4-H presentation. She
explained that earlier this year
she won a first place during an
Adams County presentation on
how to make a bird house out of
cardboard and will be taking
that project along to Harrisburg,
too.
"The goal of our Commodity
Outlook Conference is to develop
a positive vision for each com
modity area and to identify
issues and direction that Farm
Bureau can actively help with,"
Donaldson said. "I strongly urge
all interested farmers to attend
the conference in their area."
The deadline for conference
registration is Jan. 23. Tb regis
ter, send a check for $5 per per
son attending, payable to
"Pennsylvania Farm Bureau",
to: Pennsylvania Farm Bureau,
Member Relations Division, P.O.
Box 8736, Camp Hill, PA 17001-
8736.
Horse World Expo To Be Held January 9-11
Schulte, Kenny Harlow, Phillip mounted demonstrations is a
Dutton (Friday only) and Dan "Parade of Breeds .
Sumerel. Endurance rider and Horse World Exp runs Friday,
trainer Debi Gordon will make a January 9, from noon to 9 p.m
special appearance Saturday Saturday, January 10 from
and Olympic medalist Anne am - to » Pf 1 - aad Sunda y-
Kursinski will appear Sunday, January 11 from 9 a.m. and
both courtesy of Nutrena Feeds. Sunday, January 11 from 9a.m.
A top crowd pleaser from last to , * P“- Admission is $7 lor
year. GaWaNi Ponyßoy will adults, $3 for cluldren ages ten
return with a program of Native to fourteen. Children under 10
American Horsemanship. A 816 admitted free and parking i
"Stallion Avenue" will showcase frce - F ° r “ ore information, visit
many of the region's top stal- th * » bo * a website at www ‘
lions. Among the continuous midatlantichorso.com.
TIMONIUM, Md. - Twice the
number of vendors is expected at
the second Horse World Expo, to
be held January 9 to 11,1998 at
the Maryland State Fairgrounds
in Timonium, MD. The show
features a retail trade show,
educational seminars, mounted
demonstrations, a "Stallion
Avenue," and more.
Continuous seminars will be
presented in two lecture halls by
nationally known trainers,
authors and speakers, including
Richard Shrake, Barbara
Jerry Tyson, retired Adams County extension agent, takes a
group of 4-H members through their paces as they compete for
a place on one of two teams that will take part in potato judging
at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show
Budding potato Judges, left, Jessie Leister and Jenelle Keller,
both of Gettysburg, and Kristi Cunningham of Arendtsville, lis
ten intently during a recent meeting of a group of Adams County
4-H members competing for membership on two teams that will
represent the county at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show.