812-UncMter Farming, Saturday, September 11, 19W
Lazarus Family Celebrates 45 Years At Allentown
With Sweep Of Swine Breeds
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
ALLENTOWN (Lehigh Co.)
Donna Strawbridgc, daughter of
Calvin Lazarus 11, was realty to
break out the balloons.
Strawbridgc was trumpeting the,
family's 45 years of showing at the
Allentown Fair.
And what a way to celebrate,
holding up the two large banners
for supreme champion boar and
supreme gilt late last week at the
fair.
Judge Doyle Stepp, Wartrace,
Term., selected the Duroc Febru
ary boar shown by Calvin over all
boats and breeds the previous day
for an excellent representative
sample of what makes a boar criti
cal to a breeding program.
Then Stepp, a purebred York
shire and Hampshire breeder,
selected the Hampshire February
gilt as supreme gilt, shown by
Donna's son, John.
John, IS, Whitehall, is in the
10th grade at Whitehall High
School. John noted that he exer
cises the homebred gilt about 2-3
times per week.
Both hogs will be taken in
October to compete at the Key
stone International Livestock
Expo (KILE) at the Harrisburg
Farm Show Complex.
John has shown at a variety of
fairs, including Schuylkill County,
Kcmpton, Kutztown, Pennsylva
nia Fair, and will be showing at
Bloomsburg, KILE, and state
Farm Show.
Calvin remarked on the family’s
success in the 45 years of exhibit
ing at Allentown.
One year, he said, about 15
years ago, the family took borne
"all three champions,” including
Todd Bennecoff Jr., left, won supreme market hog champion last week at Allen
town. At right is Doyle Stepp, Wartrace, Tenn., judge.
market and breed. “That same year
we had one or two taking champ
ion at the New York State Fair
the same week!”
To Lazarus, the championship is
especially meaningful this year
because of the devastating times
swine breeders and finishers had to
endure in the hog industry and with
two droughts in a row. He’s been
fanning for 60 years, he said, and
the past two years “were the worst
I’ve seen," he said.
For family forms, "the future
looks terrible," Lazarus said.
“There’s no room for young guys.”
He said many farm families are
forced to sell a part of the form so
there are enough finances to get
young farmers started. And the
two terrible calamities the low
est hog prices in history and the
drought are making it extremely
difficult to farm.
Lazarus farms a total of about
1,000 acres. This year, about
200-300 acres, he said, may go
unharvested simply because,
unless they can harvest 15-20
bushels per acre, it’s simply not
worth it
“You can’t think about it too
long,” he said. “It’s crazy."
Nonetheless, Lazarus said it is
quite an accomplishment to bring
competitive, quality hogs to the
show year after year.
In the market hog show, for the
first time the Allentown market
champion banner went to Todd
Bennecoff Jr. Todd, 11, is the son
of Todd Sr. and Cheryl Bennecoff,
Kutztown.
Todd, in the sixth grade at
Northwestern Middle School,
showed the heavyweight champ
ion, a Duroc/Hampsbire crossbred
gilt, to supreme market hog.
Calvin Lazarus of Lazarus and Sons won supreme champion boar with this Duroc at
the Allentown Fair.
This is the first market hog
champion at Allentown for Todd.
He has won breed champions in
the past several years.
When picking the 295-pound
champion heavyweight, judge
Doyle Stepp admired the “super
long gilt, a level and long gilt with
a lot of dimension, a lot of width
underneath, with a lot of ham,” he
said. “She has a really good design
for a market hog.”
When picking the hog supreme
champion, Stepp noted the gilt was
“well-balanced, a super long-sided
pig with a lot of foot to her.” The
hog would have a good loin eye,
according to the judge.
Todd has exhibited hogs at
Kempton and Schnecksville, in
addition to the Pennsylvania Fair.
He plans to show at the county
roundup, Sullivan County Fair,
Bloomsburg, York, KILE, and
Farm Show.
At the hog show there were a
total of 356 hogs, about 279 breed
animals and 77 market swine.
There were 37 exhibitors.
Following is a list of show
placings.
ALLENTOWN FAIR
SWINE SHOW
RESULTS
BREEDS
OPEN
BERKS
January Boar 1. Todd and Charyl
Bannacoff.
Fabmaiy Boar 1. Todd and Cheiyl Banna
ooH. 2. Todd and Charyl Bannaoolf. 3. Amy
Bannacoff.
March Boar 1. Todd and Cheiyl Banne
oofl. 2. Todd Lae Bannacoff Jr. 3. Todd Lae
Bannacoff Jr.
April Boar 1. Todd and Charyl Bannacoff.
2. Todd and Cheryl Bannacoff.
Champion Boar Todd and Cheryl Banna
ooff. Raaarva; Todd and Charyl Bannacoff.
January OIR. 1. Todd and Charyl Banna
oolf. 2. Todd Laa Bannacoff Jr. 3. Todd turd
Charyl Bannacoff.
February Gilt: 1. Todd Lae Bannacoff Jr. 2.
Todd and Cheryl Bannacoff. 3. Todd and
Charyl Bannaoolf.
March GUI: 1. Todd Laa Bannaoolf Jr. 2.
Todd Laa Bannacoff Jr. 3. Todd and Cheryl
Bannacoff.
Aorl GiR. Todd Laa Bannaoolf Jr. 2. Todd
and Cheryl Bennecoff. 3. Todd and Cheryl
Bannecotf.
Champion GiK; Todd and Cheryl Benne
oolf. Reserve; Todd and Cheryl Bennecoff t
Young Herd: 1. Todd and Cheryl Benne- _
oolf. 2. Todd Lee Bennecoff Jr.
Produce of Dam: 1. Todd and Cheryl Ben
naoofl. 2. Todd Lee Bennecoff Jr.
Get of Sire: 1. Todd and Cheryl Bennecoff.
2. Todd lee Bennecoff Jr.
Pair of Qilta; 1. Todd and Cheryl Benne
coif. 2. Todd Lee Bennecoff Jr. Amy
Bennecoff.
CHESTER WHITE
January Boar 1. Scott Lazarus. 2. Daniel
Blllig. 3. Scott Lazarus.
February Boar 1. Daniel Blllig. 2. Scott
Lazarus. 3. Scott Lazarus.
March Boar 1. Scott Lazarua. 2. George
BKKg. 3. Daniel Blllig.
April Boar 1. Scott Lazarus. 2. Scott
Lazarus.
Champion Boar Daniel Bil Hg. Reserve:
Scott Lazarus.
January GiK: 1. Daniel BKKg. 2. Daniel BK-
Kg. 3. Scott Lazarus.
February GIK; 1. Daniel BMIg. 2, Daniel BK-
Kg. 3. Scott Lazarus.
March GiK; 1. Scott Lazarus. 2. Scott
Lazarus. 3. George BKKg.
Champion GiK: Daniel BlHig. Reserve;
Scott Lazarus.
Young Herd: 1. Daniel BKKg. 2. Scott
Lazarus.
Produo* of Dam: 1. Scott Lazarus. 2.
Daniel Billig.
Got of Sir*: 1. Scott Lazarus. 2 Daniel
Billig.
Pair ot Gilt*: 1. DanM Billig. 2. Scott Lazar
us. 3. Georg* Billig.
OUROC
January Boar. 1. Amy Bennacotf 2. Calvin
Lazarus and Sons 3. Jared Treichler.
February Boar 1 Calvin Lazarus and
Sons. 2. Calvin Lazarus and Sons 3. Todd
Lee Benneooff Jr.
March Boar 1 Timothy A. Billig. 2. Jared
Treichler. 3. Timothy A. Billig.
April Boar 1. Jared Treichler. 2. Jared
Treichler.
Champion Boar Calvin Lazarus and Son*.
Reserve: Timothy A. Billig.
January Gilt: 1. Todd Lea Benneooff Jr. 2.
Calvin Lazarus and Sons. 3. Amy Bennecoff.
February Gilt: 1. Jared Treichler. 2. Todd
Lee Bennecoff Jr. 3. Amy Benneooff.
March Gilt. 1 Calvin Lazarus and Son*. 2.
John Strawbridge. 3 Calvin Lazarus and
Son*.
Apnl Gilt: 1. Jared Treichler. 2. Calvin
Lazarus and Son* 3. Jared Treichler.
Champion Gilt: Todd Lee Bennecoff Jr.
Reserve. Jared Treichler.
Young Herd: 1. Calvin Lazarus and Sons.
2. Jared Treichlar. 3. Todd Lee Benneooff Jr.
Produce of Dam: 1. Jared Treichler. 2. Cal
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