82-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, November 4, 2000
Poultry Ambassador Rijelte Kraft
Raises Fancy Fowl, Teaches Embryology
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
YORK (York Co.) “I’ve
grown up with poultry,” said
17-year-old Rijelle Kraft.
She’s also spent several years
helping with the 4-H embryology
program presented throughout
York County schools. It seems a
natural progression to assume
the role of poultry ambassador.
Rijelle will represent Lancaster
County and the state as poultry
ambassador (formerly called
poultry queen).
Rijelle raises fancy fowl such
as Cochin and Silkies and capons
for 4-H projects. Her dad raises
layers, broilers, and fancy fowl.
It was through her mom that
Rijelle’s poultry interest piqued.
As York County’s
4-H and youth de
velopment assist
ant agent, Rijelle’s
mom, Mary Jo, is
in charge of the
4-H embryology
projects, which are
conducted
throughout county
schools. Rijelle
often assists her
mom by helping
out at the schools
The first time, Rijelle “adopt
ed” a chick that didn’t seem ro
bust enough to survive.
“I fell in love with that chick,
and one thing led to another,”
Rijelle said.
Her dad, George Kraft Jr.,
also raises fancy fowl, broilers,
and layers in addition to operat
Although Rijelle has been helping with the schools’ embryology
projects, her responsibilities as poultry ambassador will expand to
promoting the poultry industry as a whole, j
As a town kid, Dave Ace did not seem a likely candi
date for a farming career. In fact, as a 9-year-old, he was
terrified of the seeing eye dog his group home at Milton
Hershey School adopted as a 4-H project. The dog helped
him overcome his fear of animals and now Dave says of
ing a construction business on
the family farm.
Although Rijelle has been
helping with the schools’ em
bryology projects, her responsi
bilities as poultry ambassador
will expand to promoting the
poultry industry as a whole.
“I like public speaking. I’ve
been participating in 4-H public
speaking events since I as eight
years old,” Rijelle said.
“Communication skills are
critical today, and the ability to
speak in front of others and con
vey my ideas to them in clear,
concise terms is my main goal,”
Rijelle said.
Having her mother working
with the 4-H program has its
£ Communication skills are critical today,
and the ability to speak in front of others
and convey my ideas to them in clear, con
cise terms is my main goal. 5
pluses. Rijelle said, “She contin
ually knows what’s going on and
what’s required.”
Her mother is evidently a mo
tivator, because Rijelle’s involve
ment in many different aspects
of 4-H is impressive.
She has served as president of
the 4-H County Council, teen
leader of the social committee,
‘The Bigger The Animal,
treasurer and teen leader of
the poultry club, vice president
and teen leader of the swine
club, and treasurer of the sen
ior exchange.
She has been a 4-H ambas
sador, president and teen lead
er of the rabbit club, social
chair of the county council,
and member of the meats and
the potato judging team.
Awards in 4-H include out
standing speech in county, out
standing role model in the rab
bit club, outstanding
horticulture member, top teen
leader, and numerous other
awards.
A senior at York Catholic
High School, Rijelle is a peer
Rijelle Kraft
Pennsylvania Poultry Ambassador
dent of
the Spanish club, and editor of
the literary magazine, and Stu
dent Council.
Next year, Rijelle plans to
major in animal science and
swine production with a concen-
tration in international agricul-
hire at Virginia Tech.
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.)
Dave Ace remembers the day his
interest in dairy farming was pi
qued.
He was on an eighth grade
field trip learning about old and
new methods of farming. At the
Landis Valley Museum, he saw
farming as it was in the 1800 s.
That was interesting, but
when he and his classmates
stopped by the dairy center at
the Milton Hershey School,
where he attends, Ace was
amazed to watch cows being
milked in th double-six herring
bone parlor.
Instructors told the students
they could sign up to help milk if
they wanted to.
Dave signed up.
“I thought it looked cool,”
Dave said. “I wasn’t sure it
would be something I’d want to
do long-term, but 1 wanted to try
it.”
He tried. And, his life hasn’t
been the same since.
Dave believes he found his
niche. He’s learned all about ani
mal husbandry, DHIA record
keeping, pasture rotation, and
cow breeds.
He has won awards for show
ing cows, and the prestigious
Clover award from Dauphin
County 4-H. It’s all rather im
pressive for a kid who had been
scared of a dog when he was 9.
“If it wouldn’t have been that
our house got a seeing eye pup,
I’d probably still be scared of an
imals,” Dave said.
helper
and a
member
of the
Nation
a 1
Honor
Society,
Spanish
Honor
Society,
presi-
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
Poultry Ambassador Rijelle Kraft’s favorite fowl is Co
chin. Rijelle raises fancy fowl and capons in addition to
assisting with 4-H embryology projects. Although a York
countian, Rijelle will represent both Lancaster County
and the state as poultry ambassador.
The Better *
“Now the bigger the animal,
the better,” Dave said of his at
traction to cows.
“I like Brown Swiss best be
cause they’re big, good all-round
milkers, and I like their color,”
he said.
Working at the school’s dairy
center isn’t a matter of picking
and choosing to do whatever you
want. It means eight-hour days
during summer vacation and
after-school chores. These in
clude lots of parlor scrubbing,
weed whacking, mixing feed,
and bottle-feeding calves.
“I like it all. There isn’t any
thing I don’t like,” Dave said.
He finds it fascinating to keep
track of calves as they mature
and become milk producing. He
enjoys pouring over records and
seeing how calves progress into
mature cows.
He’s assisted with research to
determine how fast and how
much cows eat.
“When it was hot, they didn’t
eat much during the day. But at
night, when it was cooler they
ate more,” he said of the re
search.
He was able to raise his own
heifers in three different breeds:
Guernsey, Polled Herefords, and
Brown Swiss to exhibit at the
Dauphin County 4-H Fair and
the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Of his first experience with
showing, Dave said, “The ani
mals behaved well. It was me
that was new,” he said of his
nervousness and the need to
leam to be calm and in control
of the animal. He learned to clip
and fit the animals to show them
to the best advantage, to do top
lines, and shave closer at the
ears. He also learned how to look
at the judge and still be able to
control the animal.
“The best way is to work with
animals to prepare them for
showing is to work with them
ahead of time so that they learn
to set up themselves,” Dave said
of proper leg placement. To walk
them backward it’s almost
like training a dog,” Dave said
of the need for consistent rein-,
forcement of expectations.
Recently Dave won the distin
guished Clover award at the
county show. He was a bit ap
prehensive going into the compe
tition that required him to show
not only a cow, but also a horse,
sheep, dairy beef, a steer, a goat,
and a pig.
It was his first experience with
showing a goat, pig, and horse.
“I think I got lucky,” Dave
said of the smoothness with
which everything went.
Dave said that originally he
would have been happy to do
well with the steer if nothing
else.
“It was an exciting day. It was
10:30 at night before we fin
ished.”
Looking back over his involve
ment with dairying, Dave is a bit
amazed at how it has changed
him.
“It has really taught me that it
(Turn to Page B 3)