A34-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 5,2002
Fourth Generation Of Miller Family Exhibiting At The 2002 Pa. Farm Show
Clan Founded Baby Beef 4-H Club More Than Half Century Ago
DEANNA CUNFER
Carbon Co. Correspondent
LEHIGHTON (Carbon Co.)
The Miller family of Fairyland
Farms, Lehighton, have been
long-time supporters of the 4-H
program in Carbon County. In
fact the Miller name, particularly
that of Robert “Bobby” Miller, is
synonymous with Carbon County
4-H. When you mention to some
one, whether at a county fair or
Robert L. “Bobby” Miller
is shown with the Showbox
he won at the 1952 Pa.
Farm Show when he was
selected the grand champi
on fitter and showman in
the purebred Angus market
steer competition. Shown
in the showbox is the ex
hibitor’s green and white
coverall that he wore dur
ing the show.
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the Farm Show, that you are in
volved with Carbon County 4-H
the reply most often is, “Oh-
Bobby Miller!” It has even been
said that they have green in their
blood 4-H green. That dedication
to the 4-H program spans four
generations and travels with
them to Harrisburg each January
where this year we will see the
fourth generation of the Miller
family competing in the junior
market swine competition.
Luke and Christi Graver will
each compete in one of the pure
bred junior market swine classes.
Luke, 9. just completed his
first year in 4-H where he exhibi
ted in the market lamb, market
swine, and dairy beef competi
tions. He is raising a purebred
Landrace hog and a purebred
Chester White hog, with plans to
exhibit one of them at the Farm
Show.
Christi, 12, just completed her
fifth year in 4-H. She has partici
pated in the market and breeding
sheep, market swine, dairy beef,
and market steer projects, and is
making her fourth trip as exhibi
tor at the Farm Show.
Christi is raising a purebred
Hampshire hog and a purebred
Poland China hog. “Hamp” and
“Poly” are both looking good and
Christi will have a hard time de
ciding which will compete for the
ribbons at this year’s competition.
Christi has received ribbons in
the market swine rate of gain
competition at the Farm Show
with two of her previous entries
and received a master showman
ship hat and show cane with her
purebred Poland China entry in
2000.
Luke and Christi are both
members of the National Junior
Swine Association and have aspi
rations of starting a breeding
swine project in future years.
Christi has started her own flock
of breeding sheep but admits that
she prefers the swine above all
the animals she shows as 4-H
projects.
Luke and Christi will not be
the only members of the Miller
family to exhibit animals at the
2002 Pa. Farm Show. Mother,
Diane Miller-Graver, and grand
father, Robert L. “Bobby” Miller
will again be competing in the
carcass lamb competition.
On show day at the Farm
Show one can usually see the
whole Miller family at ringside.
The excitement of competing
at the Pa. Farm Show started in
the first half of the 20th century
when brother and sister, Willis
and Catherine Diehl, exhibited in
the open dairy competition with
their animals from the family’s
herd at Fairyland Farms. Willis
went on to become a member of
the dairy judging team at Penn
State, while Catherine married
John Miller. Together the
Millers started the Baby
Beef 4-H Club in Carbon
County. One of the mem-
bers of that club was son,
Robert, known to all as
Bobby.
In 1950 at age 13, Bobby
exhibited his first steer at
the Pa. Farm Show. This
purebred Angus, “Black
Boy,” placed well enough to
qualify for the sale of cham-
■
g*!
pions. Bobby recalls the sale, then
held in the large arena.
Market steer competition in
those days only consisted of pure
bred animals Hereford, Angus,
and Shorthorn. He recalls how
there was a separate judge for
Diane Miller-Graver and her father, Robert L. “Bobby”
Miller are shown with part of their flock of sheep at Fairy
land Farms. Both have entered the carcass lamb competi
tion at the Pa. Farm Show with their homebred animals
since 1988.
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■
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each breed. Often when it was
time to select the overall champi
on there was quite a bit of dis
agreement as each judge wanted
his breed selected as the supreme
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(Turn to Page A 37)