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Vol. 48 No. 21
Adams County Youth Prepare For Pennsylvania Beef Expo
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
BIGLERVILLE (Adams Co.)
Youth from Adams County are
going to be a major presence at
this year’s Pennsylvania Beef
Expo.
The group of about 12 young
people from the county’s junior
beef producers club have been
grooming their animals and hon
ing their beef knowledge in prep
aration for what is expected to be
the largest expo since it began 14
years ago.
“It appears as though it will be
the largest junior show ever,”
according to Glenn Eberly, direc
tor of the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture’s Livestock
Evaluation Center. “It grows
every year.”
The expo is set for March
27-30.
“This is the first year Adams
County is taking a lot of ani
mals,” said Donna Byers, mother
of three Biglerville-area youth
who will be showing heifers at the
expo Saturday, March 29.
Altogether, beef enthusiasts
from Adams County plan to ex
hibit about 16 head.
You Don’t Need Cattle To Participate In Expo
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
KENNETT SQUARE (Chest
er Co.) The Pennsylvania Beef
Expo will be a girls’ weekend out
as the female members of the
Walton family head to Penn
State to be a part of the annual
event.
In spite of the fact that their
cattle are staying home, 4-H’ers
Eliza and Leah Walton are plan
ning to go to Happy Valley with
their mother, Margaret, for the
weekend to take part in the Skil
lathon and Quiz Bowl, among
other cattle-related activities.
Eliza, 17, a senior at Unionville
High School, plans to spend some
time working behind the scenes
for other exhibitors while Leah,
Wheat Scab, Mildew Controls
Topic Of Field Day
ANDY ANDREWS
Editor
LANDISVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Control of wheat diseases
can be less of a challenge if crop
Inside The
Farmer
✓ Pa. Custom
Rates page A 36.
✓ Hershey Puts
On A Play page 84.
✓ More Beef
Expo pages inside.
www.iancasterfarming.com
The Byers brothers Derek,
15; Dwight 13; and Devin, 9
will each exhibit a yearling Cha
Preparing Charolais heifers for the Pennsylvania Beef Expo in State College are Big
lerville youth, from left, Derek and Dwight Byers, J.R. After, and Devin Byers.
Photo by Dave Lefever
15, a sophomore at Unionville
High School and Pennsylvania
Angus Princess, will hand out
ribbons during the show.
The Waltons, who also include
father David and the girls’ broth
er, Paul, 13, in seventh grade,
own a 40-head cow-calf herd of
registered purebred Angus. The
Waltons market beef to local cus
tomers and sell club calves.
Their farm is a 300 acre family
operation.
“I’m not taking them up be
cause my cows aren’t quite ready
to be shown yet. I’m still working
with them one of them really
hates show sticks and the rest
need a lot of work leading and
showing,” said Leah.
Eliza, who has been very busy
managers learn about how the
troublesome organisms operate.
About 30 certified crop consul
tants and agri-industry represen
tatives scrutinized two wheat dis
eases Wednesday during a Penn
State-sponsored Wheat Scouting
and Pest Management Field Day
at the Landisville Research Cen
ter.
One disease, powdery mildew,
can be controlled through proper
resistant variety selection. Anoth
er, head scab, can be more of a
problem, depending on field and
environmental conditions before
and after planting.
Management strategies,
according to Eric DeWolf, Penn
State assistant professor of plant
pathology, must involve deciding
whether the pathogens survive in
typical com residue. Also, the
(Turn to Page A 33)
Four Sections
rolais heifer at the show.
Neighbor James (J.R.) Alter,
15, will also be taking a heifer
with school and track, didn’t
have the time she wanted “to re
ally start to work them,” she said,
so her show cattle will also stay
home.
The weekend is worth the
time, even without cattle to show.
“Especially when I work for peo
ple up there,” said Eliza, “I learn
about how they handle their
show string.”
The expo also provides an op
portunity to “see what kind of
animals people are going to bring
to the show it’s kind of a pre
view show for the rest of the
year,” said Eliza.
For instance, working for oth
ers offers the opportunity to learn
(Tum to Page A 37)
The Nolt family built this tiestall barn a year ago to expand their milking herd to 180
cows. The Nolt Farm was part of a recent Chester County Holstein tour to Lebanon.
From left are Allen, Katelyn, Scott, Jessica, and Karen Nolt. See story page A2l.
Photo by Dave Lefever
Saturday, March 22, 2003
from the Byers’s farm.
The four youth attend the Get
tysburg Area School District and
Pa. Beef Expo Begifis March 27
STATE COLLFGE (Centre
Co.) The Pennsylvania Junior
Cattlemen’s Association (PJCA)
will conduct their 13th annual
Junior Steer and Heifer Preview
Show at the 14th annual Pennsyl
$36.00 Per Year
March 27 - 30
Penn State Ag Arena
$l.OO Per Copy
are active in county 4-H activi
ties.
According to Donna Byers, the
goal of the Adams County Junior
Beef Producers is to provide kids
with a special focus on beef skills.
Beside raising and showing
beef animals, the group’s activi
ties include participating in the
Beef Quality Assurance program,
studying meat cuts, and learning
breed characteristics and breed
ing principles. Members are plan
ning to participate in this year's
skillathon and quiz bowl at the
expo.
“This group of kids really
wants to learn about the beef in
dustry,” Donna Byers said.
Mothers and fathers play a big
part in promoting the youths’ in
terest in beef. Parents of partici
pating youth are members of the
Adams County Beef Producers.
The junior club grew out of this
adult group of beef lovers.
The Byers brothers have also
been active in showing their beef
animals at local fairs and at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show.
At the 2002 Farm Show, Derek
exhibited the champion junior
Charolais heifer and Dwight
(Turn to Page A 24)
vania Beef Expo, March 27-30, at
the Penn State Ag Arena, State
College.
The Expo Is an opportunity for
(Turn to Page A3B)