HARRISBURG - Tougher and of higher quality.
Those superlatives are how local participants described the competition at the 98th Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.
"It's been fun," Line Mountain junior Kellan Masser, 16, of Klingerstown, said. "I've been showing for a while and each year it seems there's better competition."
Masser was one of several competitors from Schuylkill County to emerge victorious following this year's show, which concluded Jan. 11.
Goats
Many local competitors know the rigors of showing an animal at the farm show.
Masser and his sister, Casey, 19, have been participating in the farm show for four and five years, respectively. They are the children of Jeff and Julie Masser. On Jan. 9, Kellan was preparing his Boer goats for the junior show later that evening and for the open show on Jan. 11.
"You want to have quality meat and keep a watch for how muscular they look," he said as he placed Crystale, a groomed, 1 1/2-year-old Boer goat doe back in her pen. Crystale previously won Best of Show at an American Boer Goat Association show in Shenandoah Valley, Va.
This year at the state farm show, he won Junior Meat Boer Goat, Full Blood/Purebred Champion Yearling Doe; Reserve Grand Champion Doe; first Yearling Division-Percentage Doe, 12-under 16 months; and first Yearling Full Blood, 20-under 24 months.
Dairy
Meanwhile, several members of the Campbell family met up with friends and Future Farmers of America members from Upper Dauphin Area High School on Jan. 9 in the North Dairy Hall at the farm show complex.
Among them were Courtney, 19, Coy, 16, and Ty Campbell, 16, all from Gratz; Nathaniel Campbell, 15, of Elizabethville; Jake Cook, 14, of Halifax; and Damien Messner, 16, of Gratz.
Coy, a son of Garth and Melissa Campbell of Penn-Gra Holsteins, previously garnered national titles with his 5-year-old Holstein, Shady-Row Dundee Daphne.
At this year's state show, Coy won Youth Holstein Junior Champion, Youth Holstein Senior Champion, Youth Holstein Grand Champion, Open Holstein Reserve Grand Champion, Youth Holstein Reserve Grand Champion and Good Housekeeping awards, among other accolades.
Among Courtney's accomplishments was a first place for Youth Holstein Spring Calf and a second place for Open Holstein Spring Calf.
FFA
Students from two local school districts also placed at the state level with their FFA exhibits. Upper Dauphin FFA's entry, "Down the Drain," won fifth place. The entry focused on the effects of medicines and home products going down the drain and the effects on water quality and aquatic life. It featured a giant "running" spigot.
The Tri-Valley FFA entry, "White Nose Syndrome" highlighted the plight of bats and earned 16th place.
Awards
Sally Reinoehl, Valley View, garnered more than 60 awards for her canned goods, baked goods, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Her five-jar display of vegetables and five-jar display of pickled or fermented vegetables both won first place and showed her patience in creating an eye-appealing, artful collection.
Wine
Representatives from a local winery were among those tending a vendor booth with the Pa. Wine Association. Benigna's Creek Vineyard & Winery, Klingerstown, offered their products to farm show patrons on Jan. 8 and 9. The PWA had offered an opportunity for a rotating set of six wineries to participate every two days, according to Mike Masser of Benigna's.
"The fruit wines have been the most popular with most people enjoying the sweet wines," Masser said.
Benigna's had all of its wine offerings earn medals at this year's farm show, with an even split between silver and bronze medals, Masser said.
For a complete list of area winners, visit the farm show website at www.farmshow.state.pa and search for 2014 results by county.