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Interest in agriculture grows among teens, on display at state farm show

Line Mountain students attended the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Wednesday.
Courtesy of Francine Ferster
Line Mountain students attended the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Wednesday.

Sarah Schaible wants people to understand how agriculture impacts their lives.

“Your clothes come from agriculture. Your food comes from agriculture. Many recreational activities and the house you live in, everything has to do with agriculture, whether you think it does or not,” the Line Mountain High School senior said. “I think bringing that awareness to people and showing them that it's important is part of life.”

Sarah, a member of her school’s FFA club, is part of a growing number of teenagers who want to learn more about the industry — whether they live on a farm or not.

A bus full of students from the Northumberland County district headed to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg on Wednesday. Of the 325 students at Line Mountain High School, more than 50 are FFA members, said Francine Ferster, the club’s adviser.

“I have more students wanting to get involved in these kinds of opportunities, and that's always a good thing,” she said. “I think the most important aspect is to realize the opportunities and the diversity that agriculture is.”

Membership in FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, is stronger than ever. As of August, the organization had more than 1 million members nationwide.

More students are also participating in 4-H statewide, according to Melody Wright, a Bradford County teen and member of the 4-H State Council.

“I think that it's so important that even as 4-Hers, we don't just focus on agriculture, but we understand that everything roots back to agriculture,” said Melody, a member of the Towanda Creek Community Clovers. “Getting to see just how much work is put into ag is so important… We've gone to a lot of different events. It's been a really great time. And of course, we're trying the milkshakes.”

Showing and judging

Sisters Alyssa and Anna Cook, students at Tri-Valley Jr/Sr High School, came to the farm show early in the week to judge potatoes.

“So when you're judging a potato, you're going to look for all your defects, and you judge if they're a grade one potato or if they're not a grade one potato,” said Alyssa, a junior.

The Cooks and more than 70 of their fellow FFA members traveled to the farm show from Schuylkill County on Wednesday.

Kirsten Updegrave shows her lamb at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Courtesy of Kirsten Updegrave
Kirsten Updegrave shows her lamb at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Classmate Kirsten Updegrave also visited the farm show earlier in the week to show her lamb.

“You meet so many friends on the way, and everybody's so polite and helps you out throughout the whole process,” she said.

Kirsten’s family raises beef cattle, goats and lambs. Her lamb is now shipped to market, and she’ll get market value for the animal at the end of the week.

“Raising him is like the best thing ever… he's your best friend through it, and then when it comes time to selling him, of course, there's many tears shed, and it's just a rough time saying your final goodbyes,” Kirsten Updegrave said.

“Raising him is like the best thing ever… he's your best friend through it, and then when it comes time to selling him, of course, there's many tears shed, and it's just a rough time saying your final goodbyes,” she said.

Waiting for calves

In another section of the sprawling, 24-acre farm show complex, Sara McNichols waited for cows to give birth.

The Scranton High School graduate studies animal science at Penn State. She grew up spending time at her aunt and uncle’s dairy farm in Wayne County and now hopes to be a large animal veterinarian.

When a calf is born, McNichols and other other interns milk the cow, feed the calves, administer shots and make sure the cows are healthy. She also answers questions from curious observers at the “Calving Corner” display. She said she’s happy to talk about the importance of agriculture.

“I think it's really important for everybody to be exposed because it's all around us. It's what we eat, the clothes we wear, it's just everywhere, even just the clean air we breathe, it's all based on it,” she said. “It's really important that everybody knows a little bit about where their food comes from.”

Follow along as the WVIA News team continues to cover the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Check back for updates.

Sarah Hofius Hall worked at The Times-Tribune in Scranton since 2006. For nearly all of that time, Hall covered education, visiting the region's classrooms and reporting on issues important to students, teachers, families and taxpayers.

You can email Sarah at sarahhall@wvia.org
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