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The threat of a snowstorm and slick roads on Saturday cut crowd numbers significantly at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, but clear skies Sunday brought visitors out to the nation's largest indoor agricultural event in droves.
Exhibitors clipping and washing their animals had to constantly keep an eye on gawkers squeezing by them.
In some areas, the herds of people were packed so tightly that they couldn't see the ground in front of them — not a good thing for people sharing walking paths with farm animals.
Lines for milk shakes and other favorite food court goodies stretched 15- or 20-people deep.
Sunday was a big day for youths, as the junior market steer and lamb shows were held.
Unfortunately, Lancaster County had no big winners in either contest.
However, Katrina Frey, 18, of Quarryville, did show the champion angus heifer in the junior beef breeding cattle show.
The county only had three junior market steers competing, its fewest number at any state Farm Show in at least the last decade.
Ryan Nolt, a recent Garden Spot High School graduate, was the top finisher, placing second in his crossbred middleweight class with his 1,290-pound steer.
Nolt, 16, of New Holland, said he was lucky to be able to show the steer, since the animal had to have surgery in August because of a degenerative disease in its legs.
In the crossbred light heavyweight division, Justin Welk, 15, of Strasburg, finished third, and Chris Newswanger, 15, of Bainbridge, finished sixth.
In the junior market lamb show, Kelsey Binkley, 17, of Conestoga, led the county with a third place finish in her division.
Other countians and their placings in their respective junior market lamb divisions included: 5. Atalie Winters, 12, of Strasburg; 5. Jade Zimmerman, 9, of Reinholds; 6. Nate Binkley, 12, of Conestoga; 8. Kimberly Drennen, of Holtwood; 8. Amber Winters, 15, of Strasburg; 8. John Heinsey, 17, of Stevens; 8. Doug Musser, 17, of Mount Joy; 9. Jessica Herr, of Willow Street; 9. Joshua Epler, 11, of Stevens.
Also: 11. Lauren Wissler, of Holtwood; 11. Jessica Zimmerman, 14, of Reinholds; 12. Samantha Shirk, 9, of Reinholds; 12. Kali Herr, of Willow Street; 13. Alek Batton, 9, of Reinholds; 13. Jayme Zimmerman, 12, of Reinholds; 14. Chelsea Dale, 14, of Reinholds; 16. Shannon Wettig, 14, of Peach Bottom; 17. Cassandra Dunkleberger, 16, of Elizabethtown.
The hard work of county youths was also evident in the exposition hall of the Farm Show Complex.
Manor FFA students presented a very large research project, "Cows to Kilowatts."
It was the second year the Manor FFA made a display and presentation at the show.
This year's display showed how manure can be "digested" to make methane gas, which then is used to power an engine that drives a generator, making electricity.
"In the past, agriculture was known for the two 'f's' — food and fiber," Penn Manor senior and FFA president Ethan Murry said. "Now there's a third 'f' — fuel."
Turning methane into electricity starts as an anaerobic process in which manure is placed in a methane digester, an air-tight container, and heated up to between 90 and 105 degrees to produce methane. Then the gas is diverted to a large engine hooked up to a generator.
Methane digesters are typically used on large farms with more than 1,000 cows.
Brubaker Farms in Mount Joy has been running an anaerobic manure digester since December 2007. It produces as much as 4,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a day — enough to power as many as 200 homes.
Penn Manor junior Cory Harris said farmers can use the power to run their own farming operations and sell electricity to power companies.
The students talked about various digesters, including above- and below-ground containers and covered lagoons, and the benefits of having the system, such as reduced odors, higher quality fertilizer, reduced pathogens in the manure and energy production.
"It is common sense to take a very common waste and turn it into energy, if possible," Joe Herr, a Penn Manor junior, said.
Farm Show hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Admission is free for all events except the Thursday, Friday and Saturday PRCA Circuit Finals Rodeo located in the large arena.
For more information, visit
www.farmshow.state.pa.us.
Staff writer Ryan Robinson can be reached at rrobinson@LNPnews.com or 481-6032.
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