Blue and White… or Green and White?

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving (and at lots of yummy agricultural products!
The topic for this week’s discussion… 4-H

So, as a child my first experience with Penn State did not involve the Blue and White, but rather Green and White. Many people have heard of the worlds largest youth organization, 4-H, but not many know that in Pennsylvania, the 4-H is greatly helped by Penn State Extension. Crazy right! So lets talk a little bit about 4-H.

Here is the Pledge,

The pledge clearly demonstrates this organizations commitment to helping others and advancing their club members. The 4-H mission includes “engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.” The organization has over 6.5 million members in the United States, from ages five to nineteen, in approximately 90,000 clubs. Also, the 4-H is international, with clubs in numerous countries. The clubs vary from different agricultural fields (Dairy, Beef, Poultry, etc) to other things like sewing and photography and cooking! Neat right!

Two of my sisters and I were part of the Lancaster County Dairy 4-H Club (Also knows as the Milk Duds, ha ha) We learned about roper book-keeping, and were given opportunities like leadership positions and public speaking. Probably the biggest (and best) parts of the club was showing our calves, heifers, and cows at Fairs! Lancaster County has many local fairs, and people also showed at bigger events like the Farm Show. “Showing” a cow might sound strange to you, but basically, we find the best animal (as in not just pretty, but the most ideal cow in appearance, milk production, genetics, etc) and show them at fairs. We put a lot of time into walking our animals, making sure they are calm and willing to walk with us in a show ring. We also groom them, trim their hair, and get them all pretty for show day. Here are some pictures of us showing. Oh and Rosie, my cow you met earlier, she was my show cow : )

My Dad showing one of our cows at the Fair! 🙂

This is me and Rosie at our hometown fair, The Elizabethtown Fair!

The 4-H is a truly incredible organization. This club represents so many incredible people I know, and great memories with friends, and my family!
Check out some current stories about PA 4-H at http://extension.psu.edu/4-h/news
Have a great day! : )

 

What are you Thankful For?

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I am so excited! I can’t wait to go home, spend time with my family, sleep… a lot, and of course eat. Not to mention spend some time with my girls (the cows of course!) So I am sure that all of you reading this were following me… until the cows part, but to each their own! Thanksgiving is all about getting together with family to celebrate, to give thanks for all of our blessings. I love any excuse to get together with my family, and while it seems to be an “American tradition” for families to get together watch or play football, it seems that my family has never really gotten that memo!

Royer Thanksgiving Extravaganzas of the past: So, for the past about seven years my extended family has all come to my family’s farm for thanksgiving. Here are my top 3 Thanksgiving events that may or may not be family traditions.

1. When younger, my cousins and I used to all go out to the “old barn” and play in the pile of cotton seeds! For those of you who have never jumped off a stack of hay bales onto a pile of cottonseed… its AH-MAH-ZING! We use cotton seed as a part of the cows diet. They get fed a TMR or “total mixed ration,” that is comprised of all different foods. Corn, silage, grains, etc. its like a huge tossed salad for the cows. The best part is definitely the soft, sticks to your clothing cottonseeds that are the best insulation for a free fall.

Picture Courtesy of http://thesiekmantriplets.blogspot.com.

2. Thanksgiving of 2011 quote “GIRLS! The heifers are out.” (Sara Royer aka Mom) That’s right, only about an hour before people were to start arriving at our house, a group of heifers got out of their pen! Heifers are basically like teenager cows (not a baby, or calf, but still not considered a cow because they have not had calves yet.) Heifers, curious and full of energy, are notorious for getting out at the most inconvenient times… like Thanksgiving day!

Jen, Lindsay and I in our Muck Boots after fetching the heifers that got out!

3. “There is a hole in this boat?!”
We have about a two acre pond in front of our house that is absolutely gorgeous. Especially on crisp fall mornings when the deer come to drink from it. This picturesque site is the setting for another Thanksgiving extravaganza!

My Mom, Aunt, Dad, Sisters and me in front of the pond!

So one year, we (the cousins) decided to take a metal boat onto the pond. Know, this metal boat had been just sitting by the side of the pond for as long as I could remember, and had therefore accumulated some… love from the elements over the years! When two of my sisters and two older cousins went out onto the pond with the boat, they were soon “taking on water!” The boat has since retired, and the deer can drink from our pond without  the fear of having a boat splashing by!

I hope you all have happy, relaxing, and safe holiday breaks,

-Sarabeth

WE ARE… Number 1!

We’re not number 5… not number 4, number 3, number 2… We’re number ONE!

Lets take a few moments today to talk about different areas in Agriculture where Pennsylvania is ranked first in the Nation. That’s right, good ol’ PA has a lot to offer when it comes to food, something we all love!

Number 1 in … wait for it… probably would have never guessed… SNACK FOODS! In fact, Pennsylvania is known as the “Snack Food Capital of the World.” According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA,) “with major producers of pretzels, potato chips, confectioneries, and chocolate, Pennsylvania’s snack food and confectionery industries generate more than $5.1 billion in sales annually.” We also have incredibly successful companies like Hershey’s Chocolate, Hanover Pretzels, and H. J. Heinz that have their international headquarters within the state. My personal favorite, those Hershey kisses!

Pennsylvania is also leading the nation in…. food processing companies! According to the PA Department of Ag, there are over 2,300 food processing companies in the state, ranging from potato chips and chocolate to fruit and ice cream. Also, as mentioned in a previous blog, Chester County in south eastern Pennsylvania is considered the Mushroom capital of the World. Some might scoff at this title, but PA boasts “an annual production of more than 425 million pounds, valuing more than $330.7 million per year.” (PDA website)

Alright, so straying away from all of the yummy foods, our next Number 1 title is in… Wood?

Not many people realize that wood is an agricultural product, and trees can be crops. Actually, forests cover more than 60% of Pennsylvania’s land, and continue to grow. (PDA Website) Pennsylvania is world renown for our Christmas trees and Hardwood lumber. “Forest products are our second most exported product group, following only our food products. Nothing beats the outstanding quality and beauty of our black cherry, red maple, red oak, and sugar maple trees. Pennsylvania’s forest products account for nearly $700 million of the State’s many exports.” (Forestry Services, a department within the PDA) This is a big deal, and our hardwood is sought after internationally. In fact, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary George Greig just hosted a visit with business leaders from Linyi City, Shandong Province, China, to discuss the “advantages of using PA hardwoods for manufacturing high-quality wood furniture for consumption by the growing Chinese middle class.” I would say that is pretty impressive.

Way to go Pennsylvania Ag!

Check out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website, you can learn a lot from this incredible resource. The Department’s building is right in the Capital, across from the Farm Show Building in Harrisburg.

http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_department_of_agriculture/10297

Have a great week, and again, feel free to ask me any questions or topics you would like me to discuss,

-Sarabeth

Mushrooms…. Pennsylvania’s State Fungus?

It’s good in pasta, on top of pizza, in a nutritious salad, and even in your mom’s favorite recipe for casserole. What Pennsylvania Agricultural Product do I speak of? Mushrooms!

You know, we have a state flower, and flag, but do we have a state Fungus?

These past two weeks in my Biology 110 class, we have been learning all about Fungus. I now know the reproductive cycle, anatomy and ecological importance of fungi. However, I feel that my professor failed to say one thing that I think is pretty important… Did you all know, that Chester County (in PA) is the Mushroom capital of the world! I repeat the WORLD? This is a pretty big deal, for a county right here in Pennsylvania!

Located just outside Philadelphia, Chester County produces 51% of the NATION’s mushrooms. That’s kinda a big deal. Check out Kennett Square’s website. This town is the mushroom “cap” of the mushroom capital!

http://www.historickennettsquare.com/tours.html

The 2012 Guide to Local Farm Products for Chester County states : “Mushrooms contain a lot of nutrients and can be a wonderful addition to a healthy diet. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium; they also provide important nutrients such as selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more. In fact, mushrooms contain more potassium per serving than bananas.” That is pretty fascinating right! A lot of people mistake mushrooms as just a garnish, without much nutritional value.

Not many people also realize the importance of mushrooms in the Pennsylvania economy. Hundreds of jobs just within the County can be attributed to the over a million pounds of mushrooms they produce a week. Kennett Square also has a mushroom festival to celebrate the especially prevalent fungus in case you were wondering! I hope you all will embrace eating some Pennsylvania Agricultural Products by enjoying some delicious mushrooms! For you cooks out there, here are some creative recipes for mushrooms… check it out!

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/mushrooms/

Have a fantastic week, and Bon Appetit ; )

-Sarabeth