HARRISBURG, Pa. — Kaitlin Bell of Chester County, makes history today as the first person to win Beef Cattle Supreme in both the heifer and the bull categories at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Kaitlin also had the honor of both the heifer and bull winner today to be bred and owned on her own family farm. Through awards and activities, she has received a full ride to the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University.
The Grand Champion Bull and Heifer from each breed were selected to compete for the title of Beef Cattle Supreme.
Other Beef Cattle Supreme Show competitors were:
Hereford Grand Champion Heifer – Jay Allen of Butler County
Limousin Grand Champion Heifer – Austin Miller of Butler County
Maine Anjou Grand Champion Heifer – Jackson Mattocks of Crawford County
Mainetainer Grand Champion Heifer – Wise Cattle Co. of Jefferson County
Shorthorn Grand Champion Heifer – Ben Allen of Butler County
Sim-Angus/Sim-Solutions Grand Champion Heifer – McKenzie Stadmiller of Armstrong County
Simmental Grand Champion Heifer – Brielle Karns of Butler County
All Other Breeds Grand Champion Heifer – Ethan Timer of Berks County
Hereford Grand Champion Bull – Mason Guyer of Bedford County
Limousin Grand Champion Bull – Shane Clark of Lawrence County
Maine Anjou Grand Champion Bull – Ryan Mattocks of Crawford County
Mainetainer Grand Champion Bull – Josh Schmidt of Crawford County
Shorthorn Grand Champion Bull – Adam Ross of Centre County
Simmental Grand Champion Bull – Isabella Haley of Monroe County
Sim-Angus/Sim-Solutions Grand Champion Bull – Campbell Laud and Cattle of Greene County
All Other Breeds Grand Champion Bull – Sadie Compagnola of Northampton County
With the largest fed-cattle industry in the world, the United States is the world’s largest producer of beef, primarily high-quality, grain-fed beef for domestic and export use. Pennsylvania is the top cattle producing state in the Northeast United States. There are 13,176 beef cattle farms raising over 1.6 M cattle and calves with a value of almost $700 M. The largest category of farms have between 55 and 99 animals with sales of almost $77 M.
The average age of PA Producer’s is 52 and 60% have been in the industry for 15+ years. The average age of beef producers is increasing steadily as current beef producers are aging. The PA Farm Show takes pride in encouraging young agriculturalist to dedicate time to Pennsylvania’s number one industry- agriculture. The Farm Show provides a hands-on experience with livestock for youth exhibitors who come from all over the state with varying backgrounds and knowledge. At the Farm Show, today’s youth train to become tomorrow’s livestock producers and play a role in the bigger picture of producing a safe and high-quality product.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to our capital city every year for a mid-winter celebration of Pennsylvania agriculture. It is the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, featuring nearly 12,000 competitive exhibits, including more than 5,200 animal competitions, plus 300 commercial exhibits and hundreds of educational, entertaining events. Visitors get a peek into the industry that employs nearly half a million people and contributes $135.7 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy every year.
The 2020 show runs January 4-11 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except Sunday, January 5, when it runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, January 11, when it opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. Admission is free, and parking is $15.
For more information about the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show, visit farmshow.pa.gov.
–Shannon Powers, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture