Holsteins take their turn in spotlight
Dairy farmers from several counties gathered Saturday, hoping to show a prize-winning cow for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Holstein Championship Show at the Fayette County Fair. Rick Allen of Allen Hill Dairy had several animals entered in the annual competition. Allen said the fair has been home to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Championship Show for 16 years. It’s one of seven throughout the state.
“This is the biggest dairy show in southwestern Pennsylvania,” Allen said.
Farms from Somerset, Fayette, Indiana and other south and northwestern counties enter the contest, Allen said.
“It’s really neat because there’s a lot of camaraderie,” Allen said.
Although there is competitiveness, he said that it’s friendly.
Holsteins are an excellent milking cow, Allen said, noting that they produce twice the milk of other breeds. Allen said the cows are “bred for perfection,” so that they produce as much milk as possible. Allen said the goal with Holsteins is to keep them from getting fattened up like cows intended to be used for their meat.
“If they start getting too fat, they’re not making lots of milk,” he said.
Classes entered into the competition ranged from calves that were only a few months old to cows 6 years and older. There was also a category for cows that have produced 125,000 pounds of milk. Allen Hill Dairy exhibited one such animal.
At the end of the contest, which started at 10 a.m. and ran well into the afternoon, a grand champion was named. That champion will go on to Harrisburg to participate in a statewide Holstein competition this fall.
Gus Swartzbeck, a breeder from Maryland who has shown Holsteins nationally, judged the contest, Allen said.
Lynn Swann, Republican hopeful for governor, made a brief stop at the fair and the Holstein show.
After wishing his best to the contenders, Swann praised county fairs for bringing families together.
“We’ve got a great system. Our county fairs encourage families to be together,” he said.
He said he recognized that agriculture was an important part of the state’s economy, and said he hoped to see it emphasized.
“Pennsylvania can grow and be a great state,” he said.
Swann headed to the Rain Day festivities in Waynesburg after his time at the Fayette fair.
And while the Holstein show grabbed an audience of interested people, families like the Graves were at the fair to spend a leisurely day together.
“Every year we come. It’s been that way since I was little,” said Jimmy Graves, a 29-year-old Uniontown resident.
With him were his daughter, Ashleigh, 5, and Anjela, 1. Although Anjela was enjoying the day in her stroller, Ashleigh said she had big plans.
“I want to watch the camel,” she said. “I think he might be one of the rides.”
The camel is part of the one of the acts that perform on the grounds.
The Graves were among several families eager to see Pigs Gone Wild, a daily event at the fair.
“The kids love this show,” said Jeannie Downer, who had her three sons with her.
Fair board chairman Bill Jackson said that it has been smooth sailing at the fair since opening night. Attendance has run similar to last year, he said.
After the fair wraps up next Saturday, Jackson said he’d be better able to say how many attended. Before the 10-day event started, he said 15,000 advance tickets had already been sold.
Today’s events include animal and food contests. An interdenominational church service will be held at 9:30 a.m. on the O.C. Cluss Lumber Stage, and a 12:30 p.m. gospel sing will be held in the Fiddlers’ Building.
A 4-H fashion show will be held at the Youth Building at 3 p.m. and motocross races start at 5 p.m. And the PovertyNeck Hillbillies, an area country band, takes the stage at the indoor arena at 7 p.m. The night will be capped off with fireworks at 9 p.m.
Anyone who brings a church bulletin will receive free fair admission from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Admission with bulletin does not include admittance to carnival rides or the Outdoor Arena, although an upgrade pass can be purchased at the fair office.
For more information, call the fair office at 724-628-FAIR (3247) or visit the Web site at www.fayettefair.com.