Don and Pam Gable of Conebella Farm (photo credit: PA Farm Show)
Chester County farmers and producers received high marks from Pennsylvania Farm Show judges in Harrisburg last week, resulting in an impressive array of medals and ribbons in the show’s 107th year of operation.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, hosts nearly half a million visitors, 4,000 animals, 12,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits every year.
Special congratulations go to Chaddsford Winery (Chadds Ford, PA) for winning a gold medal and “Best of Show” in the Sparkling Wine category, as well as several silver medals and a bronze for their other wine varieties. Perennial cheesemaking favorites The Farm at Doe Run (Coatesville, PA), Birchrun Hills Farm (Chester Springs, PA) and Conebella Farm (Elverson, PA) all scored high marks in their respective cheese divisions.
Chester County was also well represented in the livestock competitions:
- Kaycee and Lyla Engle (Cochranville, PA), Kai Johnson (Parkesburg, PA), River Lease (Coatesville, PA), David Lytle (Lincoln University, PA), Brooke and Jason Mazepink (Parkesburg, PA), and William and Elizabeth MacCauley (Atglen, PA) all had strong showings across several sheep classes, including at the “Champion” level.
- David Bell (Nottingham, PA) took home the “Champion Junior Bull” award for his entry.
- Ethan Magee (Coatesville, PA) received the “Junior Champion” award in the Dairy Goat division.
“It’s wonderful to see so many Chester County farmers and producers receive statewide recognition for the quality and distinction of the farm products they produce,” says Chester County Ag Council Director Hillary Krummrich. “I’m also impressed by all the Farm Show volunteers who dedicate countless hours to representing the agriculture industry to visitors from all over the state and beyond.”
If you have child that wants to learn more about agriculture and perhaps one day compete at the PA Farm Show, the Chester County Ag Council recommends seeking information about the many 4-H Clubs offered through Penn State Extension’s Chester County office. Farm ownership is not required! https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h/counties/chester
A complete list of 2023 Farm Show winners can be found at: https://www.farmshow.pa.gov/pafarmshow/exhibit/results/Pages/default.aspx
