Dairy

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Franklin County (Pa.) Dairy Princess Jesse Kline was crowned the first alternate Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess on Saturday following a three-day contest, according to a news release. Thirty-four young women from across Pennsylvania were expected to compete in the 54th annual pageant, according to the organization's website. The pageant in Camp Hill, Pa., included speeches and skits. In June, Kline, then 19, was named the 2010-11 Franklin County Dairy Princess during the annual pageant in the Kauffman (Pa.)

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Travis Byers was all smiles Friday night. Byers, 17, of Shippensburg, Pa., won both the senior class and Grand Champion honors at the 4-H/FFA Dairy Cattle Showmanship competition at the Franklin County Fair. Dressed in all white, as is customary for dairy shows in the state, Byers settled his prize-winning Holstein named Qiana down in her stall inside one of the dairy barns after the competition. Byers said it felt good to win, especially after not doing so well in other shows this year.

CLEAR SPRING --"I can show you the farm ... smelly, stinky, yet lovely," she said. Tessa Wiles can't help but blush as she recites lyrics to the song that helped win her the title of 2010 Maryland Dairy Princess. For a self-professed social butterfly, the color creeping into Tessa's cheeks proves that winning the statewide honor is humbling. "I was surprised," she said. "I expected one of the other girls to win. I don't like to be prideful, so I didn't get my hopes up. " Three Maryland teens competed Tuesday for the title in Frederick, Md., according to Laurie Savage, who coordinates the event.

On June 23, the winning team of the 2009 National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest headed to Scotland to compete in an international judging event. The team brought Maryland its 29th national victory. The team consists of Chelsea Davis, Cecil County; Emily Gill, Harford County; Morgan Meisenheimer, Howard County; and Ariel Taxdal, Harford County. The program is coordinated by Kiera Finucane, Animal and Avian Sciences, and this year's team was coached by Loretta Wright, a longtime supporter of dairy and Maryland 4-H, from Carroll County.

A person never outgrows their need for calcium. In the early years, calcium helps build strong bones and teeth. However, adults need calcium, too. Bone is living tissue that is constantly being rebuilt with the aid of calcium. Calcium plays a key role in: o Preventing osteoporosis. One out of two women and one out of eight men will develop this bone-thinning disease. A diet high in calcium can help preserve bone mass and slow bone loss. o Preventing hypertension. Millions of Americans have high blood pressure (hypertension)

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Franklin County dairy industry continues to seek candidates to serve as County Dairy Princess for a one-year period beginning at the end of June. Any single young woman from a dairy background or with an interest in the dairy industry should consider entering. The 2010-2011 Franklin County Dairy Princess will be selected Friday, June 18, during a contest to be held at the Kauffman Ruritan and Community Center, 7289 Ruritan Drive. The 2010-2011 princess will make many appearances at schools, malls and grocery stores and have the opportunity to speak to civic clubs, senior citizens groups, farm and non-farm audiences and to appear on television and radio.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The Franklin County dairy industry is seeking candidates to serve as County Dairy Princess for a one-year period beginning at the end of June. Any single young woman from a dairy background or with an interest in the dairy industry should consider devoting a year of her spare time helping to further the interests of the largest industry in Franklin County. The 2010-11 Franklin County Dairy Princess will be selected June 18 during a contest at the Kauffman Community Center.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the implementation of the new Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment program. The Agricultural Appropriations Bill authorized $290 million for loss assistance payments to eligible dairy producers. Milk prices declined through early-to-mid-2009, with the national price for milk averaging $16.80 per hundredweight (cwt.) in the fourth quarter of 2008 and averaging $12.23 per cwt. in the first quarter of 2009, a 27-percent decline.

ANNAPOLIS - Maryland's struggling dairy farmers stand to receive as much as $2.475 million in emergency aid provided in the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill through the new Dairy Emergency Loss Assistance Payment program (DELAP). Gov. Martin O'Malley, along with governors from Northeast dairy states, actively supported the inclusion of the emergency funds in the appropriations bill to assist dairy farmers trying to stay afloat during the longest stretch of extremely low prices on record.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania's dairy farmers will get temporary relief from low milk prices thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's release of $290 million for loss assistance payments, Gov. Edward G. Rendell said Monday. The Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Program, or DELAP, will provide a one-time payment to eligible producers based on the amount of milk both produced and commercially marketed by their operation from February to July 2009. "Many of Pennsylvania's 8,600 dairy farmers face significant financial problems, having a negatively impact on our communities and our economy," Rendell said.