STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Junior Cattlemen’s Association will hold its 120th annual Junior Steer and Heifer Preview Show at the 13th annual Pennsylvania Beef Expo, March 28-30 at the Penn State Ag Arena, State College, Pa.
Special educational demonstrations, exhibits and presentations will be given March 28.
Since its creation in 1988, the Pa. Beef Expo has expanded to include activities targeted at both junior and senior cattlemen.
Event lineup. This year’s expo begins with the PCA awards banquet and annual meeting, scheduled for March 28 at Celebrations Hall, near the Nittany Mall, in State College.
Festivities with begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. The association will recognize cattle producers with several awards including the Industry Service award, Commercial Cattleman, Seedstock Breeder and Cattle Feeder of the Year.
One farm will be recognized with the Stewardship award for dedication to preserving agriculture and the environment for future generations.
Other banquet highlights include announcement of the Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Beef Ambassadors.
Banquet reservations can be made by calling or faxing the PCA office at 814-238-5888.
Trade show. March 29 will kick off the beginning of the Beef Expo Trade Show. The three-day trade show is an opportunity to visit and ask questions of equipment and pharmaceutical companies, as well as show supply, feed, and specialty exhibitors.
Once again the trade show will also feature various displays of different beef breeds.
Skill-a-thon and quiz bowl. This year’s Pa. Beef Expo will again provide juniors with an opportunity to test their knowledge at the annual Pa. Beef Expo Skill-a-thon and Pa. Beef Expo Quiz Bowl.
This year’s beef skill-a-thon will be held March 29 from 8-10 a.m. at the Penn State Meats Laboratory, University Park.
The skill-a-thon is a way for young beef enthusiasts to test their beef industry knowledge. Divisions include senior (16-21), intermediate (12-15), and junior (8-11).
The Beef Expo Quiz Bowl will also take place March 28, beginning with preliminaries at 3 p.m. Any teams of four PJCA, 4-H or FFA members are invited to compete.
The competition will be divided into two divisions: 14 to 21-year-olds (seniors) and 8 to 13-year-olds (juniors).
Quiz bowl topics will include nutrition, genetics, reproduction, animal health, marketing and promotion, and cattle breeds. The final quiz bowl competition will be at the PCA awards banquet March 28.
For more information contact Liz Smith at 717-336-0553.
Junior shows. This year’s Pa. Beef Expo Heifer Show will be held March 30 at 8 a.m. and will sport more than seven different beef cattle breeds.
All heifers born between September 2000 and October 2001 are eligible for the show.
The Junior Steer Show is scheduled for March 30, following the conclusion of the heifer show. Light, middle, and heavyweight division champions with compete for grand champion laurels. The final showmanship competition will follow the steer show on Saturday.