HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pa. Farm Show is underway in Harrisburg, providing a week’s worth of learning opportunities for visitors.
Students from the Milton Hershey School took part in today’s cattle management competition, which put their agricultural skills to the test.
Peter Tantillo, an instructional advisor with the school's animal center, believes students can benefit from learning beyond the classroom.
“Combining classroom and hands-on really gives what any person in the real world, having any job, would have,” Tantillo said.
This cattle management competition involved seven students working with four heifers and was just one of several events the school is expected to compete in during farm show week.
Melanie Bartholomew, a senior in the school’s Agriculture and Environmental Education program, says competitions are a great way to put education into practice.
“You just experience it firsthand, versus in a textbook [where] you just read about it," said Bartholomew. "[In a textbook,] you don’t know all the hard work [and] work ethic that it creates and builds, [along with] the courage and opportunities.”
The competition allows other students, like Logan Keister, an opportunity to showcase their animals to the judges, something he says will help him become a farm veterinarian after graduation.
“[The competition] really helped me make sure that I’m being extra careful and that I don’t hurt my cow,” Keister said.
The four heifers are expected to have calves of their own, before eventually retiring from show competitions.
Tantillo hopes this week’s competitions continue to push his students’ passion for agriculture and become the next generation of farmers.
“We have to learn a lot about new things and we’re trying to teach these next generations to carry that foot forward to make sure that we do have a world to live in,” Tantillo expressed.