To me, in agriculture, the sky is the limit.
This is a picture of my family's farm in Lancaster County. We sell our milk to Land O' Lakes.
Pennsylvania Agriculture: Passion Blog
For my Honors CAS 137/138 class, we had the unique opportunity to keep a weekly "passion" blog of our choosing throughout the academic year. I immediately saw this as a chance to write more about agriculture. I truly enjoyed writting these posts every week, and was very happy to answer questions that my classmates had about animal production, cows, and agriculture in general. It was also extremely rewarding to hear that many of my classmates changed some views and opinions they had about this industry I love so much. One classmate said to me "I honestly thought that farmers were all men, and that it was really old fashioned, but you make it sound so... (grasping for a word)... cool!" Another student commented, "I really did not know anything about farming except that cows are black and white and you use tractors, I love how you showed me that it's related to me too." A girl in my class said excitedly to me one day, "Sarabeth, I have already had my three servings of Dairy today, I learned that from you!" I had no idea that my classmates would even read my posts, so it was exciting to see other people excited about agriculture.
Here are some of my favorite posts, as well as the link to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading more about agriculture. It is something that truly affects us all.
1) WE ARE... Number One!
2) A Real Princess
Feel free to check out my passion blog at https://sites.psu.edu/sroyerpassionblog/author/scr5168/
Here are some of my favorite posts, as well as the link to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading more about agriculture. It is something that truly affects us all.
1) WE ARE... Number One!
2) A Real Princess
Feel free to check out my passion blog at https://sites.psu.edu/sroyerpassionblog/author/scr5168/
1) WE ARE... Number One! 11/8/12
We’re not number 5… not number 4, number 3, number 2… We’re number ONE!
Lets take a few moments today to talk about different areas in Agriculture where Pennsylvania is ranked first in the Nation. That’s right, good ol’ PA has a lot to offer when it comes to food, something we all love!
Number 1 in … wait for it… probably would have never guessed… SNACK FOODS! In fact, Pennsylvania is known as the “Snack Food Capital of the World.” According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA,) “with major producers of pretzels, potato chips, confectioneries, and chocolate, Pennsylvania’s snack food and confectionery industries generate more than $5.1 billion in sales annually.” We also have incredibly successful companies like Hershey’s Chocolate, Hanover Pretzels, and H. J. Heinz that have their international headquarters within the state. My personal favorite, those Hershey kisses!
Lets take a few moments today to talk about different areas in Agriculture where Pennsylvania is ranked first in the Nation. That’s right, good ol’ PA has a lot to offer when it comes to food, something we all love!
Number 1 in … wait for it… probably would have never guessed… SNACK FOODS! In fact, Pennsylvania is known as the “Snack Food Capital of the World.” According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA,) “with major producers of pretzels, potato chips, confectioneries, and chocolate, Pennsylvania’s snack food and confectionery industries generate more than $5.1 billion in sales annually.” We also have incredibly successful companies like Hershey’s Chocolate, Hanover Pretzels, and H. J. Heinz that have their international headquarters within the state. My personal favorite, those Hershey kisses!
Pennsylvania is also leading the nation in…. food processing companies! According to the PA Department of Ag, there are over 2,300 food processing companies in the state, ranging from potato chips and chocolate to fruit and ice cream. Also, as mentioned in a previous blog, Chester County in south eastern Pennsylvania is considered the Mushroom capital of the World. Some might scoff at this title, but PA boasts “an annual production of more than 425 million pounds, valuing more than $330.7 million per year.” (PDA website) That is a lot of fungus!
Alright, so straying away from all of the yummy foods, our next Number 1 title is in… Wood?
Alright, so straying away from all of the yummy foods, our next Number 1 title is in… Wood?
Not many people realize that wood is an agricultural product, and trees can be crops. Actually, forests cover more than 60% of Pennsylvania’s land, and continue to grow. (PDA Website) Pennsylvania is world renown for our Christmas trees and Hardwood lumber. “Forest products are our second most exported product group, following only our food products. Nothing beats the outstanding quality and beauty of our black cherry, red maple, red oak, and sugar maple trees. Pennsylvania’s forest products account for nearly $700 million of the State’s many exports.” (Forestry Services, a department within the PDA) This is a big deal, and our hardwood is sought after internationally. In fact, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary George Greig just hosted a visit with business leaders from Linyi City, Shandong Province, China, to discuss the “advantages of using PA hardwoods for manufacturing high-quality wood furniture for consumption by the growing Chinese middle class.” I would say that is pretty impressive.
Way to go Pennsylvania Ag!
Check out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website, you can learn a lot from this incredible resource. The Department’s building is right in the Capital, across from the Farm Show Building in Harrisburg.
http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_department_of_agriculture/10297
Have a great week, and again, feel free to ask me any questions or topics you would like me to discuss,
-Sarabeth
Way to go Pennsylvania Ag!
Check out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website, you can learn a lot from this incredible resource. The Department’s building is right in the Capital, across from the Farm Show Building in Harrisburg.
http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_department_of_agriculture/10297
Have a great week, and again, feel free to ask me any questions or topics you would like me to discuss,
-Sarabeth
2) A Real Princess! 1/24/13
A lot of girls growing up dream of being a Princess. One pictures pink dresses, lots of twirling, and a Prince.
So this is the story of how my sisters and I were crowned as Princesses!
A little girl gasps as she see’s my sisters and I in the grocery store. “Mommy, look, LOOOK it’s a real princess!” The mother smiles and nods, “great sweetie, keep up,” but as they walk past the eggs to the Dairy products section of the store, the mom stops as well. “Oh my,” she whispers.
This is a typical response to consumers seeing us in our “princess get-up!” Now, as a girl more comfortable in muck boots and T-shirts, it’s a bit strange getting ready for a promotion, but it’s fun to dress up every now and then right? What girl doesn’t have a nice dress, some heels, a tiara, and a sash in the closet?
So this is the story of how my sisters and I were crowned as Princesses!
A little girl gasps as she see’s my sisters and I in the grocery store. “Mommy, look, LOOOK it’s a real princess!” The mother smiles and nods, “great sweetie, keep up,” but as they walk past the eggs to the Dairy products section of the store, the mom stops as well. “Oh my,” she whispers.
This is a typical response to consumers seeing us in our “princess get-up!” Now, as a girl more comfortable in muck boots and T-shirts, it’s a bit strange getting ready for a promotion, but it’s fun to dress up every now and then right? What girl doesn’t have a nice dress, some heels, a tiara, and a sash in the closet?
This is my twin sister (right) and me in our tiaras :)
Ok, so I guess I should explain this now! My family is a part of the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and Promotion Services, Inc. or PDPPS, which sounds kinda’ ridiculous, but is actually very neat. Who better to tell children to eat their 3 servings of Dairy products every day than a real princess? And this is exactly what the PDPPS does.
Ok, so I guess I should explain this now! My family is a part of the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and Promotion Services, Inc. or PDPPS, which sounds kinda’ ridiculous, but is actually very neat. Who better to tell children to eat their 3 servings of Dairy products every day than a real princess? And this is exactly what the PDPPS does.
We visit elementary schools to talk to children about the importance of consuming at least three Dairy products a day. This is why I can name all of the essential nutrients in milk. Which, in case you wanted to know are Protein, Vitamins A, B12, B6, and D, Riblofavin, Niacin, Thiamine, Pantothenic acid, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Zinc, Selenium, and of course Calcium! Whew, that’s a mouthful. It is very important to the organization to gear some promotions to children, because drinking milk is so important to skeletal growth, and starting healthy habits. Visit here to learn more about nature’s most perfect drink! //http://www.healthyeating.org/Milk-Dairy/Milk-Infographic.aspx
PDPPS also visits grocery stores to talk to consumers about Dairy products, and answer any questions they have about the Dairy Industry. We can also visit popular events like the Pennsylvania Farm Show, or local events like 5-K’s or town celebrations and parades. It is a great chance to talk to consumers about all facets of agriculture, and where milk really comes from. Check out the PDPPS website at http://www.padairy.org/ Fun fact, last years alternate State Dairy Princess went to my High School!
My mom did such an incredible job taking my sisters and I to these events, and making sure that we were warm enough during parades, looked sharp and professional all the time, and made sure to answer everyone’s questions. Not to mention, she can make a mean milk punch! Sounds gross,but is actually quite delicious! Try it sometime: http://recipehelpers.com/non-alcoholic/99272-pennsylvania-milk-punch.html
Favorite questions from events:
1) Where is the Dairy Queen?
2) Does chocolate milk come from brown cows?
3) Why do cows smell so much?
The craziest part is that some of these questions were asked by adults too!
This is a picture of my sisters from left to right: Alysha, Lindsay, Jen, me, and Amanda.
PDPPS also visits grocery stores to talk to consumers about Dairy products, and answer any questions they have about the Dairy Industry. We can also visit popular events like the Pennsylvania Farm Show, or local events like 5-K’s or town celebrations and parades. It is a great chance to talk to consumers about all facets of agriculture, and where milk really comes from. Check out the PDPPS website at http://www.padairy.org/ Fun fact, last years alternate State Dairy Princess went to my High School!
My mom did such an incredible job taking my sisters and I to these events, and making sure that we were warm enough during parades, looked sharp and professional all the time, and made sure to answer everyone’s questions. Not to mention, she can make a mean milk punch! Sounds gross,but is actually quite delicious! Try it sometime: http://recipehelpers.com/non-alcoholic/99272-pennsylvania-milk-punch.html
Favorite questions from events:
1) Where is the Dairy Queen?
2) Does chocolate milk come from brown cows?
3) Why do cows smell so much?
The craziest part is that some of these questions were asked by adults too!
This is a picture of my sisters from left to right: Alysha, Lindsay, Jen, me, and Amanda.