from Penn State Extension Berks County
The Berks County 4-H Dairy Club members’ 2024 participation and achievements were recognized during the recent 4-H Dairy Recognition at the Berks County Agricultural Center.
The Joyce Miller 4-H Career Advancement Award was awarded to Katelyn Heckman of the Eastern Berks 4-H Dairy Club. The Joyce Miller Award recognizes an outstanding Berks County 4-H dairy club member for their leadership experiences, participation in club and county events, and community service. They receive an award to be used for higher education, career training, or career investment. Katelyn has been a 4-H member for the past 10 years. She has served as the club secretary for six years and has been a teen leader. Katie attended the 2022 National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, WI, and the PA 4-H Animal Science Camp in 2022 and 2023. Katelyn credits 4-H with teaching her a love for dairy science and encourages her to keep a strong tie to the dairy industry.
The Charles D. Care Memorial Rookie Award is presented to a first- or second-year member from each dairy club for being a “Rookie” of the year. Each club nominates a member who attends club meetings, participates in projects, helps out at the fair with good housekeeping, and participates in showmanship and fitting. This year the clubs’ “Rookies” were: Zoey Hauseman from the Eastern Berks 4-H Dairy Club and Easton Sattazahn from the Northwestern Berks 4-H Dairy Club. The overall county Charles D. Care Rookie of the Year was Easton Sattazahn.
The 4-H members keep records on their cattle all year long and complete project books to show what they do with their animals. These books are judged, and the top three in each age grouping are recognized. The 4-H Dairy Project Books were judged by Hayden Guldin from Oley Valley Feed. The winners were: 8-9 Year-Olds 1st place Leah Hauseman, Eastern Berks; 2nd place Caleb Keller, Eastern Berks; 3rd place Ashtyn Gehringer, Northwestern Berks; 10-12 Year-Olds 1st place Malaina Rhoads, Northwestern Berks; 2nd place Elaina Fox, Northwestern Berks; 3rd place Zoey Hauseman, Eastern Berks; 13-15 Year-Olds 1st place Phoebe Stutzman, Northwestern Berks; 2nd place Kalina Rhoads, Northwestern Berks; 3rd place Zander Brown, Northwestern Berks; 16-18 Year-Olds 1st place Katelyn Heckman, Eastern Berks; 2nd place James Moyer, Eastern Berks; 3rd place Sara Haag, Northwestern Berks.
Officer book awards were presented to: Secretary Book – Katelyn Heckman, Eastern Berks; Treasurer Book – James Moyer, Eastern Berks; Club Scrapbook – Eastern Berks 4-H Club.
A new award for 2024 was the Overall 4-H Showmanship and Fitting Awards. The winners were: Junior Fitting Leah Hauseman, Eastern Berks; Intermediate Fitting Malaina Rhoads, Northwestern Berks; Senior Fitting Sara Haag, Northwestern Berks; Junior Showmanship Leah Hauseman, Eastern Berks; Intermediate Showmanship Kalina Rhoads, Northwestern Berks; Senior Showmanship Sara Haag, Northwestern Berks; James Moyer and Sara Haag graduated from the 4-H program this past year. They were recognized and given a small token of appreciation for their contributions to the Berks County 4-H Dairy Program.
4-H members were also recognized for their participation in the 2024 PSU Spring Dairy Judging Contest, the 2024 PA 4-H Dairy Judging Contest, the 2024 PA Junior Dairy Show, and the 2024 All-American Dairy Showmanship Contest.
4-H Dairy Club volunteers were also recognized for their dedication to the 4-H dairy program. Melaine Mertz was recognized as a 10-year volunteer in the Eastern Berks 4-H Dairy Club, and Linda Youse was recognized as a 37-year volunteer in the Eastern Berks 4-H Dairy Club.
Following the recognition program, Kasey Hower, Penn State Extension Dairy Educator, led a program about forages and the Penn State Particle Separator.
Program participants included: Master of Ceremonies – James Moyer and Sara Haag; Pledges by Alexa Davis and Katelyn Heckman; Milk Toast by Charlotte Wallace, Pennsylvania Dairy Princess.
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Source: bctv