UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Four Pennsylvania 4-H'ers sponsored by Penn Ag Industries Association Poultry Council excelled at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Ky., recently. Representing Pennsylvania in the National Avian Bowl contest Nov. 16-17 were team members Hannah Atkins, Christine Molinaro and Kristen Stufft, all from Mifflin County. The team was coached and chaperoned by Carrie Stufft. After the quiz portion of the contest, Pennsylvania was seeded first. The team placed second overall after a double-elimination bowl portion. "The team did exceptionally well in this competition," says Phillip Clauer, poultry science senior extension associate in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, which supported the team. "In fact, Chris (Molinaro), a freshman at Penn State, and Hanna (Atkins), who is planning on attending the university in the fall, both had perfect scores on the exam portion." For placing second, all three team members received a plaque, a gold pin and a $100 savings bond. In the National 4-H Chicken Barbecue Presentation Contest, Laura Dewalt of Northampton placed second. The 4-H extension educator for Northampton County, Kelly Weisner, served as coach.

"There are three areas Laura was judged in: cooking skill, sensory evaluation and oral presentation," says Clauer. "Each contestant cooked four products and picked the best two to present to the judges. Also, this contest required an illustrated presentation addressing various aspects of the poultry industry." Dewalt received a gold pin and a $400 savings bond for her second-place finish.

While all members of the Pennsylvania 4-H delegation placed high in the competition, just making it to the national event is a major accomplishment, according to Clauer. "Over the summer we had 4-H Achievement Days, in which 4-H'ers competed in various events just to earn the opportunity to represent Pennsylvania," he says. "We encourage interested youth to participate in one of these poultry contests in the future," adds Clauer. "These activities provide exceptional learning experiences, are a lot of fun and provide excellent awards."

For information on participating in these events, contact Clauer at 814-863-8960 or by e-mail at pclauer@psu.edu, or visit the Penn State 4-H Poultry Web site.

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EDITORS: Contact Phillip Clauer at (814) 863-8960 or by e-mail at pjc19@psu.edu.

Writers: Ryan Szivos Editor: Jeff Mulhollem Penn State Ag Sciences News