Pigs, sheep and cows, oh my! Only at the 30th annual Harford County Farm Fair could attendees find livestock, homemade desserts, carnival rides, and a whole bunch of family fun.

    While most students are spending their summer lounging by the pool working on their tan, FFA students spent a large majority of their summer training and preparing North Harford High Schools pigs and sheep to show at the Harford County Farm Fair. “The students that showed worked almost every weekday over the summer to get their animals ready,” according to Jasmine Coates, a senior and this years FFA secretary, who spent her third year in a row showing NHHS animals.  “Some people were there from morning to night to make sure everything with their animal was good.”

    Not only were North Harford students showing animals, many student volunteered their time as a part of the barnyard crew and 4H snowball stand. “I was in the barnyard and helped clean the animal pens and sell raffle tickets for FFAs hog raffle,” recalled junior Lynne Thomas,  this year’s chaplin of FFA. Among the many animals in the barnyard, NH volunteered Gracie the fistulated cow, Bert the alpaca, and the two lambs.

    Two members of the pig showing team at North Harford had the opportunity to travel to the State fair to further compete in pig showing, senior Gracie Goetz and Madison Nielson.“ While I was at the state fair I showed my pig and I showed her in market and showmanship,” said Goetz.  “I got 4th place in showmanship and 2nd in market.”

  Madison Neilson placed  4th in showmanship and 8th in market. While at state fair Goetz and Nielson had the opportunity to meet and interact with the Autumn Lippy the Maryland State FFA President.

    Not only did FFA students show animals at the farm fair, Senior Brooke Rickey has been showing animals through 4H since she was 8 years old, and this year she did exceptionally well. “I got overall supreme grand champion beef showmanship, champion senior showman beef, reserve champion over all showman for sheep, grand champion and reserve champion angus heifer, grand and reserve champion red angus heifer, supreme overall supreme grand champion cow calf pair, champion red angus cow calf pair, grand champion divisional heifer, supreme champion ewe, grand champion and reserve suffolk ewe, supreme flock, garland and reserve champion turkey, grand and reserve champion meat chicken” recalled Rickey.

    However, that was only from the Harford County farm fair, Rickey had the chance to continue and compete at the Maryland State Fair. Rickey received “overall grand champion red angus cow calf pair, grand and reserve champion divisional heifer, grand champion produce of dam, grand champion pair of heifers, grand champion red angus cow calf, and i won a ton of classes”.