Livestock

Rebecca Hamilton of Lisbon was named Miss Maryland Agriculture 2005 Friday evening on the opening day of the Maryland State Fair in Timonium. Hamilton, 16, was chosen to compete for the state title when she was named Miss Howard County Farm Bureau this month. The contest included participants from 23 counties, the largest group of competitors in six years. "I think this is going to be an incredible opportunity for me throughout the year," said Hamilton, who plans to visit every county in Maryland to increase awareness of agriculture.

Upon hearing the announcer call his name, 6-year-old Tucker Schmidt tugged on his lamb's halter and pulled it toward a show ring yesterday at the Howard County Fair. The announcer read a description of the entry: "Plain or white? Boxers or briefs? Spandex or cotton? Only tightie whities for Captain Underpants, the superhero of undergarments." The black lamb emerged wearing a very large pair of Fruit of the Looms and a red felt cape, with the initials C.U. glued onto it. The audience laughed as Tucker, wearing a matching cape and holding a C.U.-emblazoned cardboard shield, circled the ring with the young animal.

Conor Perkins was having the time of his life. After two years of rejection, Conor, 12, had been chosen to judge the Suewee pig races at the 18th annual Harford County Farm Fair. He joined thousands of people who turned out for Thursday's opening festivities. Attendance was high, and lines were backing up shortly after the gates opened. Parking lots were filled, and shuttle buses were running constantly to designated locations. Vendors and craftsmen showed their wares. Livestock was being cleaned and groomed in barns and taken outside to dry in the warm sun. People filed through the tents and gathered to watch the shows and events.

The first of nearly 20,000 exhibits arrive Thursday at the fairgrounds in Westminster. Tractor operators compete on an obstacle course Friday morning as 4-H members submit their fowl for judging. By evening, a popular country and western artist will have crowds singing and feet stomping in the horse ring. The 108th Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair, which opens Thursday and will run through Aug. 5, will be filled with the event's signature "ag-citement." Visitors to the Ag Center, home to the fair, will see mules jumping and pulling, pigs racing and swimming and the county's premier livestock groomed to perfection and competing for prizes.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tall buildings and outdoor cafes are tempting targets for terrorists. So may be the hamburger in your bun - or the bun itself. America's food supply is vulnerable to attacks that might not be as drastic as a bomb but could have explosive consequences for the economy and public confidence, scientists and law enforcement officials agree. Many of them will convene this week here for the first international symposium on "agroterrorism." They will talk about how easily diseases can be used as weapons against crops or livestock and how best to prevent an outbreak.

Medical center empoyees buy livestock for Tanzania TOWSON -- Empoloyees of St. Joseph Medical Center have given $12,000 to buy chickens and goats for the poor of Tanzania, the medical center said in a statement. Tony LaPorta, laboratory manager, and Polly Ristaino, infection control manager, left recently to provide health care and bring medical supplies to Karatu, Tanzania, where St. Joseph has been participating in a Village Wellness Program since 2001. The program is supported by a three-year $324,000 grant from the Mission and Ministry Fund of Catholic Health Initiatives and a $25,000 grant from the Sisters of St. Francis in Philadelphia, the medical center said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday a temporary amnesty for pollution enforcement against large livestock operations that agree to air monitoring and pay small fines. Ammonia rising from chicken, pig and cow manure is regarded by researchers as a significant source of pollution that drifts back down into waterways and helps to create low-oxygen "dead zones" in the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere. The agreement is likely to mean individual fines ranging from $200 to $100,000 for many of the 2,100 chicken farms on the Delmarva peninsula, but no immediate changes requiring them to install air pollution filters on chicken house fans or vents.

A group of Oakland Mills Middle School pupils is doing its part to end world hunger by hitting the books. Through the Read to Feed program, they are soliciting pledges for reading a certain number of books. The money is used to purchase animals such as heifers, goats, chickens and water buffalo for poor families around the world. Read to Feed is sponsored by Heifer International, a nonprofit organization based in Little Rock, Ark., that aims to help poor families with long-term solutions to their problems.

Satellite broadcast to focus on organic livestock Washington State University Extension will sponsor a nationwide organic agriculture satellite broadcast from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Maryland 4-H Center, just north of the University of Maryland Campus in College Park. The focus of this broadcast is organic livestock production practices, issues and resources. The broadcast will feature a panel of experts discussing organic livestock; trends and opportunities in organic livestock production; key factors for success; challenges; infrastructure and support; animal health care; feed supply and sources and animal nutrition; living conditions and housing; post-harvest handling, processing and marketing; and resources.

Annie McGraw, 8, was a whiz at identifying types of animal feed and equipment used to care for livestock, but telling a Hampshire from a Montadale sheep and a Brahman from a Hereford steer stumped her a little. As a member of the Howard County Livestock Clovers, Annie took part in several events last week at the Howard County Fair geared toward the youngest 4-H members. That included a quiz Thursday to see how much the participants have learned over the year. "We take this test every year, but it's still kind of tricky," said Annie, who lives in Woodbine.