A feature in Lancaster Farming details a busy year for the 2018 Pennsylvania Dairy Princess, Yvonne Longenecker, who also happens to be involved in the Synergy Youth Program at the Martinsburg, Pa., Grace Brethren Church (Brian McCall, executive pastor). A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
Yvonne Longenecker’s Very Busy Dairy Year
Yvonne Longenecker, the 2018 Pennsylvania dairy princess, loves the farm.
“I have enjoyed every minute of this busy past year,” said this soon-to-be-Penn State student.
The daughter of Yvette and Douglas Longenecker, Yvonne was crowned state dairy princess at a dairy pageant event in Harrisburg in September 2017.
She could not believe they selected her. “There were 27 in the contest,” she said. “(The) judges narrowed it down to seven and I could not believe I made that group. All of the girls were very qualified, so I was really surprised when they picked me.”
As part of the competition, each county dairy princess was asked to write and prepare a skit about the dairy industry. The skit must be aimed at elementary school-aged children.
Besides having the state title, Longenecker was also the Blair County dairy princess. She continued performing all of her required county-level duties until May 18, when she relinquished the Blair County crown to Kara Stultz.
It has been a whirlwind year, she said, with dairy promotions, school presentations and even tours on her grandfather’s dairy farm, located near her parents’ own small beef farm.
“My dairy background comes from my grandfather’s farm,” Longenecker said. “My mother is part owner of the Penn England farm located on Fox Hollow Road near Williamsburg.”
It is a large dairy farm with about 2,000 milking Holsteins and 50 employees. There are several Jerseys intermingled in the herd — the preferred breed of her sisters.
Click here to read the complete article.