Chester County residents once again shone during the 2015 Pennsylvania Farm Show, which ended Jan. 17.

The three top cheeses in the show’s very first cheese competition were local artisan cheeses. Seven Sisters was the creation of Stacey Gentile of The Farm at Doe Run, Coatesville; Cloud Nine was made by Al Renzi at Yellow Springs Farm, Chester Springs; and Tomme Mole was made by Susan R. Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm, also of Chester Springs.

We recently reported on Birchrun Hills Farm’s successful crowdfunding effort as the Miller family prepares to expand their cheese making operation.

In other competitions, the Suffolk Ewe exhibited by Kyle MacCauley of Atglen was crowned supreme in the Meat Breeding Sheep Show.

“[The female sheep] is super correct and does it with a tick more femininity than the others,” quipped the judge of MacCauley’s Suffolk.

Also, Justin Lytle of Lincoln University has the Champion Hampshire Ewe and Nancy Marsh of Honey Brook showed the Reserve Champion Ewe in this category.

In the Open Dairy Goat Show, Lovell Snickers exhibited by Annette Lovell of Paoli was Grand Champion and Best of Breed, and her Lovell Tandy was Reserve Grand Champion.

Pennsylvania Mushroom Grower’s Cooperative sold more than 7,500 pounds of mushrooms. About 65 percent of the mushrooms produced in the United States come from Pennsylvania, primarily Chester, Delaware and Berks counties.

Kathryn Poppiti, a mushroom educator with the Penn State Extension Service in Chester County, and the Lytle family told the York Daily News about mushroom and sheep farming.

In all, the show had more than 10,000 competitive exhibits and nearly 300 commercial exhibit scattered over 24 acres, 11 halls and three arenas. Read full results from the nation’s largest agricultural show here.

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Top photo credit: joelsp via photopin cc