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Farm Show will celebrate agrarian roots and progress

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Courtesy of American Dairy Association

Churning out a 1,000-pound butter sculpture again will be a featured attraction at the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show, which will kick off Jan. 7 in Harrisburg. The 2022 sculpture is shown above.

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Ziemba

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Kapur

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Hodgens

It might be harvest time, but it’s not too soon to be thinking – and preparing for – the state’s premier agrarian attraction.

The 107th Pennsylvania Farm Show will take place Jan. 7 through 14 at its customary location, the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

“Rooted in Progress” will be the theme, state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced recently. That, according to a department news release, is a testament to “the deep roots of agriculture in Pennsylvania’s heritage (and) significant updates and pivots farmers and their families have made, and continue to make, to grow and adapt as markets, consumers, climate and resources change.

“This year’s theme honors our roots and vision for the future,” Redding added.

The Farm Show was conducted virtually in 2021 and returned to in-person a year ago. The 2023 event again will include the 1,000-pound butter sculpture; numerous competitions, including bunny-hopping and sheep-shearing; cooking demonstrations; food court; and hands-on agriculture education opportunities.

The state’s ag industry is valued at $132.5 billion.

County chamber

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce announced recently it will add four board members beginning in 2023.

New directors will be: Andrew Chumney of Peacock Keller LLP; Gary Lobaugh, Pennsylvania American Water; Brian McCarthy, Valley Tire Co.; and Dale-Elizabeth Pehrson, Pennsylvania Western University.

The board’s 19-member executive committee will feature chairperson Laural Ziemba, Range Resources; Matt Thiel, AUMA Actuators, vice chairperson; Brook Ward, Washington Health System, treasurer; Jeffrey Walentosky, Moody & Associates, secretary; Brian Cullen, SingleSource Property Solutions, assistant secretary/treasurer; Gerald Cathell, Definiti LLC, past chairperson; Scott Armstrong, ATI Flat Rolled Products; John Burglund, past chairman, RES; Jennifer Gerchow, ANSYS; William J. King Jr., Washington Financial; Christopher Koop, Energy Transfer; Jim Lyle, Moody & Associates/Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency; David Mariner, Waynesburg University-Southpointe Center; Renee Fleener Morales, Crown Castle; Louis J. Panza Jr., Penn Highlands Mon Valley; Kimberly Price, Olympus Energy LLC; Ryan Schwotzer, Crossgates Inc.; Kristian E. White, Steptoe & Johnson, LLC; and Diana Irey Vaughan, county commissioners chair.

Peacock Keller

Keith E. Hodgens II is a new associate at Peacock Keller, a full-service law firm based in Washington.

Hodgens, a member of the Allegheny and Washington County Bar Associations, will focus his practice on estate planning, estate administration and business law.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Allegheny College and a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University.

New therapist

Physical therapist Desiree Abrahamsen has joined Penn Highlands Healthcare Mon Valley, serving at the rehabilitation location in Monongahela.

Abrahamsen, a Monessen High School graduate, has a graduate degree from Ohio State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

The health of the Mon Valley is something incredibly important to me,” she said in a statement. “I am hoping to help and get involved in any way that I can.”

Penn Highlands Healthcare has nine hospitals, including Mon Valley and Connellsville facilities.

AHN doctor

Girish “Bobby” Kapur, M.D., has been appointed chair of Allegheny Health Network’s Emergency Medicine Institute. He succeeds longtime chair Thomas Campbell, who is now AHN’s vice president and medical director of Clinician Wellness.

Kapur also will continue to serve as president of AHN Emergency Medicine Management, the network’s joint venture with US Acute Care Solutions. The initiative provides emergency physician staffing for AHN’s 14 hospitals, and for several independent hospitals across the region.

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