Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers today unveiled the 19th annual butter sculpture to kick off the 93rd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. This year’s creamy creation, crafted from 900 pounds of butter donated by the Land O’Lakes plant in Carlisle, is a tribute to the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Since Benjamin Franklin formed the first Pennsylvania National Guard in 1747, the brave members have been ready to leave the comforts of home and farm to defend their nation’s interests and bring peace and hope throughout the world.
“Dairy farmers have a long and proud involvement in the Pennsylvania National Guard,” said Tom Croner, a Somerset County dairy farmer and chairman of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. “When the Guard first formed, dairy farmers laid down their farming equipment and picked up weapons to fight for our freedom. Today, we salute the men and women who work diligently to protect us.”
At the conclusion of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the butter sculpture will march across the state to Erie, where it will be made into nearly 140 gallons of biodiesel at Lake Erie Biofuels. The company plans to donate the that fuel and more to the Pennsylvania National Guard for use in its operations.
Those attending today’s butter sculpture unveiling enjoyed music from “High Altitude” a popular music component of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard Band of the Mid-Atlantic under the direction of Master Sergeant Howard Boots. Invited guests included Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis C Wolff, Pennsylvania Dairy Princess LeeAnn Kapanick, Nelson Habecker representing Land O’Lakes, Blair County dairy farmer and Pennsylvania National Guardsman Ethan England, and Major General Jessica Wright of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Sculptor Jim Victor of Conshohocken, who has carved himself a niche using butter, chocolate and cheese as his mediums, created this year’s sculpture.Victor began crafting the design in mid-December and spent approximately two weeks creating the tribute to the Pennsylvania National Guard.
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The butter sculpture is sponsored annually by Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program on behalf of the Commonwealth’s dairy farmers. Funded by dairy farmers, the promotion organizations work to increase the demand for and sales of milk and dairy products in the Mid-Atlantic region.