Natalee Zug, 9, of Mifflintown, walks a dairy cow from the milking machines at the 70th annual Morrisons Cove Dairy Show at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park, Martinsburg, last week. Natalee spends summers at her grandparents’ farm in Everett. / Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Despite the easing of pandemic-related restrictions, livestock entries in local county fairs and farm shows are down from previous years due to continued uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

After having to cancel events last year to abide by lockdown rules, many 4-H members were left with animals they couldn’t sell, organizers said.

This year, members were “hesitant to buy animals and raise them because they didn’t know if a fair was going to happen,” said James D. Edwards, president of the Bedford County Fair. Edwards said entries in all other categories — such as fruits and vegetables — were down as well.

Organizers of other area fairs and farm shows are seeing the same trend.

John Mills said that while the Huntingdon County Fair has quite a few livestock entries at the event being held this week, numbers are down in every species.

“It’s not terrible, but not what we’re used to,” said Mills, a member of the Huntingdon County Fair board.

In neighboring Williamsburg, organizers for the Community Farm Show extended the livestock entry deadline from Aug. 1 to Aug. 14 because few applications were received, President Jeffrey Walason said.

The Blair County Junior Livestock Show and Sale, held recently at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park, also saw fewer entries, though not a drastic drop.

While uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 played a factor, Peggy Mock, a 4-H lamb leader, attributes part of the decline to the number of restrictions put in place by Penn State’s 4-H Extension.

Mock, of Woodbury Township, said her group only had one meeting for the entire year and resorted to emailing members their assignments.

Edwards also attributed part of the decline in entries to Penn State, saying the restrictions “made it difficult trying to hold meetings early in the year.”

According to the assistant director of 4-H youth development programs for Penn State Extension, clubs have been able to meet in person, but there were protocols they had to follow.

“For eight months now, they’ve been able to meet in person as long as they complete and submit a safety plan,” Joshua E. Rice said.

However, Mock said that rules outlined in the plan, such as needing a large room to meet in, could be prohibitive.

“It was a lot of stuff that you had to go through that you just didn’t want to take the chance,” Mock said of the rules.

Some groups were able to hold their meetings outside while others used Zoom, Mock said.

While their numbers were down, the Bedford County Fair had a record livestock sale.

“The kids really benefited from the community,” Edwards said, noting bidders “stepped up and paid a lot more than what the market price was.”

The sale raked in $370,000, he added.

Overall, the Bedford Fair went well, he said.

“Every day was a good day for us,” Edwards said. “It was the best week we’ve had since 2005.”

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.