PHOTO PROVIDED Adelaide Miller, center, and Emily Bechdel, right, are pictured after earning second place in the avian bowl at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference, held at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.

UNIVERSITY PARK — A team of Pennsylvania 4-H members earned second place in the avian bowl at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference, held recently at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.

The avian bowl team included Adelaide Miller and Emily Bechdel from Clinton County.

The conference offers national-level activities and contests designed to introduce participants to poultry and the poultry industry.

The avian bowl tests contestants’ knowledge of several species of poultry, as well as food safety, physiology, nutrition, eggs and related subjects.

“Participating in animal science knowledge contests teaches youth about their 4-H animal science projects and increases their knowledge level about those projects,” said Kirsten Dubbs, Penn State Extension 4-H animal science specialist. “In addition, these contests provide opportunities to learn and practice a host of other life skills, such as decision-making, teamwork, evaluating on the fly, memorization and recall.”

The Pennsylvania Livestock Association provides financial support to 4-H teams traveling for these types of contests. An industry-sponsored poultry endowment in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences also helps cover costs for national poultry contest participants.

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the United States Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-H.