Clarke County 4-H is excited to announce a new animal production poject.....4-H PIG SQUEAL!!!! The project is intended to teach youth about swine production rrom the standpoint of raising a healthy food product. In developing this program, we decided to make this as close to real production as possible. Each participant will receive two feeder pigs that are 50-60 days old and weigh approximately 40 - 50 pounds. The participants will take the swine home and care for them through the winter and into the spring where they will then participate in a pig show and sale. An educational training will be held next week for 4-Hers and their parents that will focus on housing, 4-H record keeping, feeding and caring for the feeder pigs. Each particiant will also receive youth pork quality assurance plus certification and be equipped with a production manual to referece. The picgs will be picked up in January and raised by the 4-Hers for 100-120 days. Another exciting component of the project is that the 4-Hers will get to take a field trip to the Auburn Meats Lab where they will have the opportunity to watch the entire process of producing meat products. At the end of the project, the pigs will weigh around 250 pounds and be ready for processing. Participants will bring one of the market hogs to the show and auction in April/May to exhibit and sell to the highest bidder. The remaining hog is then sold or provessed for their family. The registration fee is $100.00 and the deadline to sign up for this project is Friday, December 6th. Youth participating in this project must be 9-19 years old on or by January 1, 2014. For more information on this project, call the Clarke County Extension Office at 251-275-3121.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:37:29 +0000