Did you know? On average, a pig will gain 2 lbs per day after the first week or so of life until they reach maturity. Amazing!
So what does that mean for Peaches' piglets? Well, by the time Shippensburg Fair comes - the last week of July - those little guys and gals will weigh from 250 - 280 lbs! That's a whole lot of ham and bacon! Yes - that's right - I said it. Whether you are a carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore, these pigs were born for a purpose. To become food for humans. The pork chop you had at dinner last night or the bacon you had with your eggs this morning was not grown on a styrofoam tray at Giant, Wegman's or any other grocery store. It was raised and processed through humane practices and quality animal husbandry skills on an American farm.
The FFA members at Cumberland Valley will have the opportunity to purchase the piglets when they reach their weaning weight. At that point, the piglets will be separated from Peaches and will grow to market weight either at the school or local farms. FFA members learn key animal husbandry skills and gain an incredible amount of responsibility by caring for their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects through the FFA. Essentially, their learning will extend beyond the classroom into a real-world, practical application. Hands-on learning at its finest!
Photo by Jill Uhler
On Tuesday, July 23, 2013 - the piglets (which will then be market weight) will be sold at the Robert L. Finkenbinder FFA Market Animal Sale. Students will truly get to experience the joy of raising an animal from Farm to Fork! Yes, this may seem morbid as you look at the cute pictures - but, it's the reality of life.
Did you know? On average, every American consumes roughly twelve (12) whole pigs during their lifetime by eating pork products like ham, bacon, hotdogs, etc... That's over 3,000 lbs of pork! Oink, Oink!
I am thankful for those of you who raise pigs because not only are they used for food, but also to produce thyroid medications. I have an under active thyroid and am required to take thyroid replacement medication. After many years on synthetic thyroid meds, I was switched to Armour which is produced from the thyroids of pigs. It is much more effective than synthetic thyroid replacements.
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