Extension Corner: Area students involved in annual NE Alabama 4-H Pig Squeal
Jan. 14 was one of the days our 4-H team has circled on the calendar all year long — Northeast Alabama 4-H Pig Squeal Pickup Day.
Our students have been hard at work learning about how to raise their pigs and making final preparations for their pig enclosures. Students are making sure that they have ready access to high-quality feed and clean water, all for the end goal of raising heavy, happy pigs that you can bid on during our show and auction on April 29, at a site to be determined.
Volunteers and staff from across the state drove to a pickup point near Tuscaloosa and tagged, sorted and sent the pigs on trailers across the state. Hundreds of 4-H participants across the state are all doing this program in parallel, within their county or region.
Our participants in Etowah County are joining with their friends in DeKalb and Cherokee counties for the Northeast Alabama iteration of the project.
The Pig Squeal program focuses on the swine commodity group and teaches young people responsibility, managerial skills and entrepreneurship.
Each participant received two feeder hogs and for the next 100 days, they are responsible for raising them in a healthy, humane way. They then get to bring their best hog to a show and auction.
This project has a fantastic community support element. You can come to the show and support Etowah County 4-H participants, and fill your freezer full of local pork products.
There will be an auction following the show on April 29. Bidders will not have to take possession of a live hog. Processors will be on hand to haul the purchased hogs; processing fees are an addition to the auction price.
If you have other questions about the program or any other area under the Extension umbrella, please reach out or stop by our office on the fourth floor of the Etowah County Courthouse at 800 Forrest Ave., call us at 256-547-7936 or visit us on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3otwUdl or online at https://bit.ly/3yniPCx.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal-opportunity educator and employer. Everyone is welcome! Please let us know if you have accessibility needs.
Eric Wright is extension coordinator for the Etowah County Extension Office.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Northeast Alabama 4-H Pig Squeal underway
