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July 13, 2005 |

With skills that only come from countless hours of training and practice, Jeff Thompson guides his 200-pound show gilt with a 3-foot length of wood as it walks in a Calhoun County barnyard. As the Alexandria teenager works with the animal, he exhibits a work ethic that will serve him well, regardless of the career he chooses.”I’ve learned a lot of responsibility,” Thompson said. “It takes a lot of work to be able to take a pig out in the ring and do what you want to with it. You’ve got to take time out of your day, everyday, to come do this; it doesn’t just run on its own.”Thompson is one of thousands of Alabama young people who are learning responsibility and building character through youth livestock programs. And while hog shows aren’t as numerous as those for beef cattle, it is a project that most students could manage even if they don’t have an agricultural background, according to Thompson’s FFA teacher, Randy Shuffield.Most participants get their show pigs two months before their show, though some get started earlier, he said. From there, it is a matter of spending time with the animal to acclimate it to the person who will show it. Young people also have to train, feed, water and provide care for their animals. The pigs do not require as much room compared to other livestock projects, and they can even be raised in the backyard of a neighborhood home… after clearing it with the neighbors first.”With hogs, you could basically come into a backyard somewhere and build a pen good enough to hold hogs with some T-posts and bull panels,” Shuffield said. “I work with a lot of children who don’t come from a farm background, and this project works good for them.”4-Her’s and FFA students have been showing swine in parts of Alabama for at least 40 years, and the program is a great educational opportunity. Alabama Pork Producers, a division of Alabama Farmers Federation, and county Farmers Federations across the state are perennial sponsors of the State Market Hog Show held in Montgomery each January.Brian Hardin, director of the Federation’s Pork Division, said sponsoring the show helps encourage future farmers and educate future consumers.”Swine production is still an important part of Alabama agriculture, even though it has changed in recent years,” Hardin said. “With fewer farmers raising hogs, these shows are one of the few ways children can be exposed to this segment of agriculture–which produces the most widely consumed meat in the world. Showing livestock helps young people learn values and skills that will serve them well in life, and who knows, it might encourage some of them to pursue careers in agriculture.”Youth hog show participants learn about raising a pig, as well as a little discipline. “I’ve learned responsibility of raising an animal, feeding it, and making sure it’s got a nice pen to live in,” said Daniel Trantham of Alexandria, who has shown hogs for five years and raises his own show hogs.Bob Ebert, an extension animal scientist who works with the 4-H and youth livestock programs, said young people who show livestock often go on to have successful careers.”The benefits of any youth livestock program are learning the decision-making process of selecting an animal, and the responsibility that the animal depends solely upon you,” he said. “The uniqueness of the swine program is that it is a short-term project, with only 45 days as the minimum requirement.”Parents can get a youth involved in the swine program without spending a lot of money, and they don’t need a lot of land, according to Stan Windham, county agent coordinator for Coffee County.”This is a great project if you have children who you really want to get back to some grassroots stuff, but you don’t have a lot to put into it,” he said. “You don’t have to have a lot of space; you don’t have to put a lot of money into it; and you don’t have to have the fanciest facilities in the world.”Participants learn about raising and showing pigs, but there is far more to the experience. The youth also learn about personal responsibility, friendly competition and leadership.”I think it’s a great opportunity for kids to develop friendships and relationships, as well as mentorships,” Jennifer Shikes said. “I’ve seen a lot of kids go through our program and grow as leaders and as people.”Shikes is the director of junior activities for the National Swine Registry, and grew up showing horses and sheep, as well as hogs. “People look for kids with youth program experience, who know you have to work at something. Those basic principles really make a difference,” she said.Doug Trantham, Daniel’s father, sees a virtuous benefit to the program.”I think most of the young people involved in these livestock events seem to walk a straighter line. It’s a good moral thing for them, even if they are not going to follow up in agriculture,” he said.Livestock programs also teach an interesting balance of competition and cooperation.”It’s like there is a line at the show ring,” said Shuffield. “Back in the barn, they are helping each other every way they can, making sure they get in the ring. Once they walk into the ring, it’s everyone competing for themselves. When they come back out of the ring, they’re helping each other get back in the pens and working together. It’s a good work ethic and good relations I see forming with these young people.”Livestock programs become a family activity through the support the youth receive from their families. Paul Waddy, district extension coordinator for east Alabama, has often seen the benefit families get from having children with livestock projects.”I get the pleasure of seeing kids develop from the standpoint of taking responsibilities and having a stronger relationship with their parents because it causes communication to come about as a result of working with the livestock program,” he said.Not only do the youth and their families gain a great deal from their participation, but their extension agents and teachers do as well.”When you get close to kids, you can’t put money on that,” Windham said. “When children have a project, that’s when you can grow close to them. There’s a comradery there that is just indispensable. I love to watch them succeed; I get a lot out of that.”Calhoun County Extension Agent Geni Payne described her job as a lot of fun. “This job is rewarding, and it’s entertaining to be out with the kids,” she said. “I’ve been very impressed by all the kids I’ve worked with in agriculture; they’re just outstanding young people.”Kim Good, regional extension agent from Ashland, sees a higher objective for the program beyond an education in production agriculture. “The purpose of livestock programs is not to make farmers but to make responsible individuals. We are trying to educate youth about agriculture,” she said.Doug Trantham points out a useful long term aim of the swine youth program. “I think any young person we can bring through any livestock program or horticulture program or forestry program is one less adult we’re going to have to argue with in 10 years. They’re going to have a basic idea of what agriculture is about and where their food supply comes from. I think it’s a good thing for young people to be in.”

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