With every pig raised, a lesson learned

Steer and pigs raised by Tarpon Springs High School students will be auctioned off at the county fair tonight.

By JULIE CHURCH

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 30, 2001

TARPON SPRINGS -- These little piggies are going to market.

Six pigs and two steers raised by students in Tarpon Springs High School's Agriscience Academy were delivered to the Pinellas County Fair in Pinellas Park on Tuesday, competed for prizes on Wednesday and will be sold tonight to the highest bidder.

Students purchased the animals in the fall and have been learning the business of agriculture throughout the project.

"This is a business for them, not just an animal project," said Debora Edwards, founder of the academy in 1990, and a teacher at Tarpon Springs High School. "Through this project they learn marketing and enterpreneurship."

The pigs cost $100 each and the steers were $300. Students traveled to North Florida to purchase the animals with guidance from Edwards, 50, who runs a 135-acre hay farm and raises cattle in Chiefland when she is not teaching.

They will be sold tonight at 7 p.m., sent to a slaughterhouse in Hernando County after the auction and be ready for pickup Sunday in the form of bacon and hamburger.

"These people are getting choice, premium-quality meat," Edwards said. "There are no preservatives used, no steroids and they are USDA-inspected."

Prices paid for the animals vary, but last year one steer brought in $6,000, Edwards said. They will be happy if the animals sell for $2 per pound. All proceeds from the sales go to the students who raised them.

Raising the animals requires a huge commitment of both time and money from the teens. They pay all the expenses of caring for the livestock out of their own pockets. Costs average more than $500 for each animal.

Students keep journals detailing the expenses involved in raising the animals so they can use them to justify the bidding prices for the livestock at auction.

They also must find bidders to attend the auction. Students visit local businesses and develop contacts that could lead to a sale.

Because the animals are kept at the school, the teens are required to visit every day to assure they are properly cared for and safe.

"No day is a day off," said senior Cynthia Schadt, 18. "We even jump fences for these pigs."

The academy is one of the best-kept secrets at the high school. At the wooded edge of the campus, hidden behind the ball fields, are the fenced pens where the animals are raised. Students in the academy built the pens themselves as well as many parts of the animal lab where they study veterinary technology.

"Many of the students don't even know they (the animals) are out here," said Naomi Longshaw, 16, a junior in the program. "One day I ripped my pants caring for my pig and it was difficult to explain to other kids."

Nearly 300 students are enrolled in the Agriscience Academy from all parts of the county.

"We have students from every high school in Pinellas County," Edwards said.

In addition to the study of animals, teens in the academy can study horticulture or environmental technology.

The program will become one of the school's so-called "attractor" programs when the county goes to the controlled-choice plan in 2003.

At the fair, the animals are judged on their ability to produce the best-quality meat, Edwards said. Judges look for animals that are beefy but not fat, with straight backs and good lines.

The Tarpon Springs High School team competed Wednesday against teams from the Seminole Vocational Education Center and the Rusty Stirrups 4-H Club of Palm Harbor.

There were five steers and 22 hogs in the competition, said Dee Deal, who is in charge of the livestock program at the fair. The hogs ranged from 212 to 278 pounds, while the steers ranged from 768 to 1,100 pounds.

Naomi Longshaw's pig, Joey, short for Josephine, took home grand champion honors in the hog category Wednesday, which generally leads to higher prices at auction.

She said that she already had a buyer lined up for Joey before the auction, but the price hadn't been determined.

Although it is difficult for the students knowing the ultimate outcome of the auction, they are mature in their ability to deal with the inevitable.

"You know they're going to be sold," Cynthia said. "But they do weasel their way into your heart."

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