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c
Pigging out
Story by Kim Kasabian
Photographs by Mark Mirko
"Soidr
The voice of auctioneer Ken
Metro booms over a cheap, but
effective speaker, announcing
number 28 as the lucky new
owner of a 215-pound market pig.
The swine, like most ofthe 156
other hogs sold today at the
Junior Livestock Auction, is
likely to wind up on the dinner
- table as a ham, pork chops, or
thick strips of bacon.
In a holding pen Just yards
away. Juan Rodriguez of the
Kerman Union High chapter of
Future Farmers of America,
patiently waits his turn, cane in
hand, with'Merlin, the 17-year-
old's pride and Joy. '
Juan surveys the sawdust-
covered arena. He is moments
away from parting forever with
the shiny, pink Yorkshire pig.
Last year Juan sold a pig and It
was no big deal. The auction Is
nothing new to him.
But Merlin Is no ordinary pig.
At least, not to Juan.
Up the stadium stairs and down
again. Then back up, and down
again Juan and Merlin would
climb the 22 cement steps tn the
early evenings at Kerinan Union
Juan surveys the
sawdust-covered
arena. He is
moments away
from parting
forever with the
shiny, pink
Yorkshire pig-
But Merlin is no
ordinary pig. At
least, not to
Juan.
High's football field. 0
Merlin needed exercise to keep
lean. Juan and Justin Couto, 10.
Juan's best friend, thought of the
idea, and it was a good way of
keeping their pigs in shape. Pigs,
Juan explained, don't sweat. So
any exercise they get should be
done under cool temperatures.
The stairs had seemed like a
good idea, and it was, until the
football coach discovered
"evidence" left behind by Merlin,
and Justin's pig, Conan. After
that the stadium was off limits.
The ban did little to stop Juan
from giving his pig the exercise he
needed.
Instead, he found himself
spending more time with his pig
than he had with others in the
past, exercising him more,
keeping his pen cleaner, and
staying even longer after school
than the year before.
Along with cither FFA members
at Kerman Union High, Juan's
school schedule is long and
demanding. On top of the required
English, history and economics
classes, he takes two agriculture
classes — an ag science class at
7:30 a.m. and an ag mechanics
class at 3:15p.m..
FFA differs from other clubs,
such as 4—H, because It requires
students to spend time both In the
pen and the classroom.
In preparation for the Fresno
District Fair, most of the time
spent during ag classes was
outside, tending to the animals.
After the fair, it's back Into the
classroom where it's "mostly
paperwork," for the remainder of
the year, said Juan.
But while his day starts early in
the morning and ends at 4 p.m.,
Juan would still find himself out
with Merlin, keeping him in top
shape for the fair.
Juan became interested in FFA
last year after the chapter's
adviser, Leanne Potstada. "talked
him Into raising a pig. I'm a city
boy," he said with a smile. Juan
had worked in the barn the
summer before through the
Summer Youth Exchange helping
to keep the livestock area tidy.
Though the Kerman TFA
chapter can loan money to
students wanting to buy animals,
Juan paid the $30 in full from his
earnings, said Potstada.
Juan sold his first pig for a
dollar a pound last year, under
the $1.50 average.
This year. Juan has become vice.
president for FFA. and was'
chosen by'Potstada as head of a
skeleton crew, which watched
over the 18 pigs while other
students were in school.
"He's responsible," Potstada
said simply. "He's one of those
people who does what you tell him
and questions you later. That
kid's worked for everything he's
got. He hasn't been handed a thing
In his life."
Juan takes compliments in
stride. grinning shyly or
shrugging his shoulders —
another reason Potstada chose
him to lead the crew.
There are many awards to be
won at the fair - herdsmanshlp.
showmanship. and grand
champion (the top market pig).
All present the potential problem
for some inflated egos, said
Potstada. But Juan is humble
about being singled out from the
chapter.
Humble, but realistic.
"I think my" pig's the best one
out here." he said quietly, giving
Merlin a good morning scrub at
the school before the fair.
He gave Merlin a firm slap on
the side to get him tb his feet — the
hefty pig obliged. "They're one of
the smartest animals, I think. I
think he knows me," he said.
The week before the fair. Merlin
received a dally bath to keep his
skin clean and In good condition.
Juan had bought him at the
beginning of August, owning him
far longer than the 60-day
minimum set by FFA
While most high school
students were in the last stages of
REM sleep on the morning of Oct.
9, some Kerman Union High
students busied themselves in the
dark, packing troughs, rakes, feed
and shears Tor their stay at the
fair.
Lit by a lonely bulb, the pens
were finally emptied of lambs and
pigs, most of whom would not be
returning.
The pigs filed down the narrow
cement corridor, stepping over
thousands of dead flies into a
large, crate-like wooden trailer,
bound for southeast Fresno. The*
sun had come up. It was fair time.
The pigs settled easily into their
temporary homes, and Juan
busied himself with scheduling
times for the four-member
skeleton crew to watch over the
animals at the fair.
Wednesday was showmanship
day, with 113 pigs divided into
seven rounds. Fresno County FFA
members from around the county
were competing in a huge, sawdust
square, guiding their pigs with
wooden canes.
The object was to control the
pig. and .keep him as close to the
Judge as possible. Through
process of elimination, the Judge
had to narrow the number to Just
four.
Juan stood quietly in one of the
holding pens reserved for
members who had survived
rounds of Judging.
See PIG, pages
During judging, Juan keeps a sharp ey
Juan and Justin execise their pigs
stadium's steps.
Object Description
| Title | 1989_10 The Daily Collegian October 1989 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1989 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
Description
| Title | October 18, 1989, Page 6 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1989 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
| Full-Text-Search | 1 c Pigging out Story by Kim Kasabian Photographs by Mark Mirko "Soidr The voice of auctioneer Ken Metro booms over a cheap, but effective speaker, announcing number 28 as the lucky new owner of a 215-pound market pig. The swine, like most ofthe 156 other hogs sold today at the Junior Livestock Auction, is likely to wind up on the dinner - table as a ham, pork chops, or thick strips of bacon. In a holding pen Just yards away. Juan Rodriguez of the Kerman Union High chapter of Future Farmers of America, patiently waits his turn, cane in hand, with'Merlin, the 17-year- old's pride and Joy. ' Juan surveys the sawdust- covered arena. He is moments away from parting forever with the shiny, pink Yorkshire pig. Last year Juan sold a pig and It was no big deal. The auction Is nothing new to him. But Merlin Is no ordinary pig. At least, not to Juan. Up the stadium stairs and down again. Then back up, and down again Juan and Merlin would climb the 22 cement steps tn the early evenings at Kerinan Union Juan surveys the sawdust-covered arena. He is moments away from parting forever with the shiny, pink Yorkshire pig- But Merlin is no ordinary pig. At least, not to Juan. High's football field. 0 Merlin needed exercise to keep lean. Juan and Justin Couto, 10. Juan's best friend, thought of the idea, and it was a good way of keeping their pigs in shape. Pigs, Juan explained, don't sweat. So any exercise they get should be done under cool temperatures. The stairs had seemed like a good idea, and it was, until the football coach discovered "evidence" left behind by Merlin, and Justin's pig, Conan. After that the stadium was off limits. The ban did little to stop Juan from giving his pig the exercise he needed. Instead, he found himself spending more time with his pig than he had with others in the past, exercising him more, keeping his pen cleaner, and staying even longer after school than the year before. Along with cither FFA members at Kerman Union High, Juan's school schedule is long and demanding. On top of the required English, history and economics classes, he takes two agriculture classes — an ag science class at 7:30 a.m. and an ag mechanics class at 3:15p.m.. FFA differs from other clubs, such as 4—H, because It requires students to spend time both In the pen and the classroom. In preparation for the Fresno District Fair, most of the time spent during ag classes was outside, tending to the animals. After the fair, it's back Into the classroom where it's "mostly paperwork," for the remainder of the year, said Juan. But while his day starts early in the morning and ends at 4 p.m., Juan would still find himself out with Merlin, keeping him in top shape for the fair. Juan became interested in FFA last year after the chapter's adviser, Leanne Potstada. "talked him Into raising a pig. I'm a city boy," he said with a smile. Juan had worked in the barn the summer before through the Summer Youth Exchange helping to keep the livestock area tidy. Though the Kerman TFA chapter can loan money to students wanting to buy animals, Juan paid the $30 in full from his earnings, said Potstada. Juan sold his first pig for a dollar a pound last year, under the $1.50 average. This year. Juan has become vice. president for FFA. and was' chosen by'Potstada as head of a skeleton crew, which watched over the 18 pigs while other students were in school. "He's responsible," Potstada said simply. "He's one of those people who does what you tell him and questions you later. That kid's worked for everything he's got. He hasn't been handed a thing In his life." Juan takes compliments in stride. grinning shyly or shrugging his shoulders — another reason Potstada chose him to lead the crew. There are many awards to be won at the fair - herdsmanshlp. showmanship. and grand champion (the top market pig). All present the potential problem for some inflated egos, said Potstada. But Juan is humble about being singled out from the chapter. Humble, but realistic. "I think my" pig's the best one out here." he said quietly, giving Merlin a good morning scrub at the school before the fair. He gave Merlin a firm slap on the side to get him tb his feet — the hefty pig obliged. "They're one of the smartest animals, I think. I think he knows me," he said. The week before the fair. Merlin received a dally bath to keep his skin clean and In good condition. Juan had bought him at the beginning of August, owning him far longer than the 60-day minimum set by FFA While most high school students were in the last stages of REM sleep on the morning of Oct. 9, some Kerman Union High students busied themselves in the dark, packing troughs, rakes, feed and shears Tor their stay at the fair. Lit by a lonely bulb, the pens were finally emptied of lambs and pigs, most of whom would not be returning. The pigs filed down the narrow cement corridor, stepping over thousands of dead flies into a large, crate-like wooden trailer, bound for southeast Fresno. The* sun had come up. It was fair time. The pigs settled easily into their temporary homes, and Juan busied himself with scheduling times for the four-member skeleton crew to watch over the animals at the fair. Wednesday was showmanship day, with 113 pigs divided into seven rounds. Fresno County FFA members from around the county were competing in a huge, sawdust square, guiding their pigs with wooden canes. The object was to control the pig. and .keep him as close to the Judge as possible. Through process of elimination, the Judge had to narrow the number to Just four. Juan stood quietly in one of the holding pens reserved for members who had survived rounds of Judging. See PIG, pages During judging, Juan keeps a sharp ey Juan and Justin execise their pigs stadium's steps. |
