Summer fun... with pigs?!?

I had the opportunity to assist my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Raylene Russell, with an SAE visit on the 15th of July. The only thing I expected was to be weighing hogs for the upcoming fair and checking on their dairy goats but, I got quite a lesson that day. This experience was a great reminder of why I chose teaching agriculture as my future profession. Mrs. Russell was in the pen helping coax the pigs onto the scale getting mud up to her knees. That sure isn't something you'll see every high school teacher participating in with their students, but it was just another day as an agriculture educator.

Another thing I admired that day was relationship between Mrs. Russell and the parents of her student. It was obvious that they knew each other quite well and maintained a good relationship. They discussed how to get the pigs up to weight and other things that were happening in the community. Mrs. Russell asked the student what the pigs had been eating and how much, and also about the change in their goat herd.

I am not very well versed with goats or hogs but learned quite a bit that day. The student that we went to see also had an older sister who had just graduated and they both gave me a thorough run down of dairy goats. I was able to see how the goats got milked, fed and even got to see two little ones that had been born just a few months ago. I talked to them about how they got the goats, what they did with the milk and what their future plans of showing them were. It was obvious that these two girls spent a lot of time caring for their goats and also had a large community that they worked with who share a similar passion.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect on that days adventure but it ended up being such a fun and learning experience. SAE visits with students are great for checking on the students progress but they also help keep and strengthen bonds with the community.