By Stephen Smoot
Walk into the campus of Moorefield High School on the right Friday evening in March and one gets welcomed right.
First, the excited voices of young and old as they gather before the event. FFA students in their traditional sharp navy blue corduroy jackets man the cafeteria line, dishing out sausage gravy for biscuits, sliced turkey with a sweet glaze, homemade green beans with little bits of country ham, and also fried potatoes. A true farmer’s dinner!
Awaiting those with a sweet tooth are gray clad uniformed students from East Hardy High School’s catering group. Under the sign “East Hardy Catering” lay a full selection of dessert goodies, including snickerdoodles, peanut butter cookies, white chocolate chip, red velvet thumbprint cookies and much more.
Gigi Chapman, East Hardy High School student, shared that she made cheesecake cookies and added that they seemed to be quite popular. “I love cooking for everyone,” shared Chapman. “A lot of other people do too. It’s very fun and enjoyable.” She added that cooking is a stress reliever in that one can set aside one’s normal worries and focus on the fun of preparing food.
Students, parents, family, teachers, and the supporting Potomac Highlands business community came to support and celebrate the hard work of FFA students in bringing a large number of high quality eggs and pork products to show.
Janice Heavner leads student organizations as a teacher at Pendleton County Middle/High School, but she came on this evening to support her children as their products went up for auction. She called the event “truly a celebration” of the students and their hard work.
“These kids have been with the hogs since last summer,” Heavner stated and added that they feel “the joy of auctioning it off” and “the consumer being satisfied” with the products.
Raising the animal involves proper feeding and care that includes giving the vaccinations. Many farmers perform these tasks to get the animal ready for sale, but for those selling on this night, a lot more goes into the final product.
Heavner explained that “it all comes down in the event to the quality of the animal they’ve raised.” Judging takes place without students present.
Alexandria Smith, a West Virginia University Extension Service agent for Hardy County, shared that the event “is very important. This is a very agriculturally based community.” She added that “it teaches kids where food comes from and pays a premium price for their work.”
Once the raising is done comes the processing. Heavner described how PCM/HS students got to work with agricultural teacher and regional president of the West Virginia Association of Agricultural Educators, Ron Hudson. Heavner said “the kids are in those meat labs with Mr. Hudson” and that is “part of the process start to finish.”
Smith discussed the work done to prepare the meat for sale that involves the smoking, salting, shaping, and other ways to prepare the product to meet the strict criteria of the judges. All of that preparation is apparent to all when they walk into the MHS gymnasium and are greeted with that intoxicating smoky, salty, savory aroma of perfectly cured ham and bacon.
Each entry is given a designation of “prime”, “choice”, and “good.” Likely each would exceed in quality most of what gets sold in a store, but competition in one of the most productive agricultural areas of the Eastern United States always remains intense. One entry receives the grand champion designation while another is named reserve champion.
Eggs serve as another star in the show, however, and go first to auction when that kicks off.
Several rows of chairs get set up for those individuals and businesses taking part in the auction. An experienced and entertaining auctioneer brings the fast-paced excitement to the event. As bidders hold up orange numbered cards, two gentlemen at either end of the rows of chairs holler and point to bidders to keep the pace flowing fast.
While they can sell for between one and five dollars, depending on quality, at the grocery store, they bring a higher price here. Each entry of a dozen eggs must also pass through a meticulous judging process. Eggs receive the grand and reserve champion prizes, but do not get sorted into other categories.
Each student comes onto the platform with their product, some beaming with pride, others showing a bit of nervousness. They stand as the auctioneer works the crowd to get the best price possible.
And they bring high amounts in at auction as well. Makenna See of Moorefield High School and Emerson Pearce of East Hardy High School each took in $500 for their entries. Emily Schell of Pendleton County High School sold her dozen for $400. None of these earned championship ribbons, either. Community members take as much pride in supporting the kids and the FFA as the kids have pride in their work.
FFA students, unlike sports or other activities, don’t have a “season.” Their work continues all year. Those raising hogs for ham or bacon must tend to them at least twice a day. Many, if not most of the participants here from Pendleton County, Moorefield, East Hardy, and Petersburg also compete on athletic teams, working around commitments to school and sports. They still bring their best to this dinner and also fairs and shows that run from spring through summer.
From these students come not only the future of area agriculture, but future leaders overall as well.
