.JPG)
posted on Monday, January 22, 2018 in East Region News
In preparation for this week’s Career Week at Southmont High School, AMVC representative, Alicia Humphrey, spoke to agriculture students about pig farming and job opportunities within the swine industry. AMVC is a diversified swine management company that owns and manages a sow farm in Crawfordsville.
Southmont High School agriculture instructor, Erin Gilley, recently started teaching her Introduction to Agriculture class about the animal industry, so a guest speaker was welcomed to enhance the curriculum.
The interactive presentation included information about the global demand for food, pig care, animal health and nutrition, as well as, the various careers available in the swine industry. Humphrey is a trained Operation Main Street speaker with the National Pork Board and fielded questions from the students throughout the presentation. Her goal was to give the students a snapshot of the advancements of today’s pork industry, as well as, share the truths of commercial pig farming.
“Guest speakers are a great resource for my classroom. They can provide firsthand knowledge and experiences to students who may never get the chance to visit or work in that specific career area, and give students a different perspective ,” commented Gilley.
After the presentation, the students reflected on what they learned. Lexi Chadwick, a freshman at Southmont High School, had a swine background already, but found the presentation interesting as she learned that pigs are leaner today than they were fifty years ago and that high schoolers are eligible to work for AMVC on a sow farm.
Educating the next generation is important to pig farmers. “It was a rewarding afternoon as the students participated throughout the presentation and asked questions. It is great to see local students interested in the swine industry,” added Humphrey.
AMVC Crawfordsville, a 10,000 head sow farm, is located 13 miles from the high school. AMVC is proud to be an educational resource for students in the community. AMVC Management Services is headquartered in west central Iowa and manages 117,500 sows across seven states.
Tags
- ag education
- agvocacy
- swine