posted on Monday, November 20, 2017 in East Region News
Several agriculture classes at Warsaw Community High School learned about modern pig farming from AMVC Management Services public relations coordinator, Alicia Humphrey. WCHS agriculture instructor, Jacob Riley, hosted Humphrey as a guest speaker to complement the curriculum of his Advanced Life Sciences and Animal Science classes. It was a great opportunity for these students to learn about the modern swine industry from a local swine management company, as AMVC owns and manages a sow farm near Mentone.
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.
“It is very important to have guest speakers in the classroom to provide a different perspective. This allows students to see themselves in another role as they interact with experts,” commented Riley.
After the presentation, the students reflected on what they learned. Stacey Wilson, WCHS senior, commented, “I learned that pig farmers actually take really good care of their pigs. I liked the presentation and it gave me a lot of information I did not know about the pig industry.”
Riley believes his students gained a better grasp of the vast career opportunities available in the pork industry and have a deeper understanding of why pig farming is important to the local and global economy.
“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’s sow farm is located 17 miles from the high school. AMVC enjoys giving back to the community and being a resource for students. AMVC Management Services is headquartered in west central Iowa and manages 117,500 sows across seven states.
Tags
- ag education
- agvocacy
- community