Representing Pendleton, Petersburg, Moorefield and East Hardy chapters, 75 FFA members sold 274 products (15 dozen eggs, 127 bacons and 132 hams) for $199,300. The annual South Branch Area FFA Ham, Bacon and Egg Show and Sale was held March 13 at Moorefield High School.
Fifteen Pendleton County FFA members sold three dozen eggs, 26 hams and 23 bacons, collectively earning $37,950. The bacons and hams were sold by the product instead of per pound.
Pendleton FFA members participating in the show/sale were as follows (name, item, price and purchaser):
Alex Adams — 19.85-pound prime ham, $800, Greer Lime Company in Riverton; 20.15-pound choice ham. $550, Circle H Farm & Grain in Upper Tract; 5.5-pound prime bacon, $600, Pendleton Community Bank in Franklin; and 4.99-pound prime bacon, $500, Moorefield Southern States in Moorefield.
Ty Armentrout — 21.71-pound prime ham, $1,400, Hinkle Trucking in Upper Tract; 21.64-pound prime ham, $1,400, Riverton Lumber Products LLC in Riverton; 6.36-pound prime bacon, $900, Riverton Lumber Products LLC; and 7.02-pound choice bacon, $500, Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone in Riverton;
Callie Dunn — dozen grade AA/A eggs, $250, Heavner Farms in Upper Tract;
Cole Harper —16.27-pound prime ham, $1,150, Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone; 16.17-pound prime ham, $1,000, Flying W Farms in Burlington; and 4.8-pound good bacon, $1,050, Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone;
Mason Harper — 17.4-pound prime ham, $1,100, Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone; and 16.76-pound good ham, $1,200, Greer Lime Company;
Katie Heavner — 19.43-pound prime ham, $1,200; 17.75-pound prime ham, $1,400; 5.28-pound good bacon, $900; and 5.04-pound good bacon, $1,000, all purchased by Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC in Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Ty Heavner —20.81-pound prime ham, $800, Pilgrims Fresh in Moorefield; 21.76-pound choice ham, $650, Springdale Poultry LLC in Ft. Seybert; 5.75-pound prime bacon, $700, Rockingham Coop in Hinton, Virginia; and 5.3-pound choice bacon, $600, Moorefield Southern States;
Aubriana Holloway — 19.75-pound prime ham, $700, Murphy’s Fencing in Franklin; 19.25-pound choice ham, $600, Murphy’s Fencing; 6.5-pound prime bacon, $500, Harpers Old Country Store in Seneca Rocks; and 6.48-pound choice bacon, $500, Shenandoah Valley Organic Farmer Focus in Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Phoebe Pownell — 17.22-pound good ham, $500, Greer Lime Company; 16.43-pound good ham, $625, Virginia Riggers in Winchester, Virginia; 6.26-pound prime bacon, $650, BC Cattle Company in Upper Tract; and 8.36-pound choice bacon, $550, Pilgrims Prepared Foods in Moorefield;
Vivian Pownell — dozen grade AA/A eggs, $275, Integrity Insurance in Mathias;
Emily Schell — dozen grade AA/A eggs, $400, Deans Gap Farm, LLC in Fort Seybert; 19.64-pound prime ham, $900, Potomac River Farm in Franklin; 19.43-pound prime ham, $700, Hott’s Ag Service in Franklin; 8.83-pound prime bacon, $500, BW Smith Well Drilling in Augusta; and 7.92-pound prime bacon, $500, Greer Lime Company;
Hannah Schell — 20.55-pound prime ham, $800, BC Cattle Company; 20.51-pound prime ham, $850, Hott’s Ag Service; 6.8-pound prime bacon, $750, Greer Lime Company; and 6.99-pound choice bacon, $600, Pilgrims Prepared Foods;
Broty Sites — 16.47-pound prime ham, $700, Elm Lane Farms in Petersburg; 16.8-pound choice ham, $500, Colorado Twin Peaks in Franklin; 6.75-pound prime bacon, $600, Deans Gap Farm, LLC; and 6.13-pound choice bacon, $500, Freedom Ag and Energy;
Lexy Tingler — 20.8-pound prime ham, $750, Riverton Lumber Products, LLC; 21.21-pound choice ham, $500, Murphy’s Fencing; 8.6-pound prime bacon, $700, BW Smith Well Drilling; and 5.52-pound prime bacon, $500, Greer Lime Company; and
Layton Vandevander — 19.05-pound prime ham, $900, Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone; 19.11-pound choice ham, $600, Greer Lime Company; 4.96-pound prime bacon, $600, Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone; and 6.77-pound choice bacon, $550, Grillin’ Time in Moorefield.
Ryan Clark, a Petersburg FFA member, exhibited the champion eggs. Farm Credit in Moorefield purchased the eggs for $325. The reserve champion eggs were exhibited by Dillon Crites from Moorefield FFA. The eggs fetched $600 Regester Horse Shoeing.
The champion ham, weighing 23.7 pounds, was exhibited by Kari Rohrbaugh, Petersburg FFA member, and was purchased by E. A. Hawse Health Center, Inc. for $2,000. Petersburg FFA member, Adalyn Rumer, exhibited the reserve champion ham. L&W Enterprise, Inc. in Petersburg purchased the 23.4-pound ham for $1,550.
Morganne Miller, an East Hardy FFA member, exhibited the grand champion 6-pound bacon which was purchased by JR Keplinger of Moorefield for $1,100. Another East Hardy FFA member, Jocelyn Sherman, displayed the reserve champion bacon. Staunton Union Stockyard/Mesa Land and Cattle in Baker bought the 6.1 bacon for $950.
Pendleton FFA members had to choose a pig(s) to raise by last June. The pig was fed over the summer, getting it to the ideal weight of between 260 and 280 pounds. In November, the pigs were taken to slaughter. The meat was then transported back to the school where it was processed in the vo-ag’s meat room. The hams and bacons were pulled for curing for the annual show in March, and the rest of the hog’s meat was processed.
To prepare a ham or bacon for the ham/ bacon show, the meat was cured with a brown sugar cure mix for two days per pound, or a minimum of 45 days, at a temperature of 36° to 45°. (For any ham or bacon over 30 pounds, an additional two days per pound was added to the curing process.) To stabilize the hams and bacons and to end the curing process, the temperature was increased to 55° for 20 days. Then the meat was dried for 11 days at 90°. Once the curing process was completed, each ham and bacon was trimmed, shaped and smoked.
The eggs and smoked hams and bacons were taken to Moorefield one day prior to the sale where a panel of neutral judges judged the entries from the three counties. The hams and bacons were judged into three different qualities – prime, choice and good.
