Ten Pendleton County FFA members participated in the annual South Branch Area FFA Ham, Bacon and Egg Show and Sale held March 15 at Moorefield High School.
Eighty-two FFA members, representing Pendleton, Petersburg, Moorefield and East Hardy chapters, sold 290 products (34 dozen eggs, 126 bacons and 130 hams) for $166,238.38. Pendleton’s FFA members collectively took home earnings of $25,640.38.
Pendleton County FFA member, Lydia Heavner, received top honors for her 8.185-pound bacon. The grand champion bacon was purchased by Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC for $500 per pound.
In addition to her winning bacon, Heavner sold a prime bacon and two prime hams. Her 8.41-pound bacon fetched $60 per pound from Waddy Farms in Petersburg. Her 20.4-pound ham was bought by Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College of Moorefield for $40 per pound with her 17.75-pound ham sold to Warner’s Coin Laundry in Franklin for $45 a pound.
Other Pendleton FFA members participating in the show/sale were as follows (name, item, price per pound and purchaser):
Caleb Armentrout — 22.86-pound prime ham, $40, Pilgrim’s CCP Team of Moorefield; 21.71-pound prime ham, $40, Greer Lime Company in Riverton; 7.745-pound prime bacon, $55, John Treadway for Judge in Baker; and 6.65-pound prime bacon, $70, Deans Gap Farm, LLC in Fort Seybert;
Kaylee Callison — 23.36-pound prime ham, $25, anonymous buyer; 23.22-pound prime ham, $35, Freedom Ag and Energy in Petersburg; 6.945-pound good bacon, $65, Greer Lime Company; and 5.895-pound good bacon, $50, Faithful Friends Animal Clinic in Franklin;
McKenna Hedrick — dozen Grade A eggs, $275, Warner’s Coin Laundry in Franklin; 18.06-pound prime ham, $40, Hott’s Ag Service in Franklin; 17.48-pound prime ham, $35, L&W Enterprise in Petersburg; 5.28-pound choice bacon, $60, Greer Lime Company; and 4.785-pound good bacon, $45, Pendleton Community Bank in Moorefield.
Bailee Kiger — 18.54-pound prime ham, $45, Lovers Lane Farms in Moorefield; 20.32-pound choice ham, $30, Lovers Lane Farms; 6.49-pound prime bacon, $130, Mountain View Veterinary in Moorefield; and 7.415-pound choice bacon, $115, Moorefield Southern States in Moorefield;
Jameigh Miller — 20.6-pound prime ham, $30, Bowers Garage in Sugar Grove; 18.1-pound prime ham, $40, Murphy’s Fencing in Franklin; 8.145-pound choice bacon, $40, Greer Lime Company; and 7.69-pound choice bacon, $40, J & J Farms in Walton;
Vivian Pownell — dozen Grade A eggs, $200, Pendleton Community Bank in Moorefield;
Jenna Smith — 15.7 good ham, $45, Warner’s Coin Laundry; 15.57-pound good ham, $35, Greer Lime Company; 8.775-pound choice bacon, $40, Greer Lime Company; and 8.305-pound choice bacon, $40, Deans Gap Farm, LLC;
Makayla Tingler — 20.57-pound prime ham, $45, Murphy’s Fencing; 20.13-pound prime ham, $40, Bush, Tree Yards Barber and Farmers in Franklin; 10-pound prime bacon, $50, Greer Lime Company; and 10-pound choice bacon, $40, Spruce Knob Telephone in Riverton; and
Lucas Vandevander — 21.11-pound prime ham, $35, Greer Lime Company; 20.68-pound prime ham, $40, Warner’s Coin Laundry; 9.305-pound prime bacon, $55, Spruce Knob Telephone; and 7.3-pound good bacon, $70, Greer Lime Company.
Ashly Rohrbaugh, a Petersburg FFA member, exhibited the champion eggs. Grant County Bank in Petersburg purchased the eggs for $500. The reserve champion eggs were exhibited by Kayle Mills from East Hardy FFA. The eggs fetched $400 from Potomac State College in Keyser.
The champion ham, weighing 23.8 pounds, was exhibited by Madison Whetzel, Petersburg FFA member, and was purchased by Falcon Transportation for $95 per pound. Petersburg FFA member, Kari Rohrbaugh, exhibited the reserve champion ham. Grant County Bank purchased the 23.5-pound ham for $75 per pound.
William Waddy of Petersburg FFA exhibited the reserve champion bacon. His 8.6-pound bacon was purchased by Oak Summit, LLC in Moorefield for $200 per pound.
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 slaughtered hogs were then transported back to the school where the meat 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. Each FFA member had two hams and two bacons participating in the show and sale.
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 290 entries from the three counties. The hams and bacons were judged into three different qualities – prime, choice and good.