Find out what goes on in Mira Monte 4-H from the following Featured Club Happenings  submitted by Mira Monte 4-H members Tanner Plott and Kelsey McLaughlin

On February 7th, the Mira Monte 4-H club went to the Old Fashion Country Butcher where Kent Short along with his employees, Maggie and Cody, were kind enough to give us a tour and teach us to make sausages.

We arrived at the butcher shop at 8 am sharp with our 5 pounds of pork to make sausages. After an introduction by Kent, we were given the opportunity to use the machines to make our own sausage. The entire process took less than an hour. Kent seemed very impressed with our club and the knowledge of the parts of the animal.

After making sausages, we toured the butcher shop. Kent taught us all the cuts of meats on pigs and cattle. There is a long process to butchering animals that many members in the club did not know. The tour provided a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to our animals after the fair. This entire process is sometimes forgotten about by the 4-H’er because the animal is no longer with them. The butchering of the animal is just as important as the raising of it. It’s good to be aware of the entire process of raising an animal, from the time the animal is born to the time it is harvested and ready for human consumption.

The trip was very informative yet very fun and exciting at the same time.  The sausage was delicious. We were able to learn a lot along the way. I would like to thank the Old Fashion Country Butcher for letting us come and tour.

Recently we took a field trip to Lenny Cruz’s pig farm.  While at the farm, we were able to see what to expect when raising a pig.  Lenny taught us all the different things we should look for in a pig before purchasing; like the way a pig walks and the shape of the body.

Lenny also showed us different types of pigs including; Hamps, Yorkshire, and Durocs.  For many of our new members this was a great experience to see the pigs and learn what to look for and expect when it comes to purchasing their pig.  We were shown some of the very young piglets, and some members even got to hold them!

Featured Club Happenings are part of Cloverlines, our county 4-H newsletter. Our Cloverlines newsletter as well as others produced in our office can be found here.