School: M.A.S.H. - Farm to Fork Event (9 May 2019)

Transcriber: Robert Lipprandt
bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Sherfield, Wilson

----Source: The Star News (Medford, WI) 5/09/2019

By Brian Wilson, News Editor

Hands on agriculture education went to the next level at Medford Area Senior High School on Tuesday for a Farm to Fork event.

The district’s agriculture department raised hogs at the school barn this year. The hogs were purchases by A’viands food service and processed. The meat was served in barbecue pork sandwiches as part of the high school lunch program.

Those serving the pork sandwiches with coleslaw and choice of topping sauce ruled the meal at hit with the students. This is the first Farm to Fork event at Medford.

Wyatt Sherfield of the Medford FFA helped serve the meal. He was also one of the students involved in raising the hogs in the school barn. Sherfield praised the event saying it was a good way to connect the students with where their food comes from.

Sherfield has grown up around animal agriculture so the idea of raising an animal to be sent to slaughter is nothing new for him. However, for other in the agriculture classes who don’t come from a farming background having an animal they helped raise be served for lunch was a new experience. Sherfield said he thought people adjusted well and knew what the animals would be used for.

Sherfield said he would like to see the event grow in the future. He said a major benefit of using the hogs raised at the school in the lunch program is knowing they were well cared for and not exposed to steroids or other additives.

As far as the barn at the Medford school campus, Sherfield expects that it will continue to expand. He said there are plans to bring a honeybee hive to the barn area next year and he expects there will be further developments in the future.