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Local FFA Chapter Brings Home the Bacon through ARCOP Grant

April 13, 2023

Local FFA Chapter Brings Home the Bacon through ARCOP Grant

Mrs. Dawn Wallace, educator and FFA advisor for the A.B. Graham Ohio Hi-Point FFA chapter, recently was given a grant through Ohio FFA. The Agricultural and Rural Community Outreach Program (ARCOP)  grant is in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), who’s  purpose with the grant is to fund community development projects. Mrs. Wallace reached out to Dr. Lyda Garcia and her team in the Meat Science program to help teach her students how to process whole hogs. The meat that the students and professors worked on together will be donated  as a protein source for their local food pantry, the Falcon Land Market, housed in Graham’s local elementary school. While Mrs. Wallace and the other ag educators at Graham High School and Hi-Point Career Center teach meat science, they are limited in their equipment and meat Student in Meat Lab allowed to be cut up. This meat cannot be donated, hence the desire for the grant. Being able to come in for a workshop with The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and seeing the direct results of their hard work leaves a great impact on the students, says Wallace. The pork processed by the students will be turned into patties, brats, and porkchops.