Animal husbandry program doing well at PHS

PRESCOTT – Dennis Guidry, animal husbandry instructor for the Prescott School District, told the Prescott School Board, at its April meeting Thursday, the program is doing well.

He said it’s unique and Prescott is the only district in the nation offering such a program, as this allows students to raise and show animals, while collecting money from their efforts and earning scholarships, at no cost to the students or their families.

At this time, he said, there are four sows, with 32 hogs students can pick from, 10 goats, one heifer, one cow and several rabbits. One of the goats recently gave birth to four. Because of demand, he told the board, the program needs 21 more rabbits, 10 hots, four sheep and 10 goats next year.

The goal, he added, is to have students win at the state fair. Guidry said he’d like to see the program get into poultry, but there’s an issue with biosecurity where chickens are concerned. However, he pointed out, students can earn full scholarships at the University of Arkansas with chickens.

What makes this program unique, he said, is how the student fall in to help and don’t have to travel to get experience with animals as they’re right there on the school grounds. Plans are to get Dr. Charles Looney here to flush the cows to help increase the herd. Guidry pointed out there are opportunities out there for students to get certified in artificial insemination and make good money. He added, Dr. Looney has agreed to help in this area.

“Not all students are athletes, in the band or choir,” Guidry said, “and this is an avenue to keep them out of trouble.”

Changing gears, he said the program has summer sausage for sale, and is holding a raffle for half a processed hog. In a call with Fred Harris, who’s also involved in the OYEA program, he said two halves of the hog will be raffled off so there’ll be two winners. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased from either him or Guidry. The hog dressed out at approximately 150 pounds per half. Harris added the program is offering breakfast sausage, hot and mild, for $5 per pound, and the summer sausage is $8 for a one-pound tube. The sausage can also be bought from Harris, Guidry or Shane Meadows. According to Harris, they have 550 pounds from the first batch.

Plans are for this to be an ongoing event to help the program be self-sufficient.

Guildry told the board the program has applied for a $10,000 grant form the Farm Bureau to build a new barn to put sows in. The other one will be used for show animals.