CCFB News» March 2022

As I left the cold behind for a short vacation, I’ve followed with intrigue the heart transplant of Mr. David Bennett this past month. How amazing it’s been to learn yet another unique fact about the importance of pigs and not just to our food system. When we teach students about the many uses of agriculture, they enjoy learning some of the newer uses of corn, soybeans, and livestock. They are most surprised about pigs as they think of them only for their meat uses such as ribs, bacon, and pork chops. When we push them beyond those well-known by-products and discuss bone china, paint brushes, and gelatin, they become more intrigued. They are really surprised to learn about heart valves and the fact that human valve replacements have included pigs for a long time. It’s amazing to think that the story continues now that Mr. Bennett has received a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig.

As vacation continued and I was thinking less about livestock and more about the sand, sun, and surf, the topic of livestock creeped right back into the picture as I stumbled upon this.

While walking along a stretch of beach, there suddenly appeared this amazing sand sculpture of a dairy cow! I came to find out that a dairy farmer from Michigan creates these bovine beach sculptures for everyone’s enjoyment. What do farmers do in the winter, you might ask? Well, Mr. Green, the sculptor, is said to start visualizing his creations during the winter months and return to begin creating them on the beach.

Here’s to a short, successful vacation including some genuine agriculture inspiration.