Mary Alameda has been spending most of her summer mornings and afternoons hanging out with a pig. The Hollister teen, who started her senior year at San Benito High School this fall, was selected to raise the Heritage Hog this year.
Each year, the Heritage Foundation selects one local teen to raise a hog for auction at the San Benito County Fair, with proceeds to benefit the Bolado Park Fairgrounds.
“I’ve been participating in the San Benito County Fair for God knows how long,” Alameda said in the weeks before school started. “This is my final year and I wanted to be able to give back.”
The hog, known as Cash ‘n Carry by the family, was donated by KV Swine. McAbee Feed has been donating feed for the pig since Alameda started caring for Cash in June.
Alameda said she started out in 4-H by raising pigs, and though she raised dairy cows and showed dogs at the fair, she has mostly focused on swine projects. She estimated Cash is her ninth hog project – this year she is raising him along with another hog.
“He was quite shy when I first got him,” she said. “But they usually come around and he has. Pigs are naturally quite friendly. He is very playful, but he doesn’t realize how strong he is.”
She described the hog as laid back, something that was evident when she fed him an afternoon treat that was filled with molasses, protein and fat. The family dogs gathered around the feeding dish and the pig just ignored them.
In addition to raising the hog, which will be auctioned off on Oct. 6, Alameda planned to speak to community organizations about supporting the Heritage Foundation. She also designed T-shirts that will be sold at the fair kick-off dinner on Saturday and at the Heritage Foundation booth at the fair.
The fundraiser has become something of a competition between the students to raise more money than the student from the previous year. Students from previous years, including Katie Nino and Reno May, topped collections with more than $30,000 raised each year.
The San Benito County Heritage Foundation was founded as a way to raise money to make capital improvements to the fairgrounds. In 2012, the group provided funding to upgrade and put a new roof on two restroom facilities. They provided funding to install cooling fans for the show rings, with some money also donated by Monsanto, 4-H and FFA.
Alameda said the hog this year is a Yorkshire cross, a breed that tends to stay leaner than other breeds. Cash was 140 pounds when she got him and she estimated he should be 235 pounds by fair time. The pig also has light skin, making him susceptible to sunburns so Alameda keeps him out of the sun during the heat of the day.
Cathy Alameda, Mary’s mother, said it will be her last year with the fair, too, since Mary is her youngest child.
“I’m going to miss this,” she said, noting that it has been quite a few years that her family has been involved in 4-H projects at the fair between Mary and her older brother. “It’s bittersweet.”
In the meantime, she has been supportive of Alameda as she prepares for her final year at the fair.
“Bolado Park is such a cornerstone,” Cathy Alameda said. “It needs some improvements and upgrades.”
To donate to the Heritage Hog project or find out how to purchase a T-shirt, email [email protected] or call (831)637-8340. For more information on the San Benito County Heritage Foundation, visit www.sbcheritagefoundation.com.
