Livestock auctions: Buyers choose locally grown meat at the fair

By JOAN OBRA - McClatchy Newspapers Aaron Ramirez spends quality time with his Hampshire pig, center, among others in a pen at the McFarlane-Coffman Agriculture Center next to Clovis East High School in Clovis, California. Aaron, whose pig is going to auction, said it's great caring for pigs. Eric Paul Zamora / Fresno Bee/MCT FRESNO, Calif. -- In an age where more Americans are concerned about their meat, Californian Cole Rinehart has no illusions. The senior at Clovis East High School has been raising hogs for The Big Fresno Fair's junior livestock auctions. After learning about clipping teeth, managing feed costs and giving shots to animals, Rinehart says he's "learned so much more than the average human." Before raising hogs, he'd only cared for a dog and cat. "I had no idea what it took to put (pork) on your plate," he... [read full story]