Wes Darcy training his pig in preparation for the 2013 Ag Field Day swine competition.
“Holy Piglets! Congratulations, Wes!!! I’ve always known that our students can compete with the bigger Ag schools!!”
This was the reaction of Daniela Sharma, director of the Rutgers Animal Science Undergraduate Program, when she heard that senior Wes Darcy, Animal Science major, was selected to receive a $2,000 scholarship from the National Pork Board. Active in the swine unit of the Cook Campus Farm and an aspiring veterinarian, Wes is one of only two East Coast scholarship winners. Most of the other winners hailed from the Midwest. This scholarship is intended for undergraduate students who are pursuing a career in swine production management or a related field.
Wes became fascinated with pig behavior and production physiology after taking the Animal Handling, Fitting and Exhibition course as a first-year student – and winning the “Reserve Champion” ribbon during his first Ag Field Day swine show. In 2013, he served as a supervisor for the students preparing for the swine show. Wes also showed a pig, earning the title “Grand Champion” at the event. As a junior, he served as one of three coordinators for the 2014 swine show. After working under the supervision of the farm staff, Wes was invited to help teach other students how to care for pigs and was eventually offered a paid position.
He reflected on his scholarship and had high praise for the farm on the Cook Campus where he gets a chance to learn to hone his skills in animal husbandry. “I think I won an award because I showed that even with a small-scale farm located nearly in a city, there’s a lot of opportunity. I have made the most of what is available to me. I climbed the ranks to become a coordinator of the Rutgers Ag Field Day swine show and I enjoy every minute I spend on the farm especially when I’m teaching other students about something I love dearly.”
Wes added that the “farm has given me a place where I never feel like just another “number” at Rutgers but someone with a name and a purpose.”
Prof. Sharma noted that “Wes has truly earned his place here in Rutgers, and on the Cook Campus Farm as a student leader in the swine unit. He’s been a wonderful advocate for livestock farming. Thanks to students like Wes, we are experiencing a resurgence of students interested in livestock production, and I dare say that the country needs more students like him if we want agriculture to survive in more suburban/urban areas.”
Wes became fascinated with pig behavior and production physiology after taking the Animal Handling, Fitting and Exhibition course as a first-year student, and winning the “Reserve Champion” ribbon during his first Ag Field Day swine show. In 2013 he served as a supervisor of the students preparing for the swine show and showed a pig himself, which placed as “Grand Champion.” As a junior, he served as one of three coordinators for this year’s swine show. After working under the supervision of the farm staff, Wes was invited to help teach other students how to care for pigs and was eventually offered a paid position.
Reflecting on his National Pork Board scholarship, Wes wrote: “I think I won an award because I showed that even with a small-scale farm located nearly in a city, I have made the most of what is available to me. I climbed the ranks to become a coordinator of the Rutgers Ag Field Day swine show… I enjoy every minute I spend on the farm especially when I’m teaching other students about something I love dearly. The farm has given me a place where I never feel like just another “number” at Rutgers but someone with a name that can make anyone feel informed and welcome to be there. “Daniela Sharma notes that “Wes has truly earned his place here in Rutgers, and on the Cook Campus Farm as a student leader in the swine unit. He’s been a wonderful advocate for livestock farming! Thanks to students like Wes, we are experiencing a resurgence of interest in livestock production, and I dare say that the country needs more students like him if we want agriculture to survive in more suburban/urban areas.”
Read the National Pork Board press release on the scholarship.
