National Pig Day is held annually on March 1 in the United States to celebrate the pig. Started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley, a teacher from Lubbock, and Mary Lynne Rave of Beaufort, N.C., its purpose reportedly is, "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals."

Here on campus, the center of the retail pork universe is Raider Red Meats, which can be found in COWamongus!, a restaurant and retail store, in the animal and food sciences building. That's where the sale of spare ribs, sausage, bacon and ham plays an important role in funding various Department of Animal and Food Science programs.

At Tech the top two pork sellers are jalapeno bacon and hickory-smoked bacon, said Tate Corliss, director of Raider Red Meats. "The jalapeno bacon was rolled out in about 2010, so it hasn't been on the market nearly as long as the sausage but anything bacon is going to sell well these days," he said.

Corliss said his pork products are available at COWamongus and 36 locations of United Supermarkets, including all Lubbock stores. In addition to the pork lines, he said, COWamongus offers premium cuts of beef, lamb and pork, as well as fully-cooked and ready-to-eat meats such as smoked beef prime rib, smoked sausage and beef jerky.

Texas Tech's meat science program is well known for its excellence; a tradition that began more than three decades ago. Today, students continue this tradition. They volunteer to serve others in the local community and raise money to fund travel to research conferences and meat judging competitions. Indeed, Texas Tech has one of the dominate meat and livestock judging programs in the nation.

Written by Norman Martin

CONTACT: Michael Orth, chairman, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2805 or michael.orth@ttu.edu

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Editor's Note: COWamongus is open 8-5:30 Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday.