34 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 13-19, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com FACE TO FACE After graduating from high school last May, Anahi Lopez continued doing what she loves through her chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA): raising two pigs at the Salinas High School farm. The new pigs arrived just weeks after her last pig—named Chilindrina, after a character on the TV show El Chavo del Ocho who, like the pig, was also a crybaby—was sold at auction at the Salinas Valley Fair in May. The 260-pound Hampshire pig sold for $707/pound. “She did really good,” Lopez says. For that event, Lopez was selected to raise a heritage pig. For the Monterey County Fair in September, she’s again been selected to raise the heritage animal. In each case, members of the public can bid on the animal as a donation to a fair foundation, and the foundation then pays for the costs of the student’s livestock, and provides a scholarship. Lopez, 18, will use hers to attend Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo this fall, where she plans to study agricultural communications. She will be the first in her family to attend college. Weekly: You didn’t grow up with animals at all, even pets. How did you get into FFA? Lopez: Counselors came to middle school and spoke about the ability to travel California and raise animals. I completely fell in love with the content. Since my freshman year, I have competed in every public speaking competition and leadership development events. Public speaking is an important part of what you learn in FFA. Did that come naturally? Growing up, I never felt like I belonged—I never used my voice, I never spoke up for myself. When I first started, I thought people didn’t want to hear what I had to say. Once I started participating in public speaking, I learned my voice is valuable and people should hear what I have to say. I have learned how to speak up. Now I am very outspoken. Your public speaking is related to agriculture. How do you select a topic? My past two years, I have written essays and spoken about sexual harassment in agriculture. I grew up here in Salinas, and I’ve been surrounded by agriculture all my life—my dad’s side of the family are farmworkers. My aunts used to tell me stories. When I competed for the first time I thought: I should bring attention to my tías who struggled with this. It felt like I had to speak about it, and it was the easiest thing to write about. After I recited my speech, the judges were surprised by how in-depth it was, the facts and statistics. They didn’t know the problem was this bad. How do your aunts feel about your role in FFA? They are very proud of me. They are completely supportive that I have found my voice within ag and FFA. They want to see what I can do. It sounds like they have struggled to find their own voice. Do you think traditional gender role expectations contribute to that? I do think it’s a struggle for women to say what they believe in. In my research, most of the women never spoke up. I hope that I become a role model for younger women. I know my sister [15-year-old Regina], she looks up to me. She tells me, “I can’t wait to be like you,” which makes me so proud. How did you celebrate after the Salinas Valley Fair? I went on rides—I like the Ferris wheel—and ate ice cream. You’ll spend your summer between high school and college raising two pigs. They are babies—4 months old, 80 to 100 pounds. They will be ready for harvest by the time of the county fair [Aug. 31-Sept. 4], around the 200- to 260-pound range. My favorite time to raise any animal is during summer. You don’t have to wake up that early, you’re not in a rush to go to school and then go feed them. It’s more relaxing to create a bond with the animal. I am raising two pigs, and my sister is raising one pig and one goat. It turns out that three pigs and one goat is very chaotic. Through FFA, you’ve raised pigs and goats and sold them at auction. Is it hard to say goodbye to the animals? It gets easier over time, but it is hard. You say pigs are your favorite animal to raise. Why is that? They have more personality. When I did my first goat, he was so quiet and I missed the struggle of having a super stubborn pig. Farm Hands How Salinas teenager Anahi Lopez fell in love with raising livestock—and found her voice. By Sara Rubin Anahi Lopez, former president of Salinas High School’s chapter of Future Farmers of America, with her Hampshire cross pig, named Cachetes because of her chubby cheeks. DANIEL DREIFUSS
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