Farming and agriculture have long been at the heart of Tomball’s storied past and continue to be so more than 100 years after the city’s establishment. And for more than a third of those years, the Tomball High School FFA Show has been an integral part of that culture.

On Jan. 28 and 29, Tomball High School will feature the 35th Annual Tomball FFA Show at the school’s project center, a sparkling new livestock facility on the campus of Tomball High School.

FFA instructor James Vaculin expects more than 200 students to show 214 animal projects, 77 of which will be entered into the prestigious live auction on Jan. 29.

For the past several months, and in some cases as long as a year, Tomball High School students have kept and raised steers, pigs, lambs, rabbits, turkeys and chickens in hopes of turning their hard work into hard-earned money through the auction.

Sophomore Jake Harvard has been feeding and training his pig since October. “Heisman,” as Harvard calls his project, is named after his favorite player on his favorite college team, Cam Newton of the Auburn Tigers, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner.

Harvard in past years has been involved in livestock judging and this year decided to take on raising an animal in hopes of earning scholarship money. He said he chose to raise a pig over other animals, such as a lamb, because pigs are a bit easier.

“They’re easier to raise than lambs,” he said. “Because lambs eat everything.”

Sophomore Morgan Carver and Junior Kelly Karn are both raising lambs.

Carver, (pictured with her project lamb, “Nemo”) who hopes to attend Texas A&M University, said she hopes to one day become an Ag teacher and the process of raising animals is helping her prepare for her future.

“It’s a learning process,” Karn said. “I knew nothing about lambs (until this year).”

Sophomore Ashley Burditt is raising a pig and has been involved in farming and agriculture most of her life.

“Ever since I was in elementary school, I have always wanted to do the country thing,” Burditt said. Raising animals for the FFA show, she said, has helped her prepare for that future.

“You have to be very organized with your livestock,” she said.

Helping spark the interest of Tomball High School students for the FFA Program are two new agriculture facilities, one at Tomball High School and a second at Tomball Memorial High School. While Tomball Memorial won’t open its doors until August, the campus’ Ag facility is open, which allows THS students who live in the southern portion of the district, and those who otherwise may not have the needed space, access to a nearby suitable location with pens, cleaning facilities and feeding supplies.

Karn said having access to the Tomball Memorial Ag facility has made it possible for her to raise her lamb.

“I wouldn’t be able to raise a lamb without the barn,” she said.

Students who raise project animals do so with their own money. Their goal is to at least earn the money they spent back through either the live auction or through the “add-on” sale, which is for the projects that were not entered into the live auction.

Last year’s show brought in nearly $190,000 for Tomball FFA students.

This year’s FFA Show will begin Friday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. with the rabbit show. That will be followed at 5 p.m. by the pig show, then at 7:30 p.m. with chickens.

On Saturday, Jan. 29, events will kick off with the lamb show at 8 a.m., followed by steers at 10:30 a.m. The annual buyer’s barbecue will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The show will culminate with the live auction sale at 6 p.m.

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