2017 4-H Country Ham Workshop Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, Ph.D. Assistant Extension Professor Meat Science Department of Animal and Food Science University of Kentucky
The 2017 Country Ham Speech Topics Juniors (13 years or younger) The History of Country Ham Senior (14 years or older) How to market and sell country ham
The History of Country Ham No one knows exactly when country ham or dry cured ham was invented Pigs domesticated 4900 B.C. Pigs raised in Europe 1500 B.C. Techniques borrowed from making mummies
The History of Country Ham Salt used to preserve meat appeared during the Roman Empire Preserving techniques for hams became regional England used sugar France no sugar Spain fed pigs acorns Italians fed cheese waste Germans smoked with Beachwood
The History of Country Ham Queen Isabella encouraged Columbus to include 6 pigs on his 2 nd voyage Hernando de Soto introduced pig to US when he landed in modern day Tampa Bay Native Americans taught Colonists how to make dry cured hams, with Magic White Sand
The History of Country Ham Settlers in Jamestown cured hams to send back to England Traded them for other goods such as coffee, tea, molasses, rum, spices, and other foods Pigs became the main food of choice New Amsterdam kept pigs behind a huge wall Later moved, wall destroyed, a road put in its place, the road was named Wall Street. Hams from the new world became all the rage in Europe Queen Victoria ordered 6 hams per week
The History of Country Ham Traditionally, pigs harvested in the winter Don t have to feed them during the long winters Hams were put in cure Ready for Easter Some were saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas
The History of Country Ham The majority of Country Hams were made in the Southeast Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, etc Even North Florida made Country Hams Smithfield, Virginia became the home of the Country Ham
The History of Country Ham In Virginia, tobacco depleted the soils of nutrients Virginia farmer planted peanuts to replace tobacco Pigs were allowed to eat leftover peanuts Country Hams were made from those pigs Smithfield Hams In 1926, Virginia State Assembly declared that Smithfield Hams must: 1.) Come from pigs fed Virginia peanuts 2.) Peanut-fed pigs must be harvested, cured, and processed in Smithfield, VA to be called a Smithfield Ham
The Oldest Country Ham Isle of Wright County Museum, Smithfield, VA Fell off his wagon in 1902 Mr. Gwaltney wanted to see how long it would last and use it to sell more of his hams 1920 put a brass ring on the ham with a tag that read: Mr. Gwaltney s Pet Ham
The New Era in Ham Mechanical refrigeration City Ham Pickled ham that is not shelf stable, but faster to make Everyday ham But The Country Ham is making a comeback!! What s old is new again
Let s take a 10 minute break
How to market and sell Country Hams
How to market and sell Country Hams Time to be creative If you owned a country ham business, how would you sell country hams? Here are a few things to think about 1 st thing, Identify a target audience
How to market and sell Country Hams The National Pork Board has Identified the following: Men and Women 18 to 45 years of age During the summer Men are considered the dinner plate keepers Loin chops and Boston Butts (pulled pork) during the summer Hams during holidays
How to market and sell Country Hams If you target women 18 to 45, when and how do you advertise? If you target men 18 to 45, when and how do you advertise? If you target women and men 25 or less, when and how do you advertise?
How to market and sell Country Hams Ways to advertise: Newspaper Magazines Television Internet Coupons Billboards Flyers Restaurants
Whose the target audience?
Would you advertise on these TV Shows?
If you design an ad campaign what do Thoughts? What type of Slogan? Taste the History Taste the Old South Taste your Southern Heritage Thousands of Years of Technology in One Ham you put in the ad?
Running television ads Need to think about your target audience, what shows they watch, and what time they watch TV. Men 30 years or older Women 30 years or older Teens
Your job These are just some tools you need Use your imagination There is no right or wrong answer Remember to identify your target audience and design an ad for them