W.V. Farm Auction Helps Students Shine

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia may not be among the nation's top farm states, but it's likely the only place where anyone would pay $10,000 for a dozen eggs.

Or, for that matter, nearly $12,000 for an old-style, dry-cured ham or $800 a pound for a meaty slab of well-marbled bacon. Such windfalls have become common at the West Virginia's Future Farmers of America's annual Ham, Bacon and Egg Show.

Successful bidders at the auction win a hearty meal or two in most cases or donate the winnings to charity. The student farmers receive recognition and money to apply for college.

The ham-and-bacon program started in the 1940s as a way for students who lived on farms …