Pork chops pay for university

Bringing in the bacon for students

Pig farmers in the American state of Missouri have come to an unusual agreement with a university to cover their children's tuition fees.

Instead of paying the fees with cash, they are paying with pork chops.

After struggling to meet the annual fees of $11,000 (£7,000), about half a dozen families have reached an agreement with Lindenwood University to pay with bacon, sausages and other pig meat.

The university wants to expand the scheme to include about 50 families and is in talks with sheep and cattle farmers too.

Relief

Farmer Elaine Bruns paid for two years of her daughter Sally's education with 50 pigs.

She told the Los Angeles Times she was pleased to have been able to meet the fees in this way.

"It was a great relief," she said.

The pigs would have fetched just $4,500 at auction she said, although the university would have paid much for them at wholesale prices.

Ms Bruns also said she was pleased her daughter was eating well at university.

"We were proud of that too, you bet," she said.

Lindenwood University believes such deals can make the difference between a student dropping out or continuing their studies.

The university's president, Dennis Spellman, said:"We treat every empty seat in a class as an expense.

"It's almost like the economics of an airline. It costs the same amount to fly the plane whether it's full or empty."