| Winning
Entries...
1st Place -- Erica -- 15 --
Wisconsin
Why I love showing pigs?
What a great question! My friends ask me that all the time.
I am not from your typical farming community, and very few
of my friends have ever seen a pig. My friends are amazed at
the time and hard work I put into raising my pigs. I tell
them that it’s a family effort, and we all work together.
One of the main reasons I love to show pigs is the quality
time I get to spend with my family. I have a younger sister,
Maisie, who is 13, and a younger brother, Hunter, who is 11.
Along with my Mom and Dad, we all get up at 5:30 to go to
the farm for chores. We each have a job to do. Dad and I
take care of mixing the feeds, while my brother and sister
clean the pens. Mom usually takes care of cleaning the
bedding in each pen. Once the pigs are fed, we have about
one hour to get other chores done, or play a game of catch.
Then we proceed to walk the pigs, pen by pen, fifteen to
forty-five minutes per pen, depending on their weight. Three
of us walk behind the pigs, and two walk in front of the
pigs, so they don’t run to far ahead. During the day, we
stop several times at the farm to check the pigs, wet them
down, or even feed them again if needed.
Once 5:00 p.m. rolls around we head back over to the farm to
start the night chores.
During the evening chores many friends and family from
around the city come over to help or just see the pigs.
Everyone likes to get involved, either with the walking,
(Grandma says it’s the only exercise she gets during the
day) or the feeding. I usually don’t get much help with
cleaning pens from my friends. That may be too much to ask
of some of my city friends. Once the chores are done, there
is usually a game of yard ball, or a fire in the pit for
marshmallows or hot dogs (never pork chops in front of the
pigs). We spend many hours hanging out with the pigs, even
when the chores are done.
Travel is another reason I love to show pigs. I have been
lucky enough to travel to our Wisconsin State fair each year
since I was 4. I started in the Open class, and moved on to
the Junior show when I was 12. I also traveled to Louisville
Kentucky for the National Junior Summer Spectacular. It was
an amazing trip, every state was represented. My other
travels have included Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio to
purchase my pigs each year. It’s always a great road trip
with my Dad.
Why do I love to show pigs? I think it’s a great way to grow
up, surrounded by family and friends. |
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2nd
Place Tie-- Troy -- 15 -- Iowa
Why I love showing pigs?
It’s 5:30 and my alarm goes off. It’s the day of the big
swine show at my county fair. I’m off to the fair to get my
pigs ready for the show. I have two hours to get everything
done. I must wash my pigs, feed them, and clean their pens.
I try to get there early, so I won’t have to fight the other
exhibitors for a wash rack. Some people think I am crazy for
all the preparation I go to in getting my pigs ready for the
big show. But what can I say, showing pigs is in my blood. I
look forward to this day every year because I love showing
pigs.
Showing pigs is not only fun, but a learning experience. It
teaches me responsibility, leadership, hard work, and
general knowledge of raising and showing pigs.
Responsibility comes as I prepare for the big day. I show
responsibility by feeding my pigs and doing chores daily. I
show leadership by showing younger exhibitors the ropes of
showing in the ring. When I was a young exhibitor, I
appreciated and learned a lot about showing pigs from the
older exhibitors, and I hope that I can return the favor.
The hard work that goes into showing pigs builds character
and helps me prepare for the challenges I will face in the
real world. Sometimes you can do all this hard work and
preparation and only be in the show ring for less than ten
minutes. Through my years of showing pigs, I have gained
knowledge in the swine industry. This includes: the
different breeds of pigs, the rise and fall of the market,
and the types of feed used to make them the best pig in the
ring.
As you can see, showing pigs just doesn’t mean the few
minutes I am in the ring with my pig and the judge. To me,
showing pigs includes everything from the minute the pigs
arrive on the farm, until the day they are loaded on the
truck and taken to the market. This whole process is what
makes raising and showing pigs so much fun. The adrenaline I
get from stepping into the show ring is hard to explain, but
is an experience I live for. This is Why I Love Showing
Pigs. |
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2nd
Place Tie-- Anne -- 17
Why I Love
Showing Pigs.
I started showing pigs six years ago at the age of eleven. I
signed up for the project not knowing anything about pigs or
what to expect. My dad and I did hours of research and
talked to a countless number of people in order to prepare.
Before I knew it, I had three Yorkshires running around in a
pen in my backyard. My best friend Erin and I spent our
entire summer walking and spending time with our pigs and
when show day rolled around, we both got dead last in our
classes. So what kept me coming back? What was it about
spending hours and hours to get last place that made me want
to continue showing pigs? Well, there were a couple of
reasons.
The first is very simple, the pigs. I loved, and still love
everything about pigs: the way a bag of marshmallows can
make them your new best friends, the sight of piglets
playing outside for the first time, and how by the time you
get to fair, they are as close to you as a pet dog. To this
day, I still get teary eyed after the auction.
Another reason I love showing pigs is the quality time I am
able to spend with my dad and my best friend Erin. Like me,
my dad really enjoys raising pigs and he helps out a ton. He
breeds our two sows, carries feed and water up to the pen,
and makes sure we have everything needed to ensure success.
I am able to spend a great amount of time with Erin because
she keeps her pigs at my house. So, everyday in the summer
we walk our pigs together and have fun enjoying each other’s
company.
Finally, my favorite part of Showing Pigs is Showmanship. I
love showmanship because no matter how your pig turns out,
you are judged on the amount of time and effort you have put
into your project. To me, there is no better feeling than
walking into the show ring during showmanship and looking
the judge straight in the eye with a face that says, “ I’ve
worked my butt off all summer and I’m going to prove it to
you right now.” I think that placing high in showmanship
provides a greater feeling of accomplishment than placing
high in the show.
Since that first year of placing last, we have started
breeding our own pigs and showing in the homegrown class and
I have learned so much. Last summer, rather than hearing a
long list of improvements that should be made on my pig, The
judge announced, “For our homegrown champion hog today I’m
going to go with the belted gilt being driven by the young
lady in the pink”, and I was handed a huge trophy and blue
ribbon. I was so happy all my years of studying, going to
summer camps, and learning from mistakes had finally paid
off. |
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