Dixie Junior Livestock Show

A few months ago I posted the arrival of our little piglets, and at the end of April they were full grown and ready to be shown at the Dixie Junior Livestock show held at the fairgrounds in Hurricane.  It is always a lot of work to prepare for the show, and the kids work with their hogs several times a week training them to walk where they want them to go, getting them used to being touched and washed and feeding them just the right amount of feed to get them to the right weight for the show.  They also study about hogs, breeds, feed, cuts of meat, butchering, etc.   The kids all did really well this year and we are so proud of them!!!  I will let the pictures tell their stories.

DAY 1 SET UP AND SHOWMANSHIP JUDGING

This is Mady, Cody and Austin leaving to take the hogs to be weighed.  It is kind of nice
to have the kids older and able to handle things themselves.  I followed behind with all the nice
clothes, but they loaded the pigs and delivered them without Doug or I.

Austin wanted to take his truck to deliver the hogs so we let him.  The truck
and trailer are both old and kind of go together.   
Its just an old brown truck but it fits us/him. 

The kids are waiting for their hogs to be weighed.  The hogs have to weigh at least 220 pounds
to qualify for the show.  Mady's weighed 290, Dalyon's weighed 280, Austins 260, and Cody's
barely made it at 220.  Whew!!  One stock show hurdle cleared!! 

The next thing the kids do is wash their hogs.  The show is a beauty contest
for the animals, and a showmanship contest for the kids so everyone has to
look their best.

The hogs are washed and in their pens, and the kids are waiting to start.  They
have a exhibitors meeting first to be reminded of  any new rules before the show begins.

Austin (back row and 2nd from the right)  and his cousin Kora (front row and center) as well
as others  won $750 scholarships.  In order to win they had to have participated in the stock show for 3
years, including their senior year and applied. They also had lots of jobs outside of their animals during the
show.

The showmanship category began at one o'clock and Austin was in the first class.  This is
him with the judge who is asking him questions about his hog.  The kids have to study their
animals, the meat cuts, and breeds, feed,  etc. to prepare for this short interview.   Austin made
it into the senior star round.

Mady is doing everything right here.  She is keeping her hog in the center of the ring,
about 20 feet from the judge and keeping eye contact.  She also made it into the Senior star round.

In a rare moment that they were together, Mady and Austin were competing against
each other in the senior star round.  Austin took 8th overall, and Mady got 3rd overall.  I
was so proud of both of them!!!

Cody is doing well in showmanship also.  He made it into the
Intermediate star round and took 5th overall.

Dalyon is also doing a great job keeping his eye on the judge while moving his

hog in the center of the ring.  He won 3rd overall in the beginners showmanship. 

DAY 2   HOG JUDGING

On Hog judging day they separate the hogs by weight.  Cody's was the lightest so he was in
the first class of the day.  We were excited to see that he took second in his class, but didn't
come back for the final round because the judge was only taking the first place hogs back for the
Grand Champion round.  Regardless, we were very excited that Cody's hog placed so high. 

Austin had a lot of trouble keeping his hog off the fence and out of the gate.  His pig
had some kind of spine trouble and was in a lot of pain during this part of the show,
so the judge took mercy on him and sent him out early, although he said he was a fine
animal and would have placed higher if he wasn't in so much pain.  Darn. Austin was in
the middle weight hogs.

Mady and Dalyon were both in the heavy weight hogs.  The judge asked Dalyon what his
hogs name was and he told him his ear tag name, which impressed the judge, and the rest
of us too!!  (Because the hogs lay name was Breakfast,  ha ha)

The three top places in the heavy weight hogs were from our 4-H club.
Dalyon took first, Mady took second and Emily Swyers took third.
  Great job!! 

Austin and Mr. Dayley in the ring working the boards and discussing FFA business. (Part of Austins'
scholarship recipient duties.)   When the hogs
fight with each other in the ring these guys (and girls) have to place the boards between
them to break up the fights or they get bloody.  Sometimes I wish I had
a board like that at home too!!  (just kidding . . . . or not).

AWARDS NIGHT AND DANCE

SHOWMANSHIP

Dalyon took 3rd place overall in begining showmanship.  He got
a t-shirt and $25

Cody won 5th place in Intermediate Showmanship and got a t-shirt.

Mady and Austin bolt won in Senior Showmanship.  Mady got 3rd place
and won a t-shirt and $25, and Austin got 8th place and a t-shirt.  Our friend
Erica Swyers (also in our 4-H group) also placed in the Senior Showmanship.
Way to go guys!!!

HOG JUDGING AWARDS

Dalyon won 1st place in heavy weight hogs and won a Buckle!
Wooohooo!!  Our first buckle!!  Good job Dalyon!!

The DANCE

Mady and Austin are usually the life of the party.  They can both
dance really  well and have so much fun!!

I was able to catch Cody for a moment, this is some of
the best moments of the dance, swaying with my boys.

Dalyon got into the fun a little more this year with his
friend Dalton.  He was even asked to dance by a girl! (Mr.
Dilworths daughter) And he liked it!! 

It is fun to see the kids having so much fun and having the confidence
to be silly in the middle.

The final part of the show is the sale, and I'm please to report that all the hogs sold, and all sold for over $500, which meant we broke even again this year.  The most important part of the whole experience isn't the money, it's everything else that goes into it and working together as a family.  This was Austins last year because he graduates and moves on, and next year Cami will pick up where he left off.  I'm grateful for so many events and people that come together to make this possible.  And I'm grateful that the kids step up and work hard to make it happen for them!!