Hard work pays off as pigs enter the pen to be judged at Grundy County Fair

MORRIS – Sam Batson of Wilmington has been working since early February to be ready for this – the week he would bring his pigs to the Grundy County Agricultural Fair.

Batson, who has been showing pigs in 4-H and at county and state fairs for five years, said it takes a lot of work to get an animal ready to show.

“It’s pretty hard,” he said. “You have to wash them and rinse them every day, be careful what you feed them and walk them twice a day.”

Batson said he thought three of the 18 pigs he is raising this year were good enough to compete at the Grundy County Fair – and the judges agreed Thursday morning as they awarded him first in his class.

He stood in a holding pen as others continued to show their pigs so he could have his chance at grand champion, where his crossbred gilt, a young female pig, would go up against other first-place pigs.

“I do it for the experience,” he said.

Carrie Rogers, of Sandwich, knows a little about experience in the ring.

She has been showing pigs since she could walk, according to her mother.

Rogers comes to the ring naturally; her grandfather was honored for 70 years of showing pigs at the Sandwich Fair.

“We work with [the pigs] every day,” she said. “I want to present them in the best possible way.”

She said it's important to know what the judges are
looking for in pigs, which are animals that not only look good but have the best structure.

Not all pigs make it to fair, as many things are taken into consideration. Pigs are scored on their market quality, which includes muscle, fat and body structure, along with qualities they must possess for their specific breed.

While some larger farm operations have many to choose from, others only raise a few for the sole purpose of showing them at the fair.

Molly Bernard of Newark has been showing pigs for eight years. She has six pigs this year and she brought all of them to the 111th annual fair to see how they would do.

Bernard said it’s important to show animals at the fair to portray to the public what really goes on behind the scenes.

“These pigs are babied pretty darn much,” Bernard said. “We get them in the spring and we have to practice with them until it’s time to show.”

She said with practice many of the pigs will listen and perform the way they need to in the ring; others have attitudes that don’t make the task easy.

Before the swine judging can begin, all the pigs must be weighed, and there is a strictly enforced weight limit. They must weight between 170 and 285 pounds to be able to show.

Once the winners of each class are chosen, they will compete for individual breed champion and grand champion. The individual breed champion barrow and gilt each receive $10 for each breed. The grand champion barrow receives $50 and a trophy, the grand champion purebred and the grand champion crossbred breeding gilt receives $25 and a trophy. The overall grand champion gilt receives $50 and a tray.

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GRUNDY COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE

FRIDAY
• 8 a.m. – Judging Sheep
• 9 a.m. – Grand Entry followed by Judging for Halter & Performance Horses
• Noon Carnival opens – until 4 p.m. all rides $2, 4 p.m. to close – wristbands $20
• 1, 3, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. – The Banana Derby
• 1 and 3 p.m. – Circus Boy
• 2:30 p.m – "Reilly Sanders & Kyle Boyd Acoustics" appearing in Food Court
• 2:30, 5 and 6 p.m. – Magic Matt's Family Fun Show
• 6:20 p.m. – Qualifying Late Models/Midams
• 7:30 p.m. – Racing July 4th Holiday Twin 25's LM Features

SATURDAY (Kids Day)
• 8 a.m. – Judging Swine (Market Hogs)
• 9.m. – Grand Entry & Judging in Speed & Game Horses, Judging Beef Cattle
• 10 a.m. – Judging Pigeons
• Noon Carnival opens – wristbands until 5 p.m., all wristbands $20 – all rides $2 after 5 p.m. Talent Contest. "Double Shot," appearing in Food Court (4 hours)
• 1, 3, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. – The Banana Derby
• 2 p.m. – Kids Pedal Pull registration starts in Dance Hall
• 3 p.m. – Kids Pedal Pull in Dance Hall
• 3, 5 and 6 p.m. – Magic Matt's Family Fun Show
• 4:30 p.m. – Stars Freedom 50 as part of the auto racing program. Qualifying is at 4 p.m.

SUNDAY
• 9 a.m. – Judging Pony Show, Judging Rabbits & Therapeutic, Riding Competition
• 12 p.m. – "Double Shot," appearing in FoodCourt (4 hours)
• Carnival opens – wristbands until 5 p.m., all wristbands $20 – all rides $2 after 5 p.m.
• 12:30, 2:30, 5 and 6 p.m. – Magic Matt's Family Fun Show
• 1, 3 and 4:30 p.m. – The Banana Derby
• 1 and 3 p.m. – Circus Boy
• 2:30 p.m. – Qualifying 4 Cylinder Pure Stock and Street Stocks Program
• 3 p.m. – Racing Pure Stock and Street Stocks Program