Oklahoma State University (OSU) Livestock Judging Coach Dr. Blake Bloomberg learned just how much complete and total attention to detail livestock evaluation requires as he launched his judging career in 4-H and FFA.
My family has shown livestock for generations, so when it was finally my turn in the ring, I felt the need to be the best I could be. My parents and Grandpa Ronnie were my biggest supporters, but also my harshest critics. They gave me great advice that mattered not only in the show ring, but also in life.
The livestock industry’s greatest product isn’t the number of shows organized, nor the amount of banners awarded. It’s not even the elite livestock bred to compete at the highest level. Our greatest product is the youth that will go on and use the skills they learned to impact their communities in a positive way.
Collegiate livestock judging is equivalent to Sunday night football for stockmen and women, and the National Barrow Show (NBS) is the swine enthusiast's Super Bowl. Will Taylor of Western Illinois University (WIU) just had the honor of topping the reasons division at NBS. The Showpig.com team caught up with Will, and he was kind enough to offer us these tips to help you rock the reasons room.
Nearly everyone has had a case of the showday jitters. Maybe your palms were sweaty while you tried to grip the handle of your new whip, you didn’t feel like eating before the show or perhaps you even forgot your barrow’s pedigree when the judge asked for it in showmanship. Well, rest assured you aren’t the first or the last showman to stumble upon showring stress and nerves.
With the summer show season fast approaching, it’s time to brush up on your showmanship skills before you hit the ring. Kaylee Keppy grew up in the showpig business. She spent countless hours driving pigs, judging livestock and helping with her family’s operation, Keppy Showpigs, in Durant, Iowa. Today, Kaylee still plays a huge role in their showpig operation, in addition to working as a ShowTec Feed Specialist for ADM and judging swine shows. The Showpig.com team caught up with Kaylee to get some quick tips for the show ring.
For more than a decade, Austin Pueschel has been showing pigs. This Sturgis, Michigan native has seen success on the national stage, served as a Team Purebred Junior Board member, and has placed in the top 10 showmen at every major swine show. Currently, Pueschel is attending Iowa State University, in Ames, to pursue his degree in agricultural business. He was kind enough to share with us some of the tips and tricks he learned through the years to help train your showpigs.
Going to a jackpot show can be super fun. The people and the laid-back atmosphere make these events a worthwhile experience for any showman. The benefit of going to a jackpot show are more than playing cards at the show box and taking home a great prize for breed champion. In fact, jackpots can provide an invaluable and unique experience for most young showman.
For the 7,000 youth who exhibited at this year’s event, only the breed champions experience the stage-like atmosphere that being in the Grand Drive offers. This year’s Grand Champion Market Barrow exhibitor can testify to the amazing feeling of being a top winner at OYE.
Showing pigs is what Taylor Norris loves to do. When she was younger Norris tried gymnastics and still manages to play a little basketball in the winter. But this Honey Grove, Texas, girl has spent numerous hours in the show barn, and on the weekend of February 26, 2016, those hours paid off.
Blake Logan entered the show ring hoping to win his class. Two hours later, he was showing for Grand Champion Market Hog at the 2016 National Western Stock Show.
When asked about his best moment showing livestock, Blake Holmes doesn’t have to think twice before he responds.
He was driving his barrow in the grand drive at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) this past November. The judge selected Holmes’ pig as Grand Champion Market Hog, and, he immediately heard his friend scream with excitement from ringside. Holmes said he will remember that moment forever.
It's the final drive of showmanship. You’ve made it through the first heat, got penned and are now driving past the judge in an effort to win the coveted award.
Halfway through the final drive the judge approaches each exhibitor, asking a question or two that will help determine the final placing. Even if an exhibitor has had a perfect drive and a banner day, the response to questions can keep the showmanship title out of reach or solidify your spot as the best.
When things are going badly in the show ring, it’s normal to want to run.
For one junior swine showman this is exactly what she does. But it’s not because of a low placing or because she didn’t have a good gate. Rather it’s because the clapping and noise of the crowd bothers her. Or because someone didn’t recognize how well the pig acted – versus her – in the show ring.
Training a baby pig to drive is not always an easy task. Depending on the age of the pig there are ways to teach it to walk and be successful in the show ring. Paden Jackson, a ten-year-old showman from Mountain View Gotebo, Oklahoma, says the key is to work with your pig every day to teach it consistency.