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Pig competition goes virtual
4-H and FFA members participate in the State Junior Swine Show from the comfort of their own farm
| Story by Allison Farley Photo’s submitted by University of Tennessee Extension Agents |
2/17/2021 |
The show must go on, even if it’s virtual. In early January, staff of the University of Tennessee Extension Service made the difficult decision to make the 2021 State Junior Swine Show a virtual event because of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and a rise (at that time) in the number of new positive cases in Tennessee.
“We know that a virtual show is less than ideal and does not replace the show experience for youth, but we currently live in a less than ideal world,” says Youth Livestock and Equine Program Specialist Aaron Fisher. “The virtual show provides youth with the opportunity to show off their swine projects and, more importantly, the chance to learn from their experience and continue to improve.”
While the pandemic changed the way students present their show pigs, the 4-H and FFA members’ hard work and dedication to their livestock and their showmanship remained the same, Fisher added.
Students were filmed exhibiting their livestock and submitted a video of each hog through the Virtual Stock Show program in January. The entries were then broken into classes and reviewed by this year’s show judge, Steve Austin of Mt. Vernon, Ill. Austin is one of the co-founders of Austin Family Show Pigs and is currently an FFA advisor at Mt. Vernon Two High School. He has worked with 4-H and FFA livestock judging teams over the last 30 years, coaching champion teams at Denver, Kansas City, Keystone, and the National 4-H Contest.
On Jan. 21, the University released Austin’s placings with reasons for each, as well as a link to the submitted videos of the champions in each division. These are located at animalscience.tennessee.edu/animal-exhibitions/#Swine.
The 2021 grand champion market hog was a crossbred shown by Audra Hart of Bledsoe County. Reserve champion honors went to Jake Ozburn of Bedford County with his crossbred hog entry.
In the breeding division, the 2021 grand champion breeding gilt was a crossbred exhibited by Bethany Sims of Roane County. Reserve champion honors went to a gilt exhibited by Audra Hart of Bledsoe County.
In addition to the breeding and market classes, participants also competed in showmanship, skillathon, and premier exhibitor competitions. During showmanship classes, the judge ranks students based on their personal performance showing the animal rather than the quality of the hog. During these classes, the students compete against others in their age division. Competitors submitted videos of themselves working their swine in a pattern.
The showmanship winners were: Explorer Division, Mary Ella Blankenship, Macon County; Junior Division, Jake Ozburn, Bedford; Junior High, Audra Hart, Bledsoe; Senior Level I, Bethany Sims, Roane; and Senior Level II, Eli Mundy, Claiborne.
Many 4-H and FFA members put their personal knowledge to the test by also participating in the 2021 Virtual Swine Skillathon contest. To take part in the contest, students completed an online quiz covering the topics of breeds, animal health, meat identification, nutrition, and reproduction.
Skillathon contest winners were: Explorer Division, Baylee Ann Brown, Anderson; Junior, Hunter Felton, Franklin; Junior High Division, Mary Carter Shirley, Putnam; Senior Level I, Harley Huber, Rutherford; and Senior Level II, John Buyrl Neely, Rutherford.
While the format change represented a departure from historical shows, the event continued to receive support from traditional sponsors like Tennessee Farmers Cooperative.
“While this year has been unique with COVID-19, I applaud those who continued to provide a way to allow these individuals to exhibit their animals safely in a virtual format,” says John Houston, TFC feed and animal health sales manager. “We certainly take pride in supporting events like this that help 4-Hers and FFA members succeed no matter the obstacles.”
Fisher adds that participants are able to raise and exhibit their swine in “ways consistent with responsible animal care” in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“We appreciate the positive attitude that we have witnessed from youth, families, breeders, and industry partners as we have made this move to a virtual event,” says Fisher. “Our exhibitors are still able to showcase their hard work and determination in their swine project — just not in the way we would normally prefer. We look forward to seeing everyone back in 2022.”
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