Thursday night the 2020 4-H hog show drew a substantial crowd, and showcased some intense competition among the youth showing off their prized pigs.
Carly Dreher led the way by winning grand champion in the first round of competition, wherein her intense focus was clear in the show ring.
She’d brought along with her three pigs: Banana Peel, Auto and Bre.
In terms of showing animals, “I kind of grew up around it, and I’ve been doing it my whole life,” she said.
And with parents and a sister also encouraging her to get involved, she soon “developed a passion for it, and for the ag industry.”
Dreher’s plans are to eventually attend a community college, hopefully on a livestock judging scholarship, and then move on to K-State.
“4-H teaches you a lot of life lessons,” she added. In particular, “responsibility and leadership skills.”
“4-H has just been really good for growing up.”
Along with many of the other participants, Dreher also shared a few factoids about her charges.
“Pigs are actually the third smartest animal in the world,” she said.
“And another fact about pigs: they can’t sweat!”
Dreher’s passion for livestock showing and judging also has her traveling extensively.
“We travel around southeast Kansas showing everything,” she said. “Last year, we even went to Richmond, Indiana.”
“It’s a lot of traveling and a lot of miles,” Dreher noted. “But it’s all worth it in the end.”
OTHER competitors at the show included Rohan and Moira Springer, who’d brought their pigs Torpedo and Pancake, who can perform several tricks.
2020 was Rohan’s fourth year of showing and Moira’s first.
