Kids from kindergarten through high school dressed up in boots and fancy belts to compete in a swine show on Wednesday afternoon at the Georgia-Carolina State Fair.
Parents cheered, took photos and clapped as their children led their pigs around the pen and made eye-contact with the judge who awarded points for their animal’s shiny coat and perfect proportions. They did it all for a chance for prize money, belt buckles and a scholarship.
The competition began with a showmanship category which tested how well participants were able to present their pig to the masses.
Inspired by her brother, 4-H scholarship winner and experienced senior competitor, Ashlyn Reddick, said she started competing in third grade with her first animal being a 1,200-pound dairy cow. What made her keep coming back year after year were the connections and relationships she has made which have become irreplaceable to her life.
“You can’t beat it and I believe this is the best sport to be in,” she said. “It beats any softball game, football game or anything else you could think of. Livestock is where it’s at.”
Showing livestock is a sport where kids can compete against each other while also celebrating others’ victories, she said.
“Win or lose you’re going to come out and be congratulated by everybody in the barn, because we’re all one big family,” she said. “Every other sport you’re not going to get that. I mean just look at the Tennessee versus Alabama game, they couldn’t even leave the stands. In a livestock show, you’re going to come out and get pats on the back.”
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Morgan Brantley’s daughters Emmalee, 9, and Bailee, 7, are competitors in this year’s events. She believes children learn a great deal by participating and preparing for their animals’ showcase months in advance because it teaches them responsibility and dedication.
Most kids started taking care of their respective swine in mid-summertime and care for them daily- whether it be a bath, brush, walk or all three. Many have to take full responsibility to properly care for the animals.
Brantley said her daughters love to be part of the swine show because of their love for the animals and making memories with their friends. Her girls take the time to bond with their pigs early on by feeding them marshmallows and lying with them to build a foundational connection.
“They just enjoy it,” she said. “They have a lot of responsibility that a lot of 7 and 9-year-olds don’t have.”
Brantley said her girls sacrifice play time to train and care for their swine – something which she believes teaches them lifelong skills.
Competition volunteer for 20 years, Don Brandenburg, said he grew up in 4-H and being a part of livestock shows, specifically steer and heifer shows.
From his own competing experience, Brandenburg said he loved the interactions he was able to have with the animals when he was a boy. Being raised on a farm as a child, Brandenburg said taking care of animals teaches little boys and girls to look beyond themselves and their own needs.
During the competition, Brandenburg said it becomes extremely apparent which competitors truly spent time training and caring for their pigs based on how well they perform together and look.
“You can tell who spent the time working with them daily, either through grooming them or how they lead, how they set up for the show,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t want to cooperate, but most of the time the more [the kids] work with them the better they perform.”
Along with a healthy sense of competition, Brandenburg said he thinks children who compete with animals and raise them develop a great work ethic because of the non-stop dedication it takes months in advance. After all, a pig must be fed, walked and bathed no matter the weather – cold, hot or rainy.
“You got responsibilities to take care of these animals daily; not just once a week or when you feel like it,” said Brandenburg. “It’s daily.”
He also said it forces children to become more goal oriented which can really help them in the long run for bigger goals and life dreams. Brandenburg said he has loved getting to see competitors grow up and expand these skills, and then go off and pursue other accomplishments such as college.
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According to Brandenburg, some families are even legacy competitors because the families all love it just that much.
“It’s just rewarding to see them develop and grow, and see them year by year knowing they are learning these lessons,” he said. “They obviously see the value of it, because if they didn’t see the value they wouldn’t be bringing their kids back.”
Over the years, family farms have become less common and have resulted in fewer competitors, but Brandenburg believes it is still important to keep traditions, such as livestock shows, alive in order to educate suburbia and ‘city kids’ of farm life.
“Now people live in suburbia and just aren’t exposed to it, but our club supports it because that’s really what it was founded on,” he said. “We feel like it’s important because [the fair] was founded on agriculture and we know how these kids turn out – we don’t have any 4H’ers going out and getting into trouble. They have responsibilities.”
Reddick knows it’s taught her about responsibility, but it’s also taught her other things such as punctuality and hard work. She said she has learned so much from livestock competitions and she could not repay the people that have invested their time and effort into her for it.
“It teaches you to be a humble winner and a gracious loser,” she said.
Taking time every day to get things exactly right, Reddick said she puts in equal effort as her animal because it is a team effort – one cannot succeed without the other.
“We always have to be on our game,” she said after winning grand champion of the market commercial swine class.
Venturing out into college in the Fall 2023, Reddick said she is excited to use her earned scholarship towards pursuing a degree in animal science then returning to work in the agricultural field.
The Exchange Club of Augusta will feature several more livestock shows including their first ever sheep show as the request of competitors which will take place on Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Georgia-Carolina Fair located on 308 Hale St.
Upcoming shows also include a goat show on Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. and a dairy cow show on Oct. 22 at 2 p.m.
For more information about the livestock shows visit: https://www.georgiacarolinastatefair.com/competition/livestock/
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
