Piggin' Out
For the last ten years I have faced endless questions of why and how I can put so much time into raising a show animal just to send it to market, "Doesn't that make you so sad?" "How could you do something like that?" The answer to these questions to me is easy to answer, it is the fact that I am the one putting work into this animal and facing the reality that the end product is to feed someone.
I put hours everyday into walking, grooming, feeding, and washing my pigs so that come time for the show ring they can potentially be the best in the ring. The animals you bring to the fair I feel represent yourself, so you want those animals to shine and behave the best and look the best. It starts with picking your pig for a show out when they are small, and feeding it right to get them at their best for the ring. The responsibility, determination, and self-motivation that raising pigs taught me is something I would have never learned doing anywhere else. I woke up before all of my friends (usually way before the sun), I missed events from time to time because I had animals to feed, and that was okay because they were my project and I wanted my hard work to be evident.
It took me three years of raising pigs for county fair to stop crying at the sale, I knew how much I would miss those pigs that had a summer's worth of work into. It got easier as I grew up and realized I was feeding someone and understood that it was okay because humans are built to eat meat. I also realized the whole purpose of pigs was to feed people, even though they are extremely smart, they are bred for market. I eventually got to the point where we bought extra pigs so we could add them to our freezer and it honestly was the best pork I've ever had. Knowing I was the one who raised and finished that product and got to give him a really good life made it even better and really showed me that I am doing something awesome here...I am helping feed people.
Not only did I love every minute of showing pigs growing up but selling them at the fair was not all bad because all of that money paid for my first year of college. For farmers, selling their animals is how they make a living and feed their own family. People will never stop wanting to purchase meat, so farmers have to continually supply as much meat as they can to keep prices from going too high. Working on a large scale pig farm taught me plenty as well; it showed me that everyone is just a small part of the industry but that everyone plays an important role. I made sure piglets were healthy and stayed safe because every pig counts. I just had a ton of fun working with and learning from piglets and getting to see how this feeds America their beloved bacon.
Today, I am an Animal Sciences major at The Ohio State University with a Meat Science minor because I wanted to be able to explain to people what their product is from start to finish. I want to show people that farmers are not bad, that we serve the purpose of feeding people. I plan to breed and raise my own pigs after I graduate and continue doing what I love most by working in the pig industry. Not only do I love working with pigs, I love the industry and the people who have helped me along the way. I have gotten opportunities and experiences I would not have gotten without this industry. To me, being that "girl who likes pigs," has turned me into the person I am today and led me to The Ohio State University pursuing a job in spreading the word of agriculture and real pig farming. I am constantly learning more about these four legged creatures and continually trying to make myself better as well as my product. It can be a different concept to some people who did not grow up the way I did but I would not have wanted to grow up any other way.
