🐖Pigs: learning to show

Showing a pig is a team sport, and your teammate has no idea what the plan is. Your job all summer is to teach your pig to walk calmly where you point it, keep its head up, and stop when you want. Then your job at the fair is to make the judge see your pig at its best. Both of those things take practice, and both of them are a lot of fun once it clicks.

Rule: Every market exhibitor must show in showmanship. If you want to sell your pig at the auction, you have to show at least one of your pigs in the swine showmanship class. See the auction.

Age divisions for swine

Swine showmanship is split differently from the other species:

Division	Ages (as of Jan 1)
Junior	8–11
Intermediate	12–15
Senior	16–18

Market judging for swine is Thursday at 4 PM, with Junior, Intermediate, and Senior showmanship right after. Adult swine showmanship (for the grown-ups, just for fun) is Friday at 8 AM.

Show equipment

You do not need much.

• Show whip or pig bat. A stiff whip about 3 feet long, or a flat “pig bat.” Ask an older club member which they prefer and try both.
• Stiff brush and a soft brush.
• Small spray bottle with water for dust and to cool the pig’s skin.
• Shavings for the fair pen (the fair board gives you one bag; buy extras at the fair office for $15 before 9 AM).
• Rubber water pan and feed pan for the barn.
• Livestock soap and a hose nozzle for bath day.
• Exhibitor clip or safety pins for your back number.
• A carabiner to lock your pen gate at the fair.

Training timeline

Count backward from check-in on Tuesday, September 14, 2027. If you get your pig in April or May, you have about four months. That is plenty if you work a little every day.

Week 1: Make friends

• Sit in the pen. Let the pig come to you. Talk quietly.
• Scratch its back and belly. Brush it. Let it get used to your hands and the brush.
• Do not chase it or try to drive it yet.

Weeks 2–4: Introduce the whip

• Carry the whip into the pen every day so it stops being scary.
• Start light taps on the side of the shoulder or jowl to ask the pig to turn away from the tap. Tap on the right to turn left, tap on the left to turn right.
• A tap under the chin or on the jowl asks the pig to lift its head.
• Sessions of 10 to 15 minutes, once a day, in the cool of the evening.

Weeks 5–10: Drive with purpose

• Move to a bigger space if you can: a round pen, a fenced yard, or a temporary ring made of panels about 30 × 30 feet.
• Practice walking in a big circle, then figure eights, then straight lines toward a “judge” (a parent standing in the middle).
• Practice stopping the pig and letting it stand with its head up for 10 seconds. Then move on.
• Work up to 20 minutes a day. This is also great exercise for the pig.

Weeks 11–14: Fair rehearsal

• Have someone play judge and walk around while you keep the pig between them and you.
• Practice driving past another pig without a fight. If your club has a practice night, go.
• Load the pig in the trailer a few times. A pig that has never loaded will make check-in night very long.
• Attend your pre-fair show (a SAILA show, jackpot show, or livestock camp). It is required, and it is the best practice you will get.

Last week

• Bath and a light brush every day. Skin should be clean and smooth.
• Short, calm drives. Do not wear the pig out.
• Practice your answers to judge questions out loud.

Tip: End every session on a good note. If your pig did one thing right, stop there and give it a scratch. Pigs remember how a session ended.

Ring technique

Once you are in the ring, the whole game is make the judge see your pig.

The basics

• Keep your pig between you and the judge. Always. If the judge moves, you move.
• Stay 10 to 15 feet off the judge. Close enough to be seen, far enough to give a full side view.
• Never block the judge’s view. Do not walk between the judge and your pig. Do not let your body or your whip hide the pig.
• Keep moving. A moving pig shows muscle. When you stop, stop with the pig’s side to the judge and its head up.
• Avoid corners. A pig in a corner is a pig that is about to turn around and bolt.
• Stay out of traffic. Do not let your pig get into a fight or get buried in a group. Find open space.
• Head up. Lift the head with a tap under the jowl. A pig with its head up looks longer and more level.

Driving

• Whip on the shoulder or jowl, not the ham. Hitting the rear makes a pig run.
• Light taps. The whip is a steering wheel, not a hammer. Judges dislike hard hitting and it will cost you.
• Hold the whip in the hand away from the judge most of the time so it does not cross in front of the pig.
• Walk to the side and slightly behind your pig’s shoulder.

Eyes and attitude

• Watch the judge with one eye and your pig with the other. Know where both are at all times.
• When the judge looks at you, make eye contact and smile. You are selling this pig.
• Stay calm. If your pig takes off, walk (do not run) to get it back and reset. Every showman has had a pig get away.

When the judge handles your pig

The judge may walk up and feel your pig’s top and ham. Stop the pig, keep its head up, and step back so the judge has room. Do not talk unless asked.

Questions judges ask

Showmanship judges ask questions to see if you know your project. Practice out loud with a parent until the answers come easy.

Question	Sample answer (fill in your numbers)
How much does your pig weigh?	“She weighed 268 pounds at weigh-in last night.”
What breed is your pig?	“He’s a crossbred, Hampshire and Yorkshire, what people call a blue butt.”
When was your pig born?	“January 20th, so she’s about eight months old.”
What do you feed?	“A 16 percent show pig feed, about 6 pounds a day split into two meals.”
How much has it gained?	“About 1.8 pounds a day since I got him in May.”
What is the ideal market weight?	“Around 260 to 290 pounds. The fair minimum is 220 and the max is 320.”
Name the parts of the pig.	Know: snout, jowl, ear, poll, shoulder, loin, rump, ham, hock, pastern, dewclaw, belly, flank, tail.
Name the wholesale cuts.	Ham, loin, Boston shoulder (butt), picnic shoulder, belly (bacon), spareribs, jowl.
What did you learn this year?	Have a real answer ready. Judges love honest stories.
What is a withdrawal time?	“The number of days you have to stop a medicine before the animal can be slaughtered.”

Check-in and weigh-in night

Tuesday, September 14, 2027 is check-in. Here is how it goes for pigs. The full schedule is on the fair week page.

1. Pen after 1 PM. No animals or equipment can come in before then.
2. Unload on 3rd Street on the west side of the pig barn. You have 10 minutes to unload and move the vehicle. No vehicles on the grass.
3. Check in at the table in front of the white trailer between the pig barn and the sale ring. You get your exhibitor packet, stall assignment, stall cards, and wristbands.
4. Have your Seasonal Pass and YQCA certificate. You cannot check in without them.
5. Unofficial scale 3 to 5 PM if you want to check weight first.
6. Mandatory exhibitor meeting at 6:45 PM at the sale ring bleachers.
7. Swine weigh-in 7 to 8 PM. Pigs must be clean and dry and the ear tag must be clean and readable. You get one official weigh and one immediate re-weigh if you ask before leaving the scale.
8. Declare at the scale. If you brought two pigs, say which one you are showing in showmanship (by NCJL ear tag number). If you have more than one species, say which animal you are selling.

Fair week in the pig barn

Every day, morning feeding and stall cleaning must be done by 9 AM. Stalls get inspected randomly. A dirty pen costs $25 a day after a warning, and a pen left dirty on Sunday is $100.

Daily routine

• Arrive early. Feed, water, clean, and lay fresh shavings.
• If you hung a tarp or shade, it must be completely down by 9 AM, not just rolled up.
• Haul dirty shavings to the inside fence between the carnival and rodeo arena.
• Keep sidewalks clear of equipment, feed, and supplies.
• Brush your pig and spray it down when it gets hot.
• Walk your pig in the wash rack or exercise area when the superintendent allows.
• Check on your pig again in the evening and before you leave.

Show day (Thursday)

• Feed lightly in the morning so the pig is not sluggish, or ask your leader what they recommend.
• Wash and dry the pig, brush the hair flat, spray a light mist of water right before you enter the ring.
• Pin your exhibitor number on your back. It matches your pig’s NCJL ear tag. If you switch pigs, switch numbers.
• Be ringside two classes early. Watch how the judge works and where they stand.

Dress code

• Button-down or collared shirt, tucked in.
• Nice pants with no rips or holes, and a belt.
• Sturdy closed-toe shoes or boots. No tennis shoes, no sandals. This is a safety rule and a dress rule.
• Hair neat, out of your face.
• A 4-H patch, shirt, or jacket is welcome.
• Exhibitor number pinned on your back or in an exhibitor clip.

Look sharp for the sale on Friday too. Buyers notice.

Round Robin

The Round Robin is Friday morning. The top showmen from each species show every species: pigs, goats, lambs, and steers. If you win your swine showmanship class you may get invited. Even if you do not, go watch. It is the best free showing lesson at the fair, and it will make you want to learn how to set up a lamb.

Sportsmanship

• Congratulate the winner. Thank the judge. Shake hands.
• Help a younger kid whose pig got loose. You will need the favor someday.
• Never argue with a judge in the ring. If you truly think a rule was broken, tell your species superintendent right after the class and follow up in writing within one hour.
• Keep your pen and your language clean. The public is watching, and so are the buyers.

After the show

Your pig’s fair week is not over when you leave the ring. Keep it fed, watered, and clean until it goes on the truck. On Friday your pig sells by the head at the auction, and on Sunday morning at 8 AM you clean the pen and check out with the swine superintendent. Read the auction so you know exactly how sale day works and how to thank your buyer.