Sisters group shows pigs at fair

The Outlawed Livestock Club turned in great performances at the Deschutes County Fair.

The Outlawed Livestock Club, a 4-H group of Sisters students, made a good showing at the recent Deschutes County Fair.

The club has 20 members, 19 of which raise and show pigs. Monica Offield has a goat kid which she will show in future years in dairy goat classes.

Pigs are shown in classes for market conformation, breeding and showmanship. Market classes are divided according to the animal's weight, with male (barrow) and female (gilt) pigs combined in the class.

The judge is looking for market qualities of length, muscling, fat cover and structure.

All the club members received blue ribbons for their market pigs. Jennifer Grimm and Aubrey Kelleher were called to return for the championship round.

Breeding pigs are judged as gilts (females which have never been bred) or production sows (females which have had piglets).

The judge is looking at structure, underline and length, femininity and capacity for breeding. The gilt classes are divided according to when the animal was born, January through April.

Jennifer Grimm had two pigs in the breeding classes. Her gilt, Princess, won Reserve Champion Gilt and Reserve Champion Breeding Hog. Her sow, Duchess, won Champion Sow and Champion Sow with Production Records.

In addition, Princess and Duchess won Champion Best Two Females.

Showmanship is a class in which the handlers are judged according to their ability to show off their pig. The judge is looking for show ring presence and the bond between pig and handler.

Preparation for this class begins when the pigs are just weaned and go to their new owners.

The kids spend time just messing around with them, according to club leader Karen Fenty. They handle them as much as possible and begin moving them around with their hands by tapping the pig's sides, back and nose.

Gradually they introduce a long cane, which is how the pigs are controlled while being shown. A tap on the jowl moves them to the side, on the crease behind the front leg to go forward, and on the nose to stop.

The kids take their pigs for walks at home to get them accustomed to the cane.

Sometimes a pig's freewheeling attitude gets the better of it in the show ring and it trots off on it's own. The handler must have the poise to stay calm and quietly get it back under control.

All of the club members received blue ribbons for their showmanship efforts.

The 4-H livestock auction was held on Saturday, August 3. Members received between $2.75 and $5 per pound for their animals.

The proceeds from the sales are often a chief source of income for the members.

Many Sisters area businesses supported the group.

The Outlawed Livestock Club is into its second year.

Jon Paxton has been involved in 4-H for nine years, Kyle Rickards for three. Paxton, Casey Ramsey, Steve Mills and Scott Schreiner completed their final year of 4-H after graduating from Sisters High School this year.

The other blue ribbon members of the club are Nick Anthony, Kirsten Burck, Maren Burck, Meghan Crowder, Kayla Griggs, Drew Herron, Jacquelien Mansker, Morgan Mansker, Libby Mayea, Kelly Morton, Emily Rickards and Jena Rickards.

Fenty said, "It's rewarding to see kids get excited about agriculture through 4-H. It's a great opportunity for them to grow in maturity, leadership and responsibility."

She also says that the club wants to be involved in the community which supports it by purchasing animals at the 4-H auction; members are available for community service projects.

Potential new members are also welcome to call Karen Fenty at 923-2119.