Livestock show offers great ‘tails’ for tale

Turnip was just chilling after his bath, munching on peanut butter crackers while waiting to strut his stuff for the judges.

Turnip is a Dark Crossbred Barrow owned by MacArthur High School junior Kay Williams, 16. Williams is a member of the Lawton FFA and showed Turnip on Feb. 25 at the Comanche County Livestock Show at the Great Plains Coliseum. Williams said this was her second time to show Turnip; the first time she showed him was in Walters where she won third place.

Williams said this is her first year to show livestock after other FFA officers talked her into it. She told the ag teacher for Lawton Public Schools what breed she wanted and the teacher picked out Turnip, who is 7 months old. Williams has owned him since he was a piglet.

“I wanted a more docile and calm breed,” she said. “He is not as white so he is easier to keep clean. He doesn’t like making messes.”

Williams said her daily routine of caring for Turnip is to let him out of his pen when she gets home from school so he can play for a bit. Then she walks him for about 20 minutes before taking a rest break, which might include one of his favorite snacks — peanut butter crackers or french fries — before walking for another 10-20 minutes.

“Walking helps him keep going,” Williams said. “He likes to walk slow. He has a short stride and walking helps get his stride out.”

In the pens next to Turnip were Onion and Pickles, a Dark Crossbred Barrow and a Hampshire Market Barrow, respectively. They, too, were awaiting their turn in the show ring.

Onion and Pickles are owned by Eli Coder, a senior at MacArthur High School. This is Coder’s second year to show livestock; he credits his older sister with introducing him to FFA and to showing pigs.

“They are easier to handle than other animals,” he said. “You’ve got to bathe them and put spray on them to make them shine. Pigs are easy to show if you put time and effort into them. They listen a lot better and are better behaved in the ring.”

After this livestock season, Turnip will be retired to life on the farm. Williams said Oklahoma Youth Expo rules forbid the same livestock from being shown for another year.

“He will pretty much be a pet,” Williams said. “My mom got bonded to him and I did too.”

Williams will get another pig before the livestock show season starts next year.

Onion and Pickles, on the other hand, were due to be auctioned. Funds from their sale will go into Coder’s college fund; he plans to attend a trade school and become an electrician.