The Western Illinois University School of Agriculture’s Livestock Judging Team and Show Team recently earned numerous team and individual awards at the National Barrow Show in Austin, MN.
The WIU Show Team was named Champion in the purebred truckload section, which then led to being named Grand Champion Overall in the truckload portion of the competition. The students spent countless hours in the barn working with these pigs to get them just right for the show.
“During my time gearing up for the National Barrow Show, I learned a lot from the day we pulled our set of truckload pigs off of the cold nursery at the swine farm, to when we were throwing up the ‘W’s’ at the backdrop in Austin,” said junior agriculture major Dane Robertson, from Mooresville, IN. “To say the least, my favorite thing from my experience feeding the truckload was the bonding and getting to know all my teammates and classmates, who I’m now calling some of my best friends.”
WIU’s Livestock Judging Team won High Team Overall, as well as Second High Team in Reasons.
WIU had two students place in the top 10 in the individual competitions: Senior agriculture major Kyle Webster, of Chrisman, IL, captured High Individual Overall and Second High Individual in Reasons and senior agriculture major Leremy Jackson, of Unionville, IA, won Fifth High Individual Overall and Seventh High Individual in Reasons.
“That special Monday at NBS was truly a dream come true for not only me, but for our team and school,” said Webster. “The whole experience was a representation of what we do here at WIU. We are in the trenches every day trying to out work everyone else, and at the end of the day we hope we land on top.”
The teams are advised by Associate Professor Mark Hoge and graduate assistants Cooper Bounds and Bailey Irick.
For more information about WIU’s School of Agriculture, visit wiu.edu/agriculture.
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
