Inside the Swine Barn at the Iowa State Fair | 4-H, FFA & Iowa Pork Producers
Go behind the scenes inside the Swine Barn at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, as more than 1,100 pigs arrive for one of the biggest livestock traditions of the summer. Pork Industry News is on the ground as 4-H and FFA swine exhibitors, open class competitors, breeding gilts, market hogs and the famous Iowa State Fair Big Boar entries get settled in and ready to show.
In this episode, Rachel Fishback with Pork Industry News talks with longtime Iowa State Fair Swine Barn Superintendent Ernie Barnes of Earlham, Iowa, who is celebrating 25 years of helping oversee the swine barn. Barnes shares how the barn has changed over the years, upcoming renovations designed to improve water management, and what it means to watch generations of Iowa farm families return to the same barn year after year.
Barnes also gives us a look at the incredible logistics behind Iowa State Fair swine shows. More than 1,100 pigs arrived between 1:00 and 9:00 a.m., followed by thousands more animals rotating through the barn during the fair. From safely unloading livestock and preparing pens to veterinary checks, weigh cards, paperwork and pedigree verification, there's an incredible amount of work happening before a pig ever enters the show ring.
We also meet Margo Schuiteman of Sioux Center, Iowa, an experienced 4-H swine exhibitor who is showing through FFA for the first time. Margo talks about seeing exhibitors and pigs from counties across Iowa come together at the Iowa State Fair and shares her advice for fellow exhibitors: embrace the chaos, have fun and enjoy the moment.
For Iowa's 4-H and FFA members, showing pigs at the Iowa State Fair represents months of feeding, daily animal care, washing, walking, training and preparing livestock at home. Behind every exhibitor is a support system of parents, grandparents, siblings, ag teachers, FFA advisors, 4-H leaders, breeders, Iowa pork producers and volunteers who help make one of the state's largest livestock shows possible.
And no trip through the Iowa State Fair Swine Barn would be complete without seeing the legendary Big Boar competition, where some of the heaviest hogs at the fair have become a must-see attraction for generations of fairgoers.
Pork Industry News wishes the best of luck to all of the 4-H, FFA, open class and Big Boar exhibitors competing at the Iowa State Fair. We'll be cheering you on from ringside and sharing more stories from the people, pigs and farm families who make Iowa agriculture and the pork industry possible.
People Featured / Speaking in This Video:
Rachel Fishback — Pork Industry News, host and reporter
Ernie Barnes — Earlham, Iowa; Iowa State Fair Swine Barn Superintendent
Margo Schuiteman — Sioux Center, Iowa; FFA swine exhibitor and longtime 4-H exhibitor
Topics: Iowa State Fair, Iowa State Fair Swine Barn, Iowa State Fair pigs, Iowa pork producers, pork industry, swine industry, pig farming, hog farming, 4-H swine, FFA swine, youth livestock exhibitors, market hogs, breeding gilts, show pigs, Big Boar, livestock showing, Iowa agriculture, Iowa farmers, Iowa farm families, livestock production, pork production, agricultural education, FFA exhibitors, 4-H exhibitors, Des Moines Iowa, Pork Industry News.
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