Emma Inman showing her pig Nora at the Wisconsin State Fair, August 3, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
WEST ALLIS, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As people take in the many different attractions at the Wisconsin State Fair, dozens of animals are headed to the ring.
That includes the Junior Swine Showmanship event.
Pigs are on the move inside the Swine and Goat Barn, including Nora, the six-month old animal raised on the farm near Bonduel in Shawano County. Emma Inman is getting her two pigs ready to show. The other is a spotted one named Neenah.
“Every day I walk them, and I feed them, and I give them baths. And they get walked for about 15 minutes, and then they get a shower in the wash rack. Soap, conditioner, and then they get sprayed with their special conditioning spray. And then they get fed twice a day, and then the luxury of laying around, eat food, sleep. That’s pretty much it,” said Emma Inman, Competitor.
Inman is one of nearly 80 competitors taking to the ring for the Junior Swine Showmanship event. She says the judge evaluates the pigs, and the way the handlers guide the animals around the ring.
“You watch the judge, and you just walk them in the circle. It’s very nerve-racking being out there for me personally,” she said.
“Of course, it’s the state fair, so it’s a big stage show,” said Dan Schnell, Shawano County Advisor.
There four junior competitors and eight pigs from Shawano County. Dan Schnell is a chaperone, and advisor.
“It’s good experience for kids to have a project that they’ve got to work with. These kids work with these animals generally on a daily basis. They get them out, walk them. So it shows the good ownership and responsibility and kind of how the agriculture market works,” he said.
Back in the ring, Emma Inman didn’t make the finals this time. She says Nora got 6th place in her class.
“You just walk them, and enjoy it. And it is what it is at the end of the day. And it’s just fun. I do it for fun,” she said.
The Wisconsin State Fair runs until August 13.
Over the course of 11 days, about a million people are expected to visit the grounds in West Allis.
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