When Humility Follows Success

This past weekend, we loaded up 2 pigs and 2 of our 4 children and headed south to sell some of our fine swine at an annual sale. After finally getting everything packed for our overnight stay, we were finally on the road.

After piling bags upon bags, because taking a baby and 2.5-year-old on a road trip requires several extra outfits, toys, diapers and more, it felt like our truck was loaded to the max! Not to mention the 2 pigs in the hog box in the back and the additional supplies needed for them.

When we arrived at the fairgrounds, we began to unload the kids, our 2 fine swine and all of the pig supplies. Before I continue, I should share with you how incredibly in love with pigs the 2.5-year-old is. Let’s just say he was in “hog heaven”!  He was also more interested in helping everyone else unload their hogs instead of helping his own parents! (Anyone who needs some help on their farm, just contact our little one!)

As we prepped the pigs the next morning for the show, prospective buyers in the forms of parents, 4-H’ers and grandparents began looking at more than 350 pigs that came from farms across the states. The sift (show) came and our 2 Hampshire gilts ended up winning their breed, then one of them was named Grand Champion gilt overall. To say we were surprised and humbled is an understatement.

My husband and I have been married for 3.5 years and we have definitely had our struggles when it comes to raising hogs. I’m thankful that he has an incredible amount of knowledge about pigs and his passion for them grows stronger after each farrowing season. Being such young breeders, we didn’t think we would reach such an honor at such a young age, but with God’s  blessing we did.

I guess the moral of my story is to never give up. Raising livestock always gets tougher during the winter months because it’s cold, you have to have heat running often, frozen waters have to be broken, and it takes, what feels like hours, to bundle up to go outside.

But to bring home purple banners, a grateful heart and humbleness makes choring during the winter months a bit more enjoyable.

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