110-LmcMter Farmlni, Saturday, January A, 1997
B
Nil
A Charles “family portraH" of sorts—Crystal, 17, right, together with brothers Eric,
15, left, and Philip, 11 and the hogs they will show st this year’s Farm Show. They have
lots of help from parents Cliff and Nancy.
Charles
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
“It’s fun to see what you can do
with what you have,** said Crystal
Charles.
Moments before. Crystal was
busy using a cane, a bucket of feed,
and a lot of coaxing to get her hogs
set up at the edge of a wheat field
for a “family portrait” of sorts
herself together with brothers Eric
and Philip and the hogs they will
show at this year’s Farm Show.
Crystal, 17, was preparing for
the junior swine show with
brothers Eric, IS, and Philip, 11, at
their hog farm southwest of Lan
caster. They have lots of help from
parents Cliff and Nancy.
The Charles family spoke to
When winning, the money from the ribbons and the sale
goes into a pooM fund for Crystal, Erie, and Philip. Then It
Is divided equally and placed In savings. The 4-H’ers learn a
lot about picking out hogs from being members. They learn
about “muscles, trlrt, and leanness,” according to Eric,
who places feed.
ids j.
Family
Lancaster Farming about the fun
times they had showing pigs in
years past. And they remembered a
lot of fond shows —especially this
year’s West Lampeter Community
Fair, where Philip won grand
champion hog.
Of course, they remembered the
competition at the Lancaster
County 4-H Swine Roundup in
August, too.
Crystal remembered her fond
ness for Lampeter. She won grand
champion twice at the heralded
farm show event for the county.
“But it doesn’t matter whether
you win or not,’’ she said. “It’s
still a lot of fun.’’
Crystal and Eric began their 4-H
show experience with the local
fairs about six years ago. Since
Returns To The Fun Of Farm Show
then, they’ve attended the Farm
Show a few times and placed high
enough to have bogs sold between
5250-S3OO a head, according to
their dad. Cliff.
The family is returning from a
one-year absence from the Farm
Show.
But they’re redlining to Farm
Show in a big way.
Crystal believes the family has a
“decent” shot at a high placing at
this year’s farm show. According
to her dad, the hogs are different in
terms of greater muscling,
although a cross of York. Large
White, Hamp, Duroc, and Pietrain
is in the “mix.”
They manage about2sosows on
the fairow-to-finish farm. From
there, according to Crystal, her
father helps pick the show pigs.
“We don’t breed them for show
pigs,” he said. “It’s our commer
cial hogs we sell them to mark
et We (need them, but it’s not like
wedecide which breeds to use. We
buy our gilts and our boors, and
whatever comes out of those we
use.
“We just use what we have
here,” said Cliff.
Crystal said she and her brothers
exercise the hogs every day.
“We just take them out every
once in a while, like we did here
today.” she said. They walk the
hogs “a few laps around the budd
ings,” Eric said.
Crystal said the hogs are walked
around the. feed barns to build up
their endurance. She said, “They
usually stay together. They go
crazy if they get by themselves.”
It also helps to place them with
other pigs, because in groups they
are easier to manage, according to
Crystal.
“Sometimes you have one
that’s kind of irritable and does
what he wants,” she said. “But
most times they're easygoing.”
When winning, the money from
the ribbons and the sale goes into a
pooled fund for Crystal. Eric, and
Philip. Then it is divided equally
and placed in savings.
Hie 4-H’crs leapt a lot about
picking out hop from being mem-
ortie
Eric, center, and Philip, light, both enjoy the showman
ship championships. Keeping eye on the Judge and making
sure the hog Isnl lost In some comer are what makes show
ing so much fun for them. Crystal, left, and Eric began show
ing about six years ago. “Dad had done It when he was
young and he thought It was fun and wanted us to try It,”
said Crystal.
bers. They leant about "muscles,
trim, and leanness," according to
Eric.
4-H “tells you what to look for,
but we grew up with it too," said
Crystal.
Does she have a favorite show?
"They’re all a lot of fiin. t like
them all."
One year Crystal had a hog that
simply grew too fast, which was
disappointing because it didn’t
qualify. Last time at Farm Show,
two years ago. none of the Charles
made the sale. “We all came
home, disappointed,” said
Crystal ■
Eric and Philip both enjoy the
showmanship championships.
Keeping the eye on the judge and
making sure die hog isn’t lost in
some comer are what makes show
ing so much fun for them.
Crystal and Eric began showing
about six years ago. “Dad had
done it when he was young and he
thought it was fun and wanted us to
try it.” said Crystal. “He really
wanted me to do it earlier, but I
thought I’d rather wait until Eric
and 1 could (show) together. We
talked about it the year before he
was old enough to do it .and that
next year we started.”
Choosing hogs for showing
«oa*
iV
comes early and they are sorted
out.
The most fun part for Crystal is
meeting the friends she’s made in
4-H.
“It’s the people. There ate cer
tain people you see pretty much at
all the shows, and that might be the
only time you see them, too,’’ she
said. “You also feel like you’re a
part of the Farm Show, you’re not
just an onlooker.’’
Crystal also enjoys the respect
that die show exhibitors get from
the public. And when a hog wants
to go through crowded aisles, she
said it is fim when she sees “the
pig go barging through all the
people."
Philip recalled one show in
which some preschoolers wanted
to pet the hogs. One of the teachers
told a child who reached in to pet
the hog, “Don’t, they bite,”
Immediately after, one lady came
along and when a little boy reached
his hand in, she told him, “Pet
him. they don’t bite.”
For all that, the show experience
is most valuable to the 4-H
members.
According to their mother, Nan
cy Charles, “It’s fun. whether we
win or lose. They just enjoy the
experience. They’re not doing it to
win.”