Breeder Central Lifestyle Showmanship
When asked about his best moment showing livestock, Blake Holmes doesn’t have to think twice before he responds.
He was driving his barrow in the grand drive at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) this past November. The judge selected Holmes’ pig as Grand Champion Market Hog, and, he immediately heard his friend scream with excitement from ringside. Holmes said he will remember that moment forever.
“Other than being in the ring it’s just the people I’ve met and the fun experiences I’ve had that have made showing a great experience,” he says. “I couldn’t be more thankful for it.”
Holmes, a senior at Lebo High School in Lebo, Kansas, just concluded a banner year. He says 2015 has been his best year showing pigs. The banners he’s brought home include NAILE Reserve York and Grand Champion Market Hog; Kansas State Fair Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Market Hog; Kansas Junior Livestock Show Grand Champion Market Hog and 5th Overall Barrow; World Pork Expo 5th Overall Hamp Barrow, 5th Overall Cross Barrow and 5th Overall Hamp Gilt; NJSA Southwest Regional Champion Crossbred Barrow, Champion Duroc Gilt and Grand Champion Gilt Overall and many other jackpot and county titles.
And that was just in 2015.
He has been showing since age seven, and got involved because his parents had both shown pigs. Holmes’ dad purchased a few hogs from an older neighbor, and though he was not serious about showing at age seven, he had a bit of success, earning Reserve Grand at the county fair. Then, he was bit by the show bug.
Holmes says his first-love was showmanship. He focused on the skills involved to show a pig well and thus, won several showmanship contests.
“I liked that feeling of people judging you on how you act in the ring and being honored for that,” he says. “It was fun for me, and I knew I wanted to keep on showing.”
After that first year of showing pigs, Holmes added a bucket calf and market goats. He liked showing goats and had some success locally, including winning the county fair market goat show, but he didn’t have the passion to show goats on the national level. So pigs remained his specie of choice. “I had been around hogs my whole life because my dad used to raise and breed them,” Holmes says. “I got attached and that’s why I wanted to keep showing them.”
Though he’s experienced great success, the show road hasn’t always been purple ribbons and banners for Holmes. One year traveling home from Louisville, Kentucky, in 100-degree plus heat, a truck hose blew. It was late, and there were hogs on the trailer of course, but his family found a way to keep going – by switching out trucks.
Another challenging time was at the Kansas State Fair when Holmes was much younger. He had a gilt make the top three in a competitive crossbred class, and she might have been favored to win. However, she stressed out in the ring. Holmes says he was young enough that he needed his family’s help to get her back on her feet and walk her out of the ring. He remembers being attached to the gilt because he worked with her every day.
Holmes is also involved with high school sports, playing football, basketball and running track. But what sets him apart from his high school friends is that he and his family hit livestock shows on the weekends. Holmes says he loves showing because it’s a family activity. His older sister, Shelby, also successfully showed. Showing became even more fun when his cousin and best friend since Kindergarten, Andrew Hodges, started. “The show ring is just an exciting place to be,” he says. “I have had family around cheering me on ever since I was little. Other people don’t realize how much hard work and dedication showing takes. My family is right by my side and they’re the best. Knowing they are there for me, to help me accomplish my goals is really great.”
He also credits his livestock show goals to his long-time friend, Dylan Evans.
“With his expertise in the field of livestock I was able to achieve my goals at the national level,” Holmes says.
Holmes has shown many hogs each season, but nothing compares to the year when he and his crew took a total 55 pigs to the World Pork Expo. He says it was one of the most memorable shows he’s been to because they were constantly watering, feeding, walking and showing pigs.
“We never missed a class,” he says. “Even though we would have two or three in the same class at a time, we had each hog fed to the right amount of weight. But we never sat down either.”
Holmes is very aware the show ring experience opened doors for him to meet other young people, friends and industry leaders. He plans to attend Kansas State University and major in agribusiness and take advantage of his last two years to show as a junior exhibitor.
His long-term plans are to return home and use his degree to raise livestock alongside his dad. Holmes’ advice for young swine showmen is to make connections and take in as much information as they can about how to care for, feed and show their pig to the best of their ability.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to walk animals every day for specific amounts of time but it’s important to do that if you want to be successful and not have your hog running around the ring screaming,” he says. “Also, be aggressive when you go in the ring. Make sure you show your hog where the judge can see it and be aggressive. Make your hog look good by showing off its strong points. Always remember it’s important to win with class, and also to have class when you lose.”