They learned exactly "how good" Crinkles was on Tuesday, Aug. 15. That's the day Cory, 12, saw Crinkles win Medium Weight Reserve Champion Barrow and Reserve Champion Market Barrow. The animal, who earned its cute name from a crinkled ear left that way from an infection when it was younger, also won Reserve Grand Champion Market Hog.
"I was surprised that I got Reserve (Champion)," said Cory, who incredibly enough was showing an animal for his first time ever at the state fair.
More incredibly, Cory's Reserve Champion 4-H Market Hog sold for a record-setting $38,000 during the sale of champions, making it the highest-selling animal ever in the history of the sale, according to fair officials.
All this good fortune is still sinking in for the Sampson family, who farms just north of Nevada. "It's always a total surprise when you go to the state fair," said Doug. He said the family has entered animals in state fair competition for many years and has done pretty well over those years. "We knew (Crinkles) was good, but when you go to the state fair, it's always the best. We just go down and hope to do good."
Doug said raising an award-winning animal is an amazing process, when you think about the fact that the pigs are picked when they weigh in at about 30 pounds in April. "How do you know" what that pig will turn out to be, Doug commented. Obviously, he said, "there are things you learn to look for," but you never really know what the end product will be.
Doug is in a partnership raising hogs with a family cousin, Joe Eggers of State Center, who has helped with Crinkles. Doug also mentions that Nick Berry of Ames helped with Crinkles, who was the offspring of one of Berry's sows.
Another amazing, and quite fast process, Doug said, is preparing for the sale of champions once your animal is picked. He said the family had from Wednesday of last week until 11 a.m. that Friday to raise as many funds as possible for the base bid on the animal during the sale. Doug said the family received bids, ranging anywhere from $30 to $500 from many friends and businesses in the area, and also received four major contributions from Community Bank in Nevada, Mid-State Milling in State Center, Garst Seed and Corporate Farmer in Mason City. "We raised about $10,200 to start the bidding process," he said.
Of the $38,000 raised in the sale of Crinkles, 80 percent of the money comes back to the Sampsons; 20 percent goes into the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement scholarship fund through the 4-H program. Doug proudly points out that a Nevada High School graduate, Kelly Sheets, now at Iowa State University, is a recipient of this scholarship.
Cory says adamantly that his portion of the money will go toward a dirt bike or four-wheeler and maybe some "other stuff." His dad insists most of it will go into a college fund, even though college is still about seven years off for Cory.
Cory is presently ready to be a sixth grader in Mark Haburn's class at Nevada Middle School. Cory said his favorite subject is science, and he is also involved in football, soccer, band and basketball. And, of course, 4-H will also be a continued activity for Cory, who is a two-year member of the Richland Mid-State club. As a 4-H member, Cory said his favorite things are working with hogs and cattle. He also enjoys other 4-H projects, like woodworking and taking photos.
As this week comes to an end, Cory, his dad and probably their cousin Joe, will get to take in one more activity - open only to champion exhibitors - they will attend a viewing of all the champion carcasses at Iowa State University.
Doug said it's a chance for them to learn, as they will get to see the quality of the meat and of the carcass, not only for their animal, but for all the other winning animals. Cory will be sure to learn all he can from this experience, because he doesn't want his first year of showing to be his last. He definitely plans to return to the Iowa State Fair in years to come.
|
|
