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After a really great Logan County Fair, the family
moved on to Springfield with their prize winning swine entries, and
after several days of showing came out with some really amazing
accomplishments, including both will be taking animals to the
National Barrow Show in Austin Minnesota
later this fall.
The National Barrow Show is a prestigious event where some animals
are hand-picked, and make their appearance by invitation only.
Entries come from a number of states throughout the central United
States. At the show, the National Barrow Show takes place and the
animals entered are sold as breeding stock.
Sydney will have a barrow in the National Barrow parade. At
the National Barrow Show the Chester White Gilt was selected to be a
part of Hog College. She will be entered into the sale as
breeding stock.
Ryan will feature a gilt in the parade. The gilt will also be
offered for sale during the trip, and again is a hand selected
female that will be sold for breeding.
Tom Peifer is a proud grandpa. He brings animals to his farm in
rural Lincoln for the kids to work with and show during fair season.
Peifer says that he purchases feeder pigs at about 40 pounds, and
brings them into a 12-pen barn on his farm. Each animal gets its own
pen and is fed a specialized ration just for it, to help produce the
desired results in the show ring.
The young animals arrive at the Peifer Farm in late March to early
April, and from that day forward the kids make daily trips to the
farm to care for their animals and work on their showmanship skills.
The youngsters are expected to do the feeding and cleaning. They
wash their pigs and also walk their pigs practicing their herding
skills and allowing pig and trainer the opportunity to get to know
one another and get comfortable together. Grandpa keeps an eye on
the process, but says the kids do the work, as it is supposed to be.
After daily chores, each of the youngsters spend an average of 30 to
45 minutes outside in the open lot working with the animals. Peifer
said there is a limit on the amount of time one should work a pig
because they grow tired of their “practice” then they don’t do well.
After doing daily chores and training for approximately five months,
the kids and pigs are ready for the Logan County Fair, and then the
Illinois State Fair.
At the Logan County
Fair. Front: Paxton and Camila Lora and Max Ramlow, Back: Sydney Ramlow
and Ryan Fruge'.
At the Logan County
Fair. Front: Paxton and Camila Lora and Max Ramlow Back: Sydney Ramlow
and Ryan Fruge'.
Peifer noted that this year Ryan did very well at the
LC fair, earning the Reserve Champion Gilt in the Open Show on
Friday at the fair.
Sydney also did well in Logan County winning Champion and Reserve
Champion in specific breeds of swine. Ryan and Sydney showed pigs in
both 4-H and the Open Shows at the fair and took away many first
place wins in the breed classes.
The Logan County Fair wrapped up on August 4th and on August 6th the
Peifer family had relocated to Springfield. Tom Peifer said that the
grandkids and his daughter stay on the State Fairgrounds throughout
the week. Grandpa comes home every evening, but is back at the state
fair the next day.
This year the kids participated in five days of shows. On Friday,
August 9th, they did the Junior Gilt Show; on Saturday, it was the
Junior Barrow Show. Sunday, August 11th, there was the Open Barrow
Show; on Tuesday the 13th and Wednesday the 14th, there were Open
Gilt Shows.
At the end of the five days of showing, Ryan and
Sydney had an impressive list of accomplishments.
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Ryan with grandpa Tom
Ryan won the Champion Chester White in the Open Show.
Sydney with grandpa
Tom
Sydney won the Premier Champion Barrow in the Junior
show, the
Champion Poland Barrow and the Senior Champion Spotted Poland China
Gilt in the open shows at the state fair.
Sydney in the ring at
the Illinois State Fair at the Coliseum.
Peifer said that for the kids, this state fair is
quite an experience. He noted that his grandkids were in the ring
with Claire and Ella Bobell, who went on to win top spots at the
state fair. He said it is the way things go. There are a dozen or
more really great kids with really good stock out in the arena, but
at the end of the day there is only one winner. Peifer said that the
lessons though don’t come from winning, they come from experiencing.
He noted that his two grandkids are embarking on a journey this fall
that very few get to take.
To be in the Hog College Parade, to sell their animals in
Austin, that is so special and really speaks to the time and effort
the kids put into raising good animals.
Ryan Fruge is the son of Jamie Fruge of Lincoln. He is 13 years old
and will be attending eighth grade at Lincoln Junior High School. He
plans to play baseball this year for LJHS. Mom, Jamie, is a school
nurse for the District 27 schools.
Sydney Ramlow is the daughter of Troy and Nicole Ramlow. Troy works
for an HVAC company in Peoria. Nicole works as a dental hygienist
for Dr. Walker. Sydney is 12 years old and in the seventh grade at
West Lincoln-Broadwell School. She is also on the WLB Girls
Volleyball Team.
The Peifer's have three additional grandchildren that they are
equally proud of, and who were at the county fair and state fair
with the whole family cheering on their cousins as they showed their
animals. Those three are Paxton and Camila Lora, and Max Ramlow.
Paxton and Camila are the children of Ismael and Danielle Lora. All
five spend time at the farm and help with animals, preparing for
future years when they too will be out in the show ring, carrying on
a family tradition.
The farm where the animals are grown was recognized at the state
fair in 2018 as a farm owned by the same family for 150 years. Tom
and Patty don’t raise livestock anymore, but they do farm about
1,000 acres. This is the place where they raised
their kids and now the place where they are helping to teach their
grandchildren the value of hard work, determination; and they are
also bringing them back to their roots, perhaps preparing the next
generation for the farm and the anticipated notation of 200 years of
the farm being owned and managed by the same family.
Congratulations to Ryan and Sydney for their amazing accomplishments
this year, and best of luck in the sale of your animals this fall at
the National Barrow Show!
[Nila Smith with photos provided by the Peifer’s] |
