Patio Pondering: Lambs, Pigs, and Calves, Oh My!

Today’s coffee came from the instant maker at the Holiday Inn Express, but the thoughts are percolating here on the Annex Patio in the Sheep Barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center . All around me is the organized chaos of show day: families prepping lambs for showmanship, youth hustling lambs to the wash rack and racing to get them dried and fitted, and barn speakers battling it out with modern hip hop on one side and '80s and '90s country on the other.

I’m struck by the contrast. Parents offer their support through money, labor, and know-how, while the kids blaze their own trails: clipping lambs, rekindling friendships, and finding their own rhythm in preparing animals.

The last two days I’ve been flying solo, hauling lambs and pigs, navigating check-ins, and fretting over whether weigh cards were submitted correctly. It’s exhausting, but rewarding. Still, as I sit in our tack pen and sip my coffee, I can’t help but wrestle with a familiar tension.

On one hand, I celebrate all the good that comes from youth livestock shows—responsibility, consequences, hard work, and opening the door to agriculture for non-livestock farm kids. On the other hand, I wrestle with the mixed messages: the line between show ring polish and commercial reality, and all the things we’re allowed to do to animals in the name of chasing a purple banner.

This morning, while doing chores, I passed by folks I’ve worked with as a Swine Nutritionist—former colleagues, customers, and suppliers. I’ve seen a lot of LinkedIn connections hauling buckets, holding animals, and coaching kids. There’s no denying the passion on display in these barns from both the youth and the adults who love them.

So I’ll keep walking this line. One foot helping my kids feed, fit, and show, and the other planted firmly in commercial production. I'm always wondering how to bridge the gap, how to capture the passion from these show barns and carry it into barns that feed the world.

Is showing livestock the best way to raise kids? I don’t know.

But it’s a darn good one.