Mark’s Farm
My hero in the 4h pig community is a pig breeder, Mark Waddle. I met him through his wife, who is my mom’s cousin. Mark is one of the big three pig farmers in Clark County. He has lived on and taken care of a farm his whole life, which originally was a cow farm. When Mark took over the family farm he turned it into a pig farm, so now there are many breeding pigs. In one barn he keeps pigs to breed, these pigs are about four feet tall on all fours. In another barn, Mark keeps the fair pigs, since they will only be on the property for a couple of months. That barn was recently built, so it has everything you could need to take care of a pig.
Mark’s Involvement
Each year I buy a pig from him, and he has generously let me keep my pigs in his barn. I also buy a pig from a different pig farmer, who breeds a specific breed, and Mark doesn’t mind. He has taught me a lot of tips on how to show a pig and take care of one. Such as, keeping the water and food up so the pig’s head stays up when showing. Also, sometimes the judge wants you to shake their hand when entering/exiting the ring. His knowledge of pigs and experience have made him a great mentor. Mark really cares about each of his pigs and wants to see them live a good life. He stays with each of his pigs as long as he can and insures they look/show the best they possibly can.
The Waddle family, as a whole, has been very kind to me and really helped me be in the position of pig showing I am today.
More on Mark’s family: https://www.columbusmessenger.com/south-charleston-family-a-fixture-at-county-fair.html