Red Raven student wins hog show at National Western Stock Show 

Coffeyville Community College (CCC) Freshman, Reagan Kelly of Bullard, Tex. has been showing pigs for six years and in January 2008 all that work paid off as she won the National Western Stock Show.  In the show circuit, this is one of the biggest and most competitive shows and one that every livestock showman hopes to one day win. 

A farm girl, Kelly has been a member of FFA since she was 10.  She has shown cattle most of her time in FFA, but it was her agriculture teacher’s involvement in pigs, that drew her into the business.  Kelly earned her way to the pig show ring at the National Western three times, taking second and first in her class prior to this year.  It wasn’t until she took her pig, Jamie, to the Denver, Colo. show that she found big success.  The gilt won Champion Hampshire Gilt before being named Reserve Grand Overall.  It was five minutes before the Junior Livestock Sale that Kelly was told the Grand Champion pig had been disqualified and she would be selling as both the Grand and Reserve Champion pig. 
 

CCC Student, Reagan Kelly (right) shakes hands with the judge at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo.  Kelly took Champion Hampshire Gilt before being named Reserve Grand Overall and eventually selling as the Champion pig.

Before youth may show a pig at the National Western they are required to provide DNA, ear notch information, numbers and other identification on each animal.  Kelly was told an anonymous phone call tipped off officials to the disqualified pig.  The original champion animal had been shown two weeks prior to the National Western at a terminal sale (all animals are sent to slaughter following the sale).  The pig in question had “made it off the truck” and was taken to Denver.  It was following the premier exhibitor interview at the National Western that the pig was disqualified. 

Kelly took her now champion pig into one of the highest paying sale rings in the country and worked her ring magic to bring a sale price of $51,000.  Exhibitors take home 80 percent of their sale (the remainder goes to an inner-city student scholarship fund).  Kelly walked away with $40,800.  She admitted that although that amount covers the cost of showing Jamie over the past year, it doesn’t come close to paying for the six years of showing pigs. 

The experience of showing livestock and learning about conformation has led Kelly to the CCC Livestock Judging Team.  Her experience in the ring will continue to help her as she judges for CCC and in her dedication to her studies.