A fond farewell

Now that he is in college, Hunter Mason said he will not have time to show animals at fair, but he finished his last county fair in style.

Mason took home Supreme Overall Breeding Gilt and the ribbon for Senior Showmanship for his market hog at this year Carbon County Fair.

It was Mason’s ninth year showing at the fair. In the past he has won ribbons twice for Reserve Champion Market Hog and once for Reserve Champion Breeding Gilt. Mason said that hogs are his favorite animals to work with and show.

“I guess I’ve just always worked with hogs … I just like them the most. We never really had the room or time to work with steers. I was never really fond of goats or sheep, hogs just hit home more for me,” Mason said.

Mason puts a lot of work in to his fair animals. He said over the course of the summer he took about two hours a day to walk and feed the hogs, twice a day every day, seven days a week. In order to gauge the quality of his hogs, he took them to four jackpot shows, straight market shows, prior to fair.

Mason noted that feeding is paramount to how an animal shows in today’s competitions. “Feeding them is critical to get them to look and show the way they do. I think, anymore, in the industry that’s what’s really stressed,” Mason said.

Mason gave one piece of advice for future fair competitors: pick an animal that fits your style, one that looks good to you and you think will show well.