BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
The 2025 Union County Livestock Association Swine Show was held Wednesday, March 19, 2025, to a standing-room-only crowd at the main arena of the Jimmy Tallman Agricultural Education Center.
Seventy-eight swine and their handlers took to the ring in multiple classes, based on the animal’s weight, and three levels of showmanship competition, based on the exhibitor’s age. The judge for the show was Jada Johnson.
Class One featured swine ranging in weight from 240 to 243 pounds. There were seven competitors. Emery Crim took first place, with Cooper Gemelli placing second and Clay Emery coming in third.
Class Two was composed of swine ranging from 245 to 255 pounds. There were eight competitors. Malia Williams took top honors, with Addisyn Worrell taking second and Malana Patrick coming in third.
Class Three was made up of swine ranging in weight from 256 to 261 pounds. There were eight competitors. First place was taken by Tinsley Moates, with Kylee Thomas and Kyleigh Groves taking second and third respectively.
Class Four featured swine weighing between 262 and 267 pounds. Eight competitors vied for top honors, which went to Wyatt Barber, with FFA Alumni Rebecca Langkau placing in second and Jayden Johnson in third.
Class Five held swine ranging in weight from 268 to 271 pounds, shown by eight handlers. Winning the class was Jamie-Lynn Courson, followed by Brylee Elixson and Corbin Neal.
Swine in Class Six ranged in weight from 272-275 pounds, with nine competitors. Bryson Ranard won first place, followed by Wyatt Wilson in second and Isaiah Cepeda in third.
Class Seven featured seven competitors showing swine that were 276-278 pounds. First place went to Raylan Dyal, with Payton Kilgore and Madison Adams in second and third places.
Class Eight was made up of six animals, all weighing in at 280 pounds. Hagen Thomas won the class, with Amelia Grace Newson taking second and Maddie Croft finishing third.
Class Nine swine ranged in weight from 282 to 285 pounds. There were seven in the class. Emmerson Ogden won the top spot, followed by Rachel Harris and Jackson Crawford.
Class Ten included six swine, ranging in weight from 288 to 293 pounds. Hudson Thomas won the class with Paisley Schmitt-Theus taking second and Sadie Croft in third.
Class Eleven, featured four swine all weighing in at 300 pounds. Reagan Douglas took top honors, while Makailynn Rowan and Colt Thomas rounded out the top three.
The final show class of the evening was for Best Overall Honors. The winner of the Grand Champion and Homegrown Champion honors was Wyatt Barber. Winner of the Reserve Grand Champion title was Emmerson Ogden.
The evening was already in its third hour, and both the judge and competitors all looked tired, but the Showmanship competitions were next.
In Showmanship the pig is not judged, it is all about the expertise of the handler. The classes are based on the exhibitor’s age as of Sept. 1, 2024. The top three from each heat in a division are then brought together to compete for Best Overall Honors for their division.
Junior Showmanship had two heats (divided to make sure there was enough space in the arena). These were competitors ranging from eight to ten years old. There were 17 competitors in the two heats.
Junior Showmanship Heat One was won by three eight-year-olds: Emmerson Ogden, Noah Thomas and Colt Williams. Heat Two was won by Kylee Thomas (10), Kyleigh Groves (9) and Everett Emery (9). In the final competition for best overall in Junior Showmanship the honors went to Emmerson Ogden, Everett Emery and Kylee Thomas.
There were three heats in Intermediate Showmanship, ages 11-13, with a total of 18 competitors. In Heat One, Bryson Renard took top honors, followed by Raylan Dyal and Nailana Hamilton. In Heat Two, Eric Hall took top honors, followed by Latoya Hampton and Emery Crim. In Heat Three, Corbin Neal earned first place, with Wyatt Wilson in second. In the final competition in Intermediate Showmanship, for Best Overall honors, Wyatt Wilson placed first, followed by Paisley Schmitt-Theus and Raylan Dyal.
In Senior Showmanship, age 14+, there were three heats with 29 total competitors. The final competition in Senior Showmanship and for the night was for Best Overall. Winners were Peyton Kilgore, Bo Wilson and Jamie-Lyn Courson.
There were a number of Senior Showmanship competitors recognized at the show and in the show program as the UCLA’s 2025 Seniors, all of whom will graduate this year. These competitors were: Wyatt Barber, McKenzie Flick, Joseph Harris, Jaylynn Moates, Amelia Grace Newson, Ava Westmoreland, Tucker Williams, Bo Wilson and Addisyn Worrell. Congratulations to you all – you are all winners!
