Weaver represented at FFA competition in Montgomery

Oct. 20—Weaver High School's FFA chapter scored two titles at this year's Alabama National Fair for hog showing, including the Supreme Champion title won by senior Jackson Cleary.

Weaver is in the third year of its agricultural science program and FFA coach Coleman Lett said the students' hard work and determination have paid off by snagging not only the supreme champion in the breeding gilt, but also a "reserve champion" title in the market hog category at the annual fair held in Montgomery.

"Honestly in our circuit here in Alabama, it's really the first large show held in the state of Alabama each year," Lett said.

Lett said this year's program at Weaver has 15 students who show livestock around 6 months out of the year from September to March — exhibiting animals in two to three shows per month. At this year's Alabama National Fair, Lett brought 12 exhibitors and 13 "projects" or animals. In addition to the two titles they brought home, Lett said, they had three exhibitors who placed top ten in their showmanship class.

"At the Alabama National fair this past Sunday I won the Supreme Champion Breeding Gilt title which means that out of every female pig there the judge thought my pig would carry babies the best," Cleary said. "I showed my pig whose name is Porsche and she is the pig that won."

Cleary said that this was his third year with the program but his second year showing.

"This is actually my first time winning anything substantial over the past two years," Cleary said.

To take home the "supreme champion," of the breeding gilt, Cleary had to beat out 62 other animals along the way.

At a hog show, there are two different divisions — the breeding division and the market division. The breeding division is judged based on characteristics of how good their "maternal" traits are, or how good of a mother hog the animal would be. In the market division, the judging criteria is more geared towards how good the animal would sell for the meat or processed for food. Then, inside the breeding division, there are purebred animals and crossbred animals.

"The one that we won it with, it was the grand champion crossbred breeding gilt, and then it had to come back in for the supreme drive and by that point it has beat all of the cross breeding and comes back in and beats all of the pure bred breeding gilts as well. So a large number of animals by the time it was champion," Lett said.

Cleary purchased the winning hog from a breeder in Ohio, and put in a ton of work to get it show-ready, Lett said.

"Jackson is in charge of the day to day care of it. I always tell students, we purchase quality genetics from a breeder but then it comes down to the student as far as that day-to-day care to get it ready for show day," Lett said. "Jackson has had that project since August but he's done a great job of paying attention to protein and fat content. We adjust the feed, [sometimes] twice a month as far as its daily ration of what it needs, in order to have it looking the best on show day."

Cleary said that the hard work comes from a huge amount of importance he places on his animals, placing not many things above it.

"When raising a pig you have to work them every single day or you could lose a placing in a show," Cleary said. "Every day matters and it should be one of your top priorities. Also with the help of Mr. Lett, my AG teacher, he has shown me what to feed her on what days to get optimal results. Without his guidance I would not have been able to achieve this award."

Asked if working with the FFA has captured his interest in a big way, Clear said it "most definitely has."

"As a member of the National FFA Organization you have things called SAE's and this is a Supervised Agriculture Experience and my pigs are my SAE. I wanted to make that count and I've been putting work in since August and using skills I learned from last season to really step up my game. As you can see, it's paid off," Cleary said.

Lett said that he grew up showing livestock in the FFA and that what his students have been able to accomplish in a short amount of time is something he couldn't have imagined accomplishing during his time as a student.

"In the last three years of our progress, being around two years and we're now in our third year, the success we've had, we're really making a name for ourselves across the state and even in the Southeast. I'm just extremely proud of our students and their families," Lett said.

"And also just the community of how much they support this program and how much they want it for our community as they see what it could do for our students as far as their development in being better people and being better leaders," he added.

Around 20 counties and families from all over the state are represented at the livestock show at the Alabama National Fair, all competing for only four banners. For a student from Calhoun County to bring home the title shows what kind of determination Cleary has, and speaks volumes about the program at Weaver, Lett said.

Staff Writer Ashley Morrison: 256-236-1551. On Twitter: @AshMorrison1105.