Ogle County Fair Agriculture Showing Lacking Due to Drought
By: Matt Mershon
Updated: August 3, 2012
Ryan Reeverts' pig is smaller than it should be.
"This year, because it's been so hot, like 100 degree days, they don't want to eat," said Reeverts. "They just want to lay and stay cool as they can."
But having small pigs doesn't prevent you from winning ribbons. Reeverts won awards for showmanship this year, but he wishes he could have won awards for his pigs too.
"If you just
put it into perspective, these pigs, you can't feed them because they don't
want to eat. They're not going to weigh as much and that's not what's good for
quality and production," said Reeverts.
The animals aren't
the only ones hurting at this year's county fair, the crops are too. The soybeans on one of the 4-H competitors
soybean plant aren't even half the size of what they should be.
Jordan Mingus'
basket of vegetables won Reserve Grand Champion, but his ears of corn are
smaller than in years past. He said
growing wasn't too different, but the drought made problems of another kind.
"We watered daily
anyway so it wasn't completely different," said Mingus. "The drought just made it a lot more pest
friendly."
The showing of
horticulture at the fair was smaller too, nearly half the size of what it
usually is. Mingus isn't complaining
about that.
"It
means it was better for me because I had less competition. Not that I'm trying
to say I don't like competition."
Reeverts
pigs are about 50 pounds shy of what they could have been. Regardless after the county fair they're off
to market to be slaughtered.
