Dudtes show how it’s done at Ohio State Fair
Cody and Chandler Dudte are no strangers to the world of swine showmanship. The pair, the children of Cary and Michelle Dudte of Wooster, have traveled the country, showing swine at pig shows and fairs. Their hard work outside of the ring brings home the trophies and banners. At the Ohio State Fair, the Dudtes did what no brothers before them have done: brought home a one-two finish.
Cody, 19, won the grand champion Yorkshire gilt title in both junior and open class shows. He also picked up the supreme showmanship for all gilt breeds in the junior show classes. He wasn’t finished. He then took second overall in senior showmanship for Yorks. His gilt, purchased from the Stutzman family in Waldron, Mich., was sold to Kimley Family Show Pigs of South Charleston.
Chandler Dudte, 13, showed the grand champion Duroc gilt in the junior show, and the reserve grand champion in the supreme showmanship, second only to his brother. He also was champion of the intermediate division of showmanship. His pig was sold to Don Smith of Mt. Gilead.
Cody, a graduate of Northwestern High School, is a student at OSU/ATI, majoring in agriculture commerce. He also works on the ATI dairy farm. Chandler will be an eighth-grader at Northwestern Middle School. Their younger sister, Zoey, 7, also helps out with the pigs and showed in the open show, placing sixth.
The Dudtes have been showing winners for a while. Cody had the 2006 grand champion market hog at the Wayne County Fair, and the 2002 reserve champion. This year marks the end of his 10-year 4-H career, but he’ll continue to show in the open class at the state fair, as well as the junior show on the national circuit until he’s 21. Chandler showed pigs in Georgia for the Kevin Wynn family, who have a farm west of Wooster.
What’s the attraction to showing pigs? Michelle said it’s simple. “They’re easy projects to have.” Cody added that pigs are only around for a few months, while cattle projects take more than a year. The secret to success? Cody easily answered that, saying it takes “hard work, effort and a little money.
“You surround yourself with good people,” he added, a sentiment also echoed by his father, Cary. Michelle added the kids spend “lots of time working with the pigs.” The Dudtes believe that they are not just representing themselves, but the breeders and other folks who have helped them along the way.
Each brother has a different style that garners the same winning result. Chandler said he’s more laid back and “Cody has more intensity.” As one judge commented, he’s not a fancy shower, but he gets the job done.
Competition at the state fair is tough. “It’s hard down there,” Michelle Dudte said. Cody noted in his classes, there were 30 exhibitors with three heats of competition, with the top two or three advancing on. While they recognize and know many other competitors, they see new people at every event.
While many people see the market hog championship and high sale price as top benefits, the Dudtes have a different theory. “It’s nice to win in the market show,” Cody Dudte said, “but showmanship shows the hard work you’ve done.” He pointed to showmanship elements of keeping the pig cool, the pig’s skin and coat, his own appearance, and most importantly, “how you display yourself, and when you don’t win, using sportsmanship to shake hands with the winner and others.”
The pigs also reap special rewards. Pickles, the barrow to be shown by Cody, eagerly awaited a marshmallow treat. His barn mate, Snakebite, will sit like a dog to get a marshmallow. For a treat, Pickles received a handful of mini flavored marshmallows.
The Dudte family cleaned out a small shed on their property and by their own handiwork, turned it into a neat, practical barn for their pigs, which they purchase in April. Michelle Dudte said it’s not uncommon for passersby on U.S. 250 to stop and do a double take when they see the boys and Zoey walking the pigs late at night, in the cool air, after a hot summer day. The hogs are so tame they walk onto a scale to be weighed and checked, and the kids spend a lot of time before and after school and work, tending to their projects. “For the most part, we get along well (working together),” said Cody.
Since the state fair has ended, Cary and Michelle Dudte said the barn is virtually empty without the gilts, with just three pigs left. However, those pigs still demand a lot of time and attention. Pigs are walked daily, for up to 30 minutes. When they arrive in the spring, the boys estimate they walk the pigs about five to 10 minutes a day, increasing as the pigs grow. They are cleaned and brushed and washed every other day. The sawdust in the three pens is fresh and virtually immaculate.
The Dudtes are looking forward to the Wayne County Fair, and Chandler Dudte modestly and quietly said his goal is “to do well in showmanship.” That shouldn’t be too tall of an order.
Cody, 19, won the grand champion Yorkshire gilt title in both junior and open class shows. He also picked up the supreme showmanship for all gilt breeds in the junior show classes. He wasn’t finished. He then took second overall in senior showmanship for Yorks. His gilt, purchased from the Stutzman family in Waldron, Mich., was sold to Kimley Family Show Pigs of South Charleston.
Chandler Dudte, 13, showed the grand champion Duroc gilt in the junior show, and the reserve grand champion in the supreme showmanship, second only to his brother. He also was champion of the intermediate division of showmanship. His pig was sold to Don Smith of Mt. Gilead.
Cody, a graduate of Northwestern High School, is a student at OSU/ATI, majoring in agriculture commerce. He also works on the ATI dairy farm. Chandler will be an eighth-grader at Northwestern Middle School. Their younger sister, Zoey, 7, also helps out with the pigs and showed in the open show, placing sixth.
The Dudtes have been showing winners for a while. Cody had the 2006 grand champion market hog at the Wayne County Fair, and the 2002 reserve champion. This year marks the end of his 10-year 4-H career, but he’ll continue to show in the open class at the state fair, as well as the junior show on the national circuit until he’s 21. Chandler showed pigs in Georgia for the Kevin Wynn family, who have a farm west of Wooster.
What’s the attraction to showing pigs? Michelle said it’s simple. “They’re easy projects to have.” Cody added that pigs are only around for a few months, while cattle projects take more than a year. The secret to success? Cody easily answered that, saying it takes “hard work, effort and a little money.
“You surround yourself with good people,” he added, a sentiment also echoed by his father, Cary. Michelle added the kids spend “lots of time working with the pigs.” The Dudtes believe that they are not just representing themselves, but the breeders and other folks who have helped them along the way.
Each brother has a different style that garners the same winning result. Chandler said he’s more laid back and “Cody has more intensity.” As one judge commented, he’s not a fancy shower, but he gets the job done.
Competition at the state fair is tough. “It’s hard down there,” Michelle Dudte said. Cody noted in his classes, there were 30 exhibitors with three heats of competition, with the top two or three advancing on. While they recognize and know many other competitors, they see new people at every event.
While many people see the market hog championship and high sale price as top benefits, the Dudtes have a different theory. “It’s nice to win in the market show,” Cody Dudte said, “but showmanship shows the hard work you’ve done.” He pointed to showmanship elements of keeping the pig cool, the pig’s skin and coat, his own appearance, and most importantly, “how you display yourself, and when you don’t win, using sportsmanship to shake hands with the winner and others.”
The pigs also reap special rewards. Pickles, the barrow to be shown by Cody, eagerly awaited a marshmallow treat. His barn mate, Snakebite, will sit like a dog to get a marshmallow. For a treat, Pickles received a handful of mini flavored marshmallows.
The Dudte family cleaned out a small shed on their property and by their own handiwork, turned it into a neat, practical barn for their pigs, which they purchase in April. Michelle Dudte said it’s not uncommon for passersby on U.S. 250 to stop and do a double take when they see the boys and Zoey walking the pigs late at night, in the cool air, after a hot summer day. The hogs are so tame they walk onto a scale to be weighed and checked, and the kids spend a lot of time before and after school and work, tending to their projects. “For the most part, we get along well (working together),” said Cody.
Since the state fair has ended, Cary and Michelle Dudte said the barn is virtually empty without the gilts, with just three pigs left. However, those pigs still demand a lot of time and attention. Pigs are walked daily, for up to 30 minutes. When they arrive in the spring, the boys estimate they walk the pigs about five to 10 minutes a day, increasing as the pigs grow. They are cleaned and brushed and washed every other day. The sawdust in the three pens is fresh and virtually immaculate.
The Dudtes are looking forward to the Wayne County Fair, and Chandler Dudte modestly and quietly said his goal is “to do well in showmanship.” That shouldn’t be too tall of an order.
Published: August 10, 2011
