Jayden Thomsen has been involved with 4-H for nine years. This year he received grand champion honors in the ultrasound contest with his hog, Mercedes.
Jayden has shown beef and swine throughout his time in 4-H.
“I didn’t really enjoy pigs my first couple of years,” he said. “One of my first years I had a reserve champion bucket calf, Sunshine, and then I just started more with pigs when I was around 13 years old. So, I’ve just been focusing on that.”
His parents, John and Lea, and his younger siblings, Easton and Monroe, are all involved with helping with the 4-H projects.
Lea said the family has been raising their own animals to show.
“We’ve been farrowing our own hogs, and so we’re not just buying show pigs,” she said. “We’re a start-to-finish operation, so the kids have been out doing chores and doing a lot of the work.”
People are also reading…
Jayden picked out Mercedes as his show pig right after birth.
“I spent a lot of time bottle feeding her and making sure she survived. As time went on, I spent a lot of time walking her and getting her ready to show.”
The ultrasound contest was new at the Gage County Fair in 2024. A minimum weight of 230 pounds for hogs is required for participation. An ultrasound scanner was used to provide information to evaluate the market back fat, loin eye area and percent muscling.
He said there was a lot of learning around feed rations and quality involved in getting the hog ready for the fair.
Jayden had surgery on his foot early in the summer and only got a walking boot a week before the fair.
He was born with hemiplegia cerebral palsy affecting only his left side. He said he often stumbled over his own feet. Physically, the pigs were easier for him to show.
Lea said he never uses his disability as an excuse. Jayden said sometimes he has to work harder to do things but feels like he has done that as he has gotten older.
Jayden's favorite part of 4-H?
“I’d have to say show days are the best part," he said. "There are a lot of people showing and a lot of people watching. People can see your progress and what you have done. You have that sense of pride. It feels good when someone compliments you on your pig … especially when you do well.”
Lea said there was so much competition, and they were thrilled when Mercedes was chosen as the grand champion in the ultrasound.
“It was an honor to get that. To know that our pig was the industry standard,” she said.
Jayden is currently a junior at Tri County High School. He is hoping to study wildlife conservation in college. He said he feels like 4-H has been important in his development.
“It has taught me a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I’ve learned about winning and losing. You can’t always expect to come out on top. It’s given me realistic expectations.”
