From the Mic :: 2019 NJSS
Hampshire and Yorkshire Gilt Judge :: Jason Lackey, Texas
What is your favorite show to attend?
Houston Livestock Show.
What do you and your family do for fun?
Our business consumes a lot of our time. We find enjoyment in taking our kids to smaller jackpot shows where we can hang out as a family. I enjoy the spring after our major stock shows are over. The boys really enjoy baseball and I like getting to watch them compete.
What is your background and current involvement in the swine industry?
I showed as a kid but I’m not a second or third generation hog farmer. It was and has always been a passion of mine. Currently, we have 100 showpig sows and a handful of boars.
What are you looking for in your champion gilt?
Skeletal correctness, density and an animal that possesses unique traits that allows them to set themselves apart from the pack.
What advice do you have for young people in the livestock industry?
Be yourself and find your place. If you find yourself in a position where you are an outlier in terms of opinion and your approach to doing what you’re doing, then you’re headed in the right direction. Take a stance and be your own person.
What do you enjoy most about being involved in the NJSA?
I like to see the light in the kids’ eyes when they experience success. I have met so many kids ,over the past few years, that absolutely inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing. The intellect and drive from the kids involved in the NJSA is so exciting for my generation to see, knowing that what we have tried to build is being left in great hands.
What is one important trait young individuals can gain from showing?
Accountability. Many people in our world want to throw the blame of their failures on the shoulders of others, but in this business, you are at your own mercy on whether you succeed.
What do you enjoy most about being involved in the swine industry?
It’s challenging. One day you can feel as though you’ve accomplished things that you never thought you would, and the next day you wonder why you do what you do. It requires a tough mentality, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
What is your favorite aspect about judging a show?
Seeing a great set of pigs presented to their maximum. It’s always fun to see such a genetically diverse group of animals presented and shown by a set of young people who have put so much time and effort into their projects.