Youth Swine Judging Contest

Iowa State Fairgrounds, Pioneer Livestock Pavilion

The Iowa Pork Producers Association invites all Iowa 4-H and FFA members to participate in the Youth Swine Judging Contest! Participants can learn more about Iowa’s pork industry and judging hogs while having the opportunity to earn scholarships.

2026 RESULTS

Thank you to every student who competed in this year’s record-breaking contest. Judging hogs takes practice, and each of you grew your skills and your knowledge of Iowa’s pork industry.

A special thank you to the teachers, FFA advisors and 4-H leaders who prepared and brought their students. We hope to see you all back next year. Below are the results from the contest hosted Nov. 5, 2026.

2026 Scholarship & Award Winners

Senior Division
The top three senior teams each earn a plaque, and every team member earns a scholarship:

  1. Poweshiek 4-H: Aden Wolfe, Anthony Wolfe, Olivia Latcham, and Garrett Pirkl
  2. Benton County: Caleigh Lewis, Makenna Burmeister, Kolten Lewis, and Brailey Lewis
  3. Creston FFA 1: Davin Wallace, Taylor Rohrig, Brock Studer, and Dylan Wallace

In addition, these students earned scholarships for placing in the top five individually:

  • McKenna Martens, Bellevue FFA 1
  • Ally Lents, Creston FFA 3

Junior Division
The top three junior teams each earn a plaque:

  1. Central Plains FFA 1: Brady Anderson, Cooper Hefley, Caden Haug, and Trigg Spangler
  2. Clear Creek Amana 2: Kyndall Burns, Olivia Allen, Abigail Taylor, and Lydia Swenka
  3. Lone Tree 5: Owen Ford, Abby Hotz, Paisley Schott, and James Sladek

Full Contest Results
See where every team and individual placed in the senior and junior divisions.

View the sample scoresheets below to see how each class was scored.
2026 Sample Scoresheets

 

EVENT DETAILS

When:
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 

Registration is now closed. For questions, email Brielle at bsmeby@iowapork.org.

Check in: 
Team check-in 8:30-9:30 a.m.. The contest begins at 10 a.m. 

Where:
Iowa State Fairgrounds, Pioneer Livestock Pavilion

Details:
This contest is meant to be a team event, and students are encouraged to be on teams. A team will consist of 4 students, with 3 of the scores counting toward the team total. Teams of 3 will be allowed if a team of 4 cannot be formed. If a team of 3 cannot be formed, individuals will be accepted.

The contest will have junior and senior divisions, with juniors being any students who are not yet in high school. If a senior individual is a part of a team, the team is automatically considered a senior team. For the senior division, the top 3 teams will be awarded scholarship money as well as up to 3 individuals placing in the top 5 who were not also on a top 3 senior team. 

Parking:
Buses, vans, and cars will be able to park on the west side of Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on Rock Island Avenue on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

What to Expect:

  • Carcass Fabrication Demonstration: Students will watch a fabrication demonstration of a hog carcass to see the different cuts of a hog and where our favorite pork products come from – sponsored by Smithfield Foods.
  • Keep/Cull Gilt Class: The keep/cull class will challenge the students to evaluate 8 pigs based on breeding characteristics of a good female. They will be asked to select 4 gilts they would like to keep and put back into the breeding herd.
  • Live Carcass Evaluation: The carcass evaluation class asks students to answer a set of multiple-choice questions based on carcass traits of live hogs such as weight, loin eye size, back fat.
  • Market Hog Class and Commercial Gilt Class: The last two hog evaluation classes will fit more of what the students are accustomed to when it comes to livestock judging contest. Each will have a total of four live animals, and students will be asked to rank them from best to worst.
  • Iowa Pork Industry/Meat Quality Exam: Students will be asked multiple-choice questions which will focus on Iowa’s pork industry, meat quality and characteristics, and general farm practices.  

For more information, contact Brielle Smeby at (800) 372-7675 or bsmeby@iowapork.org.

 

 

2025 RESULTS

Senior Division Team Results

Senior Division Individual Results

Junior Division Team Results

Junior Division Individual Results

2025 Iowa Pork Youth Judging Contest Officials