Park County entrepreneur is region's largest breeder of champion show pigs

Posted 3/23/18

As much as the animals themselves, she loves the intense competition. It all comes down to the last moment in a long project.

“There’s no better feeling than shaking a judge’s hand for the win,” Scott said. “I get nervous but it’s …

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Park County entrepreneur is region's largest breeder of champion show pigs

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Mackenzie Scott didn’t come from a farming background. But at the urging of friends she fell in love with showing hogs while in 4-H.

As much as the animals themselves, she loves the intense competition. It all comes down to the last moment in a long project.

“There’s no better feeling than shaking a judge’s hand for the win,” Scott said. “I get nervous but it’s more of a good nervous as I’ve grown as a showman. I like the feeling. It gets me excited.”

The Cody High School junior has been involved in the show business for several years, but couldn’t have made it happen without the support of family and friends.

When she started, the Scott family didn’t even have a place to raise a pig. Troy Wiant made space for Scott’s stock in his barn and eventually the family moved to an acreage.

Success takes patience, dedication and a lot of hard work. But it all begins with good genes. For that, she and dozens of other showmen in Wyoming and Montana go to Travis Smith of Clark.

Smith might be better known in a suit and tie as the founder of Sage Wealth Management in Powell. Others remember him in a uniform as a high school and college football standout — or even as a musician playing guitar and singing rock and roll. He grew up on a sheep ranch, but his passion is breeding pigs.

“They’re intelligent wrecking machines,” the gentle giant of a man said. “They have more personality than sheep.”

Smith sells 70-80 show pigs a year to 4-H and FFA showmen from Wyoming and Montana, and he has become the largest specialty breeder in the area in the past 15 years.

He specializes in registered Yorkshires and his show pigs are in high demand.

These aren’t your average table-fair hogs. Even at a young age they move like athletes. The hams are muscular but the overall look is balanced.

Some breeders charge up to $2,000 for a show pig of this quality, but Smith said he isn’t in it to get rich. His show pigs run between $250-$450.

Considering a 300-pound market pig costs about the same, it may not sound like a great deal. But Smith pours hours into care and research into his animals even prior to birth. The challenge of breeding champions is Smith’s favorite part of the work.

“Judges are constantly changing what they want in the show ring,” Smith said. “The challenge of keeping up with the genetics interests me the most.”

All of Smith’s show pigs are artificially inseminated. Then, as they are weaned, every care is taken to ensure they measure up to their championship reputation.

Smith spends a lot of time in the nursery, a separate facility from his market pigs. And his sows and boars were all chosen carefully. Smith drove hours to South Dakota to purchase Wakonda, a 700-pound boar. The beast has a happy eyes combined with a throaty growl that will raise the hair on the back of your neck.

“If you want him to do something you have to make him think it’s his idea,” Smith said.

‘Like a big family’

Once Scott picks out her favorites, she feeds her show pigs nothing but the best.

The cost of feeding a pig that gains 1.5 to 2 pounds a day top-of-the-line chow until the fair can cost up to $300. Scott runs two pigs a year just to be safe. Last year her best option for the show ring twisted its ankle before the show. Without the second option she would have been watching from the sidelines.

The 17-year-old has picked up a lot of hardware in her four years in the ring. She’s most proud of a recent first in the showmanship class.

“In the ring it’s like a big family. Everyone wants to see their friends and family do well,” Scott said.

It’s the same dealing with Smith, she said.

“I give him a lot of credit. He’s always offering to help and you can tell he loves his job,” Scott said. “He just wants kids to get involved.”

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