Piggy Bank

VENTURA — Suzie Q is headed for hog heaven.

She might think she’s there now. She lazes in a sweet little pen at the Ventura County Fair. She chows down on a hefty supply of grain, apples and maybe even some sour milk. She’s got an 11-year-old boy to clean up after her.

But if she knew what he knew, she might not be so relaxed.

“I’m friends with her and it’s kind of sad to know she’ll be slaughtered,” said Michael Alcecar, a Piru 4-H member entering his second pig in competition with Suzie Q. “But then the next day, you’re fine.”

At Wednesday’s swine judging, a parade of pigs and their young owners trotted through the arena, seeking blue ribbons and bragging rights before the livestock auction Friday--after which the piggies would most likely meet their makers.

And with names like Bacon, 2B Pork on a Fork, and Queen Hamidala, the path was clear. Though it occasionally induces tears in proud owners, veterans know it’s just the 4-H way.

“I cried last year,” said 13-year-old Kelley Barnett of Santa Paula. “But it’s part of your life. You know in the beginning what’s going to happen.”

Nonetheless, her Shortcake is a little different from the rest, she said. Where other pigs are obstinate, digging in their heels or making a wayward exit for an open gate, Shortcake listens to her and even knows her own name.

Out in the judging ring, the pigs appeared anything but obedient. Unlike the trained speedsters of the nearby All-Alaskan Pig Races, these pink porkers waddled every which way, some of them bulging like balloons, others relatively lithe--for a pig, that is.

Their young owners used canes to attempt to steer them, but for the most part, the pigs seemed to have minds of their own. And when a 250-pound pig wants to go somewhere, a 70-pound child has to work hard to turn it around.

“Some are lazy and are slow walkers,” said Rebecca Bentz, a 10-year-old from Ventura. “Some are really wild. You have to be strong. You have to try your hardest.”

For all their bravado, it’s here at the fair that many youths make the real attachment, one parent said.

At home, a kid and a pig have many distractions. But at the fair, a pig is out of his element, nervous and faced with possible nips from rivals. At this point, it’s more likely to play puppy dog, cuddling up to the owner it knows.

“You’ll see a lot of tears,” said Tracy Laird of Santa Paula, whose 9-year-old daughter, Bailey, entered a pig this year. “It helps when they get the check.”

The Friday auction can make 4-H members serious money. At last year’s auction, Laird’s daughter netted about $1,350, after spending about $250 raising the future ham.

Celebrating 80 years in Ventura County this year, 4-H clubs give youths hands-on experience in raising animals, from Pygmy goats to 1,000-pound steers. And the kids know what makes a good pig.

For instance, the pink-beach-ball look is out--these days, thin is in. Some 4-H members walk their pigs as many as 250 miles over a span of three months to keep their piggies lean--but not too lean. They can put them on a grain diet if they’re edging over the 260-pound maximum or stuff them with cottage cheese and beer to pack on some meat. That makes them perfect for ham from the rump, and pork chops from the sides.

It’s not too hard to raise a pig, they say. The porkers tend to have a simple life: eating, sleeping, grunting a bit.

But it’s not all peaches, cream and $1,100 windfalls. Big pigs can make a big mess.

“My dad doesn’t like it,” said Michael Alcecar, Suzie Q’s owner. “I smell bad whenever I get home.”