6-year-old Sadie in third year of showing livestock at the Illinois State Fair
By Jessica Brown
Photos/Special to The Source
When Cass County native Sadie Patrick won both first in her class and Grand Champion Junior Gilt at the Illinois State Fair last month, she was proud of herself.
At almost seven years old, Patrick has been around livestock for most of her short life. “Sadie’s been around pigs since she was a baby and has always loved them,” her mother, Tobi Patrick, notes, adding that her daughter was featured alongside one the family’s pigs in a pig breeder magazine at just a year and half old. This year was Sadie Patrick’s third year showing.
Since Sadie Patrick can’t yet compete in the 4-H livestock portion, she participates in an “open show,” where any age group is allowed to compete. “She’s been doing that show for a few years,” Tobi Patrick notes. “The year prior, Sadie won first place competing against two competitors who were 14 and 15 years old at the time.”
The family raises their livestock on a friend’s farm, where several different breeds are raised. Tobi Patrick says that Sadie and her two-year-old sister love going to the farm to walk around and visit the pigs. “They got to come up with the names for show pigs this season. … We have Elsa, Ana, Belle and Kristoff,” she says about the names that gave a nod to Disney princesses.
Patrick says that Sadie’s younger sister might want to compete as soon as next summer, possibly in the “PeeWee” show. As for Sadie, showing livestock seems only natural. “She’s really looking forward to being in 4-H so she will be able to show in county fairs as well and not just the state fair,” Patrick says. “I’m glad my girls will get to grow up being involved in 4-H and the fairs because I love the atmosphere and community that it has.”
Patrick adds that Sadie’s love of all things livestock is a family tradition, as her father and uncle both showed livestock growing up and her grandfather has an associate degree in animal science. “I didn’t grow up around livestock, but I was lucky because I had a close friend who had horses, so it’s not unfamiliar to me,” notes Patrick.
She says Sadie loves showing pigs, but she’s not so happy about selling them. “Luckily, we wanted to keep our gilts this year on the farm, so we bought them back and Sadie was thrilled about that,” she says. “We’re always walking on the farm and interacting with them, but we always focus more in the spring and summer on the pig she will be showing.”
Although Sadie’s attitude about showing livestock is mature for her age, her mother shares that her daughter’s joy in the situation is not. “Sadie always tells us that she doesn’t care about whether or not she wins,” she states, adding that her daughter is mostly interested in growing her prize ribbon collection.
Patrick finishes by saying that what her daughter looks forward to right now is being with friends and grabbing slushie drinks with them after the shows. Whether it be softball, pageants or dance, Patrick is just proud that her daughter has a healthy interest in competition. “I hope she always keeps her drive and attitude,” she says.
