A 295-pound barrow named “Whitey,” was “crowned” King Hog Wednesday night in the presence of Miss World Festival Marissa Nelson and her court, standing left. The barrow was shown by Landry Medley, 12, of Cambridge. Helping pose the winner on the right is family friend Cane Purdy. Standing right are swine judge Andy Rash, of Kewanee, and Landry’s sister, Kenley. [Photo by Dave Clarke]

This year His Royal Swineness King Hog’s crown will stay in Henry County.

Twelve-year-old Landry Medley, a seventh grader at Cambridge Junior High School, won the Hog Capital Barrow Show Wednesday night in the Ag Arena at Black Hawk College East Campus with his 295-pound crossbred barrow fittingly named “Whitey (a.k.a. “Polar Bear.”)

Medley’s barrow has placed in the top five of every national show he entered this summer, according to his proud parents, Amy and Culley Medley.

The barrow show, which traces its roots to Kewanee’s first Hog Day in 1947, kicks off the Hog Festival held on Labor Day weekend each year.

Swine judge Andy Rash explains his reasons for picking the crossbred champion shown by Landry Medley, of Cambridge, over the purebred champion, a Duroc barrow shown by Lily Grobosky, of Alexis, far right. [Photo by Dave Clarke]

The show changed its format several years ago dividing entries into purebred and crossbred divisions, picking the best barrow in each who then square off for overall champion.

Purebred champion honors this year went to Lily Grobosky, of Alexis, with a 290-pound Duroc barrow.

This year’s judge was Andy Rash, of Kewanee, a former member of the livestock judging teams at BHE and Western Illinois University, who then went on to earn his Master’s at the University of Illinois. He is currently director of the U.S. Monogastric team with Alltech, a firm that develops animal nutrition products.

With 41 entries, this year’s barrow show was one of the biggest in the 35 years since it moved to the East Campus in 1989, according to BHE ag instructor emeritus Dan Hoge. His son, Dr. Mark Hoge, a Cambridge native, now a professor of agriculture and livestock judging coach at Western Illinois University, was on hand with his team evaluating the classes as a practice exercise.

Members of the Western Illinois University livestock judging team huddle between weight classes while coach Mark Hoge gives his critique. [Photo by Dave Clarke]

Show director, Dr. Blake Bloomberg, Associate Professor of Animal Science and coach of the BHE livestock judging team, said the quality of the entries this year was “incredibly good,” a comment made almost every year by the judge.

“The numbers may be low, but the quality is high,” is a frequent assessment of the show pointing out that even though Henry County no longer produces the most hogs of any county in the nation it is now known across the nation for the quality of hogs found here.

Landry Medley and “Whitey” proved them right once again.