JT Keith
Swayzee Folmar was raised to compete in everything she does, whether it is earning good grades, working in FFA, or showing pigs, sheep, and goats on the road to the Eddy County Fair.
“Preparing for the fair actually starts at the beginning of the year, when we get our animals,” Folmar said. “We start getting them acclimated to the barn and used to us. We have to gain the animals’ trust and respect just as much as they have to have ours.”
Folmar said the little things matter, from trimming goats’ feet to hauling pigs to Levelland, Texas, for their feet to be checked.
“Everything we do on a daily basis is preparing us for the fair,” Folmar said.
She is using that daily work to get ready for the 81st Eddy County Fair, scheduled for July 21-25. The fair parade is set for July 17, and 4-H indoor entries are scheduled for July 18.
Folmar, 17, is a 4-H member and belongs to the National Honor Society.
“FFA is my main thing,” Folmar said. “It is my focus and what I want to do in the future. My sister, Addy Folmar, is going to school for agricultural communications, and I want to do the same thing she did.”
Getting out of the barn
Folmar took two pigs out of the barn to get them used to being outside. She said pigs can get barn sour, meaning they do not want to leave the barn, and going to jackpots helps break that cycle.
Folmar also shows sheep and goats, but at the Capitan Jackpot, she only took pigs.
“We did not do as well as we wanted to,” Folmar said, “but we only took pigs this time.”
Learning the classes
Folmar said many jackpots divide pigs by breed or type, including light-cross, dark-cross and Hamp classes.
Light-cross pigs are mostly white or light-colored crossbred market hogs. Dark-cross pigs are mostly dark-colored or have enough dark markings to show in that class. Hamp is short for Hampshire, a breed known for black hogs with a white belt.
She said splitting breeds and types creates a fairer playing field because each group has different characteristics. The classes also make it easier for judges and exhibitors.
“Jackpots are a great way for us to know what we need to work on,” Folmar said. “We see the pigs, sheep and goats every day, so we notice things. But when we see them from the judge’s point of view, it makes it a lot easier.”
She said each trip gives them something to take home and work on, whether it is showmanship or the way the animals look in the ring.
Competitive by nature
“I am a very, very competitive person,” Folmar said. “Every day when I go to the barn, there is a purpose I am trying to hit. I am trying to reach the goals I set at the beginning of the year. Artesia is a very competitive place.”
Folmar said Artesia’s young exhibitors push one another, and community support makes the Eddy County Fair tougher than many county fairs.
Editor’s note: This story is scheduled to publish online Thursday and in print Wednesday. Artesia Daily Press sports editor JT Keith will follow Swayzee Folmar and Kyle Bean each week through the Eddy County Fair, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at FFA and the competition leading up to the fair.