A Lasting Impression Left: Jacksen Mills and her Grand Champion pig, Rex.

August 27, 2021

By: Megan Dempsey, 2021-2022 Steinbrenner FFA Reporter

Being here on the Steinbrenner FFA Website, you are pretty interested in youth agriculture and their projects. FFA and 4-H members have breeding and market SAE’s throughout their active membership, and some of them can make groundbreaking history. The life of agriculturalists can be unexpected, and this is the story of a 4-H youth who lives in the unexpected.

Jacksen Mills, a homeschooled teenager, is an active 4-H member of the Progress 4-H Club in Pasco County, Florida. She is deeply passionate about her pigs, bringing them to shows all over the state with the Florida Junior Swine Circuit and consistently places very well in both showmanship and her classes. Jacksen, coming from a family of pig showman, was overly excited about this project, and it will have an impact on her for the rest of her life. This project of hers came from Keppy Genetics, run by Mr. Jake Keppy located in Durant, Iowa. When picking her project, now known as Rex, Jacksen was told that her pig was a no sale. This means that this pig should be fattened up to be butchered because nobody wanted to purchase him. Being the passionate girl she is, Jacksen took the challenge with pride and was extremely successful. Taking Rex to five shows, he never placed below third place in his classes. Already thrilled with how successful her project was, Jacksen was truly thrown back at the event that took place at Rex’s final show.

The 2021 Pasco County Fair took place in late February that year, and that was the show Rex was tagged to be sold at. Most county and state fairs have shown and sale programs, Pasco County Fair being one of them. People and local companies will show up to the sale to bid on the county youth’s projects, and it is the duty of the youth to write letters and draw attention to their projects and the sale itself. Jacksen drew the attention of two buyers who would change her life forever, as

well as drew the attention of the judge with her project. On February 20th , Jacksen went into the show ring for the final time with Rex, with high hopes. Little did she know she would walk out of that ring a grand champion. Being selected as the grand champion means her hog was the best looking one in the entire show. It is a huge honor, and let me tell you she walked out of that show ring with the biggest trophy and banner I have ever seen in my show career.

But that is not the end of her success.

Jacksen, and her cousin Dean after Jacksen was selected as the Grand Champion

Following the show was the sale, where Jacksen was the first one in the ring to have her project marketed off. It started off as any normal sale, but it was far from that. It quickly became a bidding war between two companies wanting their name next to the grand champion title, each one trying to outbid the other. Being in the stands of this sale was an experience of a lifetime. After what seemed like centuries, one bidder finally won. This was Neumann Construction of San Antonio, Florida, who ended up paying a whopping $75 per pound. The average for FFA and 4-H market pigs is about $3 per pound for 250 pounds of product. Jacksen made a grand total of $20,550 with Rex weighing 274 pounds. Jacksen not only broke the county record, but the state record for the highest amount of money earned on a sale pig. An event like this is almost unheard of in the agriculture world, well aside from Jacksen’s story.

Jacksen now continues to show pigs with her brother Jordan and her cousin Dean, as well as many of her friends that are part of the Florida Junior Swine Circuit, with the thought of Rex with her always, and a never-ending passion for agriculture. FFA and 4-H members work with passion in their hearts and challenging work in their hands, and the rewards can be outstanding, as seen in Jacksen’s case.

Jacksen, Rex, and Judge Jared Herbert after being selected as the Grand Champion of the 2021 Pasco County Fair Hog Show

The Hillsborough County Fair is coming quick at the end of this month, and we are lucky to have two entries from our chapter in the show and sale and were secretly hoping for some groundbreaking records to take home with us too! If you are interested in supporting these youth livestock projects, check out the Hillsborough County Fair website for more details!

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