Franklin FFA students aren’t the only ones benefiting from the swine show ring.
“The showpig industry has an extremely funny way of humbling you,” says Logan Hebert of Hebert Livestock in Franklin, La. “When you think you have it all figured out, you go to a show just to get your teeth kicked in. It’s in those moments that I’m able to reflect and truly figure out how to go make the next set of showpigs that can hang banners.”
Hebert recognizes the value of helping kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to show pigs and be involved in ag. He is thankful for all the lessons he’s learned from working with Franklin FFA and gains more from the students than they will ever realize.
Here are five lessons he’s learned by watching the Franklin FFA chapter in action.
1. It’s easy to blame others (especially those closest to you) when things go wrong, but this crew does nothing but motivate each other, and myself, to always do better.
2. When you want something and set a goal — excuses, budget, facilities — none of it matters. The only thing that matters is who’s willing to put in the work.
3. If you’re willing to give it everything you’ve got, results will come. It might take years, but no one can continuously beat you if you continuously out-work them.
4. We can be great fitters, great feeders, great students or great breeders, but if we’re not trying to be great people, then none of it matters anyway.
5. We might not have endless funds at Franklin High and there’s always more work to be done than there is help or time, but that’s just life. The sooner every kid learns not to take opportunities like this for granted, the better this world will be.
Read the full story of how showpigs are changing lives in Louisiana.
