For 14 years, Bradley Sheppard has been showing pigs at the Muskingum County Blue Ribbon Fair. He is 16 years-old.

Sheppard comes from a long line of hog history. Both of his grandfathers lived on farms where pigs were part of the operation, his uncles raised pigs and so did his older sister.

So it was no surprise that Sheppard fell into the family tradition just as soon as he could walk.

“I’ve been around pigs my whole life. I started showing when I was two, and I’ve been doing it for 14 years,” said Sheppard. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do it all these years, and I hope to do it until I’m 90 if I can.”

This year, Sheppard, a junior at Mid-East Career and Technical Centers, was named the Junior Pork Ambassador.

The title comes with parade honors and some responsibility, too.

Aside from his own events, Sheppard also helps with the younger division in their competitions and ribbon distributions.

Sheppard earned his own recognition this year, as well, taking home superior honors in the livestock Skillathon with a high score of 97 out of 100.

Raising a hog is no easy task and requires a lot of discipline. Sheppard said he constantly has to monitor his pigs’ water intake to make sure they don’t get dehydrated. He also needs to make sure they don’t overheat or get sunburnt skin.

Sheppard also closely monitors their diet to make sure his pigs are 270 pounds of pure muscle.

However, they do get to break their strict diet every once in a while for their favorite treats. Ash, Sheppard’s hog of choice for the fair, loves snacking on cookies.

Even though the responsibility of caring for his pigs is demanding, Sheppard was born to do it.