
Oompa, Howard —crossbred barrow pigs — win grand champion, reserve champion at Fort Worth Stock Show
Oompa, a 7-month-old crossbred barrow pig, had just finished a celebratory snack when it was time to finish picture-taking. Well deserved, after Oompa — named after the colorful, musically inquisitive characters in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” — won grand champion barrow at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Thursday.“I’m sorry, I’m a little all over the place, aren’t I?” Oompa’s handler, Mason Grady, a 14-year-old 8th grader from Grandview in Johnson County, said to a reporter after Oompa secured his crown. This was the fourth time Mason, who has raised steers and pigs, has shown an animal at the show. He previously won reserve champion steer two straight years.Cambrey Wilson, a 14-year-old freshman who attends Midland Christian School in West Texas, won reserve grand champion Thursday with her crossbred named Howard. Top winners Oompa and Howard were among 1,975 total entries in this year’s show. They’ll be among 12 champion barrows to be sold at a premium in Saturday’s Junior Sale of Champions, the stock show’s annual auction of nearly 300 steers, barrows, goats and lambs shown by youth exhibitors. The youth shows and auction are the heart of the stock show, and the two-day steer show will culminate Friday with the naming of the grand champion and reserve champion steers. People raising money to buy pigs at the auction said their goals are to pay at least $75,000 for the champion barrow and $45,000 for the reserve champion Saturday.Cambrey Wilson’s crossbred barrow hog, Howard, won reserve grand champion barrow Thursday at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. (Scott Nishimura | Fort Worth Report)Cambrey has shown pigs exclusively for seven years and shown at the Fort Worth Stock Show each of those years.“He loves to eat, he’s a very hungry pig, and he loves getting washed,” Cambrey said, explaining Howard’s traits. “He just doesn’t like to walk. Sluggish.”“Stubborn,” her father, standing nearby, said.Howard, however, willingly went along on a short walk for pictures in the arena after awards were announced. “Oh, now you’re walking,” someone in the gathering said.The stock show was the culmination of a monthslong daily routine for the youth exhibitors that included dawn feeding, daily washing, late afternoon feedings and evening walks. Mason, who has grown up in Johnson County on family land that has pig and steer barns, and whose family works with about 35 pigs today, was stumped when asked to compare raising pigs to steers.“Since I’ve had success in both barns, it’s hard to choose,” said Mason, who described Oompa as “sweet.”Part of the stock show rites are having to say goodbye to the animals they raised.“It’s sad,” Cambrey said. “It’s part of it. We do love him. He’s almost a pet.”Scott Nishimura is a senior editor for the Documenters program at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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