Gene Dalton | Roanoke Times

John Clouse and his charges.

John Clouse finds himself in a unique place in Montgomery County's 4-H Livestock Club. He is the only person who still shows pigs in competition.

The 12-year-old Blacksburg Middle School student, who lives in the Ellett Valley, is no stranger to the winner's circle. Last weekend, John showed his pigs -- and some cattle -- at the Roanoke Area Livestock Show in the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. He came away with a handful of ribbons.

With his pigs, John won grand champion showmanship and grand champion pair. Each of his pigs took third place in their individual classes.

Once common, this sort of competition has become rare in the New River Valley.

John competed against eight 4-Hers from Botetourt County in the hog events. His family traveled to Lexington because it was the only show within a reasonable travel distance still offering swine contests.

For several years, the New River Valley Fair, the region's largest fair, has not offered hog competition.

The decline in competition mirrors an overall drop in the number of hogs raised in the New River Valley.

Barbara Clouse attributed the trend to residential development moving into farming communities and to changing farm lifestyles. Clouse recalled growing up on a farm where hog-killing was part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Today, fewer farmers raise hogs to provide meat for their families, she said.

John's first experience with hogs came last year when he bought a bottle-baby pig from a farmer who was advertising the little animal for sale. The Clouses bought the pig, already named Lucy, for a 4-H project. Lucy came to the Clouses' Sycamore Valley Farm not only with a name but with a blanket and stuffed toys.

Because she was older than most market pigs, she outweighed the ones she competed against last year. She was about 150 pounds heavier than the 250- to 300-pound standard market weight.

This year, John purchased two pigs at the Virginia Tech Club Pig Sale. John named them Grunt and Rooter.

"It's fun to get them, to see how fast they grow," John said. He thinks it would be fun to have a sow and raise a litter of piglets.

Asked what he plans to do with this year's pigs, John replied without hesitation: "Eat 'em."

The pigs will be slaughtered for consumption, Barbara Clouse confirmed.

She reported that the pigs are a cross of three breeds, Hampshire and Yorkshire, traditional swine breeds, and Pietrain, a breed developed for the muscling desired in show hogs.

Barbara Clouse is a full-time farmer and mother to John and his 4-year-old brother, Ethan. Her husband, Peter Clouse, works off the farm at Power Zone in Pembroke. This is the pattern for many family farms at the beginning of the 21st century.

In addition to John's pigs, the Clouses raise registered Angus cattle, commercial beef cattle and a variety of fowl.

John says he is looking forward to continuing in 4-H in high school and taking part in Future Farmers of America.

His little brother wants to be in 4-H and show sheep.