It’s that time again: The La Plata County Fair’s Swine Showmanship, where the county’s best pigs have arrived from Bayfield, Ignacio, Bondad and the Durango area with their owners in tow.

Sixty-eight swine are in competition this year, and their section of the rodeo arena at the fairgrounds is alive with anticipation. The pigs seem to understand the importance of the event, as they play in their bed of wood chips, nap or roll onto their backs for a highly anticipated belly rub.

Though those with livestock in competition are hard at work, they also find time to greet one another with handshakes and hugs and catch up on each other’s lives. This is a tight-knit community of farmers, and for many, having the opportunity to spend time with one another is the best part of participating in the county fair.

Just ask 11-year-old Brody Zieske, who has two pigs in competition, Mister and Matilda, with his father, Brad. Though Brody enjoys many aspects of the fair, he loves being able to hang out with all of his friends and family.

“The only thing that’s not fun is having to walk the pigs,” Brody says with wry smile. “It’s not very easy.”

More at ease with walking pigs is 17-year-old Cori Jenkins, who has her hands full with an 8-month-old swine, Mike, and the similarly aged Sanders. She also has two goats in competition and five more pigs at home.

Cori has been competing in the fair for nine years and appears at ease with all that is necessary to get her livestock ready for their moment in the spotlight. Besides helping the pigs get their exercise, there is a series of grooming tasks, which include exfoliating the skin, trimming the hair and bathing the animal.

“I usually spend between six to eight hours a day in the barn doing this kind of stuff,” she says. “It’s pretty easy.”

When asked whether pigs or goats were harder to look after, Cori shakes her head.

“Neither is difficult, but one of my dad’s cows got loose once and pushed its way into a nearby furniture store. Then it ran over to the Burger King before we finally caught it,” she said.

Preparing their pigs on the row next to Cori are Dylan Timmerman, 16, his sister, Holli, 18, and their friend, Dustin Adams, 18. Their swine are all named after characters from the famous Rocky and Creed movie franchise – Rocky, Apollo, Mary Anne and Adrian – hoping to give them that sense of a champion spirit.

Born in March, all four pigs already weigh more than 300 pounds, which means their sale will be profitable. The Timmerman siblings used to have only goats in competition, but Holli says “pigs are easier,” though sometimes they get into fights when they’re placed in the show ring with one another. While Dylan and Holli are seasoned La Plata County Fair participants, this is Dustin’s first year and his excitement is clear.

“This is like one big family here,” he says with a grin. “It’s nice.”

Joaquin Lesky, a Bondad farmer and county fair veteran with swine, steer and goats in competition, agrees with Dustin’s and the other swine showmanship participants’ sentiments.

“It’s always fun to get to see and hang out with everyone. That’s what we look forward to every year,” she said.

As James Cromwell’s wise farmer in the classic 1995 movie “Babe” tells the titular character:

“That’ll do, Pig. That’ll do.”