CENTERVILLE, IOWA -- Meet 18-year-old Russell Bauer of Centerville. He was born and raised into agriculture and farm life through his dad. As a kid he had a variety of interests in the field but his main interest and favorite to this day are still hogs. He considers them friends and pets.
"Just love being around them. They are friendly animals. They remind me of dogs. They just lay around and do whatever. You can mess around with them and pet them. Just get them use to you and you're good to go."
Russell is a member of the Exline Ramblers 4-H group and Centerville FFA. He has shown his pigs at the Appanoose County Fair for the past 9 years and has won awards such as Champion and Pen-in-Three. Russell said it takes a lot of responsibility to take care of his hogs and it’s more than just feeding and watering.
"The main part is keeping the barn clean. You got to clean it every two weeks."
Despite all the hard work, Russell said it’s never a dull moment with his pigs.
"From being at the fair, to washing them, to going under you and riding them around the show ring. It's everything."
Russell plans continue working in agriculture in the near future and make a career out of it.
"It's a big part of my life. I don't know what I would do. I can't live in the city. I rather be out in the country with my animals. There's a lot of people in this world and someone has to help keep it going."
When not on the farm playing with his hogs, Russell enjoys the great outdoors to play sports and hunt. He plans to go to Maryville in the fall to study wildlife ecology and beef.
Congratulations Russell on being this week's Ag Kid.
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