BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com
CHAMPAIGN, IL. – Watch out world.
Madison and Morgan Huls have found their passion through 4-H.
“I found out that I have a passion for cows, that I love cows and I want to keep doing cows for the rest of my life,” 10-year old Morgan said.
“I found that I have a passion for pigs, and I want to do them for the rest of my life,” 7-year-old Madison said. “If I have children, I want to introduce them to pigs, too.”
The girls are following in the footsteps of their dad, Steve.
“When my dad was a little kid, he started showing cows,” Morgan said. “We showed pigs for a few years. Last year I started showing cows.
“I asked my grandma if she would let me keep cows at her house,” Morgan said.
“My dad thought she’d say no, but she said yes.”
From that point, cows became a family affair.
The girls’ cousins, Colton and Casen Huls, got cattle to keep at their grandma’s farm, too. The family works to train the cattle together and travels to shows together.
For Madison, though, she’s partial to pigs.
“I just like playing with them and showing them,” she said.
Madison said she got first place overall in pigs at the Champaign County Fair last year.
Morgan said she got reserve champion at junior nationals.
Keeping and training animals, especially when they do not live on the same property where their house is located, is hard work. The girls have to get up early and stay up late to make sure all the work is done.
But they don’t mind as long as they are doing it together.
“We get to work together and show each other new things that we do,” Morgan said. “I get to show her and help her work on the cow, and she helps me with what to do with pigs.”
Two years ago, the girls worked on a Cloverbud project together. Coming of age to show for the Champaign County Fair, Madison produced a cake last year and Rice Krispies treats this year.
Being at the fair is a highlight of their year.
“There are new people we get to meet here, there are old people that we know that we get to play with. It’s just a world full of fun!” Morgan said.
Madison added, “Yesterday we met an older person. We showed them around and they got to look at the pigs and cows.”
