Taking her love of 4-H and FFA to new heights, Trafalgar teen Isabella Wallace has taken on the state-wide title of the 2023 Indiana Berkshire Queen.
When Wallace puts her mind to something, it becomes an obsession. For some, it might be baking, for others, it might be a certain career goal. For Wallace, it’s about breeding and raising happy, healthy and impressive Berkshire pigs.
Living all her life in Trafalgar, the 16-year-old has always had feeder pigs in her backyard.
“I would always wear my dresses and my boots in the back, go hang out with the pigs,” Wallace said.
Wallace is a bit of a swine encyclopedia, spitting off facts about which breeds of pigs can offer the best pork chops, or how to positively reinforce a stubborn swine. Being in Johnson County 4-H for eight years, Wallace always loved agriculture, but her love for animals grew significantly in the middle of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Stuck at home like everyone else, Wallace had a ton of time to read showmanship books and walk her pigs around her yard, prepping them for show season. Wallace routinely asked animal feed experts and veterinarians for advice, learning how to become helpful to others just as much as they had been for her.
Dream realized
This time with her animals pushed her to start dreaming and lead to her interest in the Indiana State Fair’s Indiana Purebred Swine Queen Contest. She was walking around the swine barn at the State Fair years ago when she met a pig queen. After talking for quite a long time, Wallace knew she’d try for the title as soon as she was of age.
“I saw on Facebook they were accepting applications for girls 16-21 and I was like, ‘I’m 16! Let’s do it,’” Wallace said.
The application process was simple in itself, Wallace said. She had to explain her career goals, why she wanted to represent Berkshire pigs specifically and more.
After that, Wallace was selected as Berkshire queen and then moved on to the official 2023 Indiana Purebred Swine Queen Contest, where she faced off against other queens of other pig breeds to become the ultimate pig queen.
The contest itself was fun, Wallace said. She got to use her love of public speaking as she delivered a speech.
The best part for her was representing her favorite animal on a state-wide stage.
Wallace didn’t win, but she said she wasn’t too disappointed as she was one of the youngest competitors. She’s just grateful to represent the Berkshire breed and get more experience under her belt.
As Berkshire queen, Wallace will pass out ribbons at state fair swine shows. She’s expected to attend all the pig shows, too; even for breeds other than Berkshire. She loves the state fair, though, so she said she doesn’t mind. It just gives her more reasons to go to the fair.
She also said she wants to motivate other young showmen to consider running for a pig queen position.
“I might go for it again next year, but I really want to leave room for others to do it. It’s an amazing opportunity and I have so much fun,” Wallace said. “Everyone in that barn is like family to me. I didn’t know anybody at first, but now? They’re my family.”
Animals friends forever
Looking into the future, Wallace is preparing for a career in veterinary science.
Wallace plans to apply to Purdue University next year and go for a state office position with Indiana FFA. She said the current state officials are all amazing, and she’s inspired to continue on their legacy. Should she get a position, she’d take a gap year, then continue with her schooling after serving with FFA.
Though Wallace has shown cattle and been around other animals, she loves pigs the most by far.
“Pigs, they’re just really fun. All pigs just have different personalities. I have four of them in [the barn] right now and they’re all so different,” Wallace said. “We all have different relationships with each other and they’re so smart. Pigs are some of the smartest animals so they learn really fast.”
Wallace said regardless of fancy titles, she just loves putting time into her pigs. Whenever she mentions them, there’s a sparkle in her eye.
Pigs have taught her just as much about being a human as they have about taking care of animals.
“I think I’ve learned a lot about personal relationships,” Wallace said. “Communicating with people and working together and working hard.”
