When most high school students reach their 16th birthday they usually dream of getting the gift of a new car, but Zane Trace FFA student Braylee Burkitt dreamed of getting the gift of a new pig.
Earlier this spring, Burkitt completed an application for the Ohio Berkshire Association’s Donor Gilt program in the hopes of being selected as the recipient of a gilt to start her own herd. On April 26th, Braylee got the call she had been waiting for when she was informed that she would be the proud owner of a purebred Berkshire gilt. She and her family traveled to Washington Court House two days later to pick up the newest addition to their swine barn.
(Pictured: Zane Trace FFA Member Braylee Burkitt and “Hazel” the purebred Berkshire gilt she received through the OBA donor gilt program)
As part of the program, Braylee will exhibit her gilt in the Berkshire show during the Ohio State Fair then breed her to a purebred Berkshire boar. She will also donate one gilt from her first litter in 2022 to the donor program to fulfill another young person’s dream of starting a Berkshire herd. Braylee would like to thank the Ohio Berkshire Association for sponsoring this program. She is excited to expand her herd with “Hazel” in the coming year.