SAN ANGELO, Texas — Stock shows first began in the United States in the late 1800s and for approximately 120 years, they have been an integral part of Texas traditions.
Every February, San Angelo hosts its own stock show event with goats, pigs, longhorn and more.
Talon Luke is a high school junior who has been showing pigs across Texas and the U.S. since she was just nine or 10 years old.
On Feb. 16, she participated in San Angelo's junior stock show competition.
"We just fell in love with it and we've been going ever since," Luke said.
Following in her father's footsteps, Luke spends much of her free time with her younger sister preparing for new show locations.
Balancing in-person school work and shows isn't always easy, though.
"We get up every morning and we feed them [the pigs] before school," she said.
"And then after school, we come home, we get our snack and then we go outside and pick up pigs, we walk them and then we condition...so it's kind of like a weekly cycle type of thing," she added.
Luke attempts to get most of her homework completed before traveling to new locations by keeping in contact with her teachers to help accommodate her schedule.
Once a week, Luke and her sister also conduct weigh-ins of the pigs in their hometown of Beaumont, Texas.
The pair often travel together, sometimes for two weeks at a time but they have never felt pressured to continue if they didn't want to.
Show life can also have an impact on personal endeavors, as well.
"As you get older, sometimes pigs will get in the way of your friends and your social life," Luke said.
However, despite any challenges, Luke is excited to finish out her last year as a junior stock show exhibitor before college.
Looking ahead, she hopes to attend Texas A&M University to potentially become an agricultural lawyer or to work in commodity trading.
For now, though, Luke is continuing to work hard and show pigs.
"It's a lot of work but it definitely pays off," she said. "There's gonna be hard days and then there's also gonna be really good days and you just have to be able to work through it and you can't give up."
The San Angelo Stock Show will continue through Feb. 19.
Go to sanangelorodeo.com for more information.
