LIMA — Fort Jennings native Aryana Brown, 13, grew up in a farming family. Though Brown has moved to the Elida area, the family farm near Fort Jennings remains home to a 30-hog operation that sets the young Musketeer up for success.
She won grand champion at the Putnam County Fair the first time she competed and continued with that fair for six years. For the last four years, she has competed at the Allen County Fair. She won the Farrow to Finish Market Hog Show earlier this week.
“I started showing pigs when I was 3 years old in the open class at the Putnam County Fair. I joined the Delphos Livestock 4-H club and started showing at the Allen County Fair when I was 9. My advisor, John Noonan, gets us our books and some of our shavings; and if we have questions in our meetings, he helps answer them and our advisors come out to check our projects,” she said.
Though her family taught her most of what she knows, she credits Delphos 4-H with honing her skills.
“I’ve learned how to take care of my pigs and have gained more experience through 4-H,” she said.
Brown has participated in past Ohio State Fairs and will be in more competitions this week, including the showmanship contest for hogs. Her mother, Lezlie Brown, is very proud  of  her  daughter  and  credits  her hard  work  with  her  victory  at  this  year’s fair.
“I’m very proud of her; she works really hard.  We  make  trips  to the  farm  every night  to  feed  and walk the pigs. It’s her project; she puts a lot of effort into it,” she said.