Some Pig? Some Kid!

Back in March the Van Buren family embarked on their first ever journey into the 4-H market animal world.  That is when nine year old Flint Van Buren purchased his pig a flashy little Hampshire cross barrow that Flint named Piggy Smalls.  “I just liked the way he looked,” Flint stated.  Flint and Piggy Smalls bonded immediately.  Never has a show pig been treated so well.  Flint would spend hours with Piggy Smalls over the next several months training him and giving him endless belly scratches.  Life was simple and enjoyable for the Van Buren family and their budding 4-H project when they received some news that would change their outlook on life.

In addition to his new found friendship with his pig, Flint has a passion and love for football and wrestling.  This is a passion that Flint shares with his whole family.  I myself got to watch Flint’s dad Matt compete in sports in high school for Grace High.  Though Matt had his fair share of success in high school like most dads Matt views his athletic performances as insignificant to those of his sons.  Matt and his wife Nicole were able to share in a proud parent moment when Flint competed in and won the Idaway wrestling tournament this past spring giving him the title of State Champion at a very young age.  “It was pretty awesome coming from a big wrestling family to be able to watch him compete at that level,” Flint’s dad Matt said showing his obvious pride.  Nicole commented, “It was such a fun experience to see kids he had wrestled against cheering him on in the title match.”  

Not only does Flint share his love of sport with his family but he shares it with one of his friends Krew Hemmert.  Krew is an accomplished wrestler in his own right.  Krew and Flint engage in friendly competition in both wrestling and football.  Matt who also helps coach little league wrestling talked about their competitiveness, “Krew is one kid that really pushes Flint.  They make each other better.”

Flint and Krew were enjoying the perks of being friends and living the typical life of small town kids when the news came that Krew was diagnosed with leukemia.  Immediately the Van Buren family wanted to help the Hemmert family in any way that they could.  One way they helped was by putting on a football camp fundraiser that Matt would head up himself.  The football camp had a bit of a low turnout and with skyrocketing medical bills and a long road ahead for Krew and his family Flint wanted to do more.

That brings us back to Piggy Smalls and that 4-H project that Flint had started months earlier.  The project that had started out as a way for Flint to learn some responsibility and earn some money was about to become a lesson on humanity and selfless service.  You see, every year dozens of kids take on a market animal project through the 4-H and FFA.  Those projects culminate in early August for Caribou County youth when they show, then sell their animals at the Caribou County Fair.  The projects give the kids a chance to learn about the livestock industry while gaining responsibility and work ethic.  The sale gives many local businesses the opportunity to reward the youth for their hard work by purchasing the animals for what is usually well above market price.

Flint had put in hours of hard work with Piggy Smalls and built a bond beyond your typical showman and their animal.  The Market Animal Sale at the Fair often has its share of emotions especially for the youngest of exhibitors.  It would be no different for Flint and Piggy Smalls but what Flint did that day at the sale would bring a tear to the eye of even the toughest most grizzled farmers and ranchers in attendance.  Flint had decided earlier in the summer that he would not just donate a portion of his proceeds from Piggy Smalls but rather his full earnings from the sale to his friend Krew.  As Flint and Piggy Smalls entered the sales arena the Van Buren family hoped that the sale would earn maybe a couple of thousand dollars and they were thrilled when the auctioneer yelled sold when the price reached $3800.  Nicole had been filming the sale on her cell phone.  “I turned my camera off and Flint was headed to the gate when they told us the buyer had upped the sale to $5000.”  To their astonishment the buyer asked that the pig be sold again so that it could earn even more money and the process repeated again and again until that proud Hampshire cross pig and his best friend walked out of the arena having earned the Hemmert family $11,800 with an unknown number of add on’s as well.  When Flint and Piggy Smalls got back to the pig barn Flint had a wide grin as he told everyone within sight what Piggy Smalls had just sold for.  Never had I seen a young person so excited to give away such a large amount of money.

Though thrilled and excited over the success of the sale just over twenty-four hours later Flint was once again on that emotional rollercoaster that comes with raising livestock.  Flint was faced with saying his final goodbye to a pig that had become such a large part of his life.  In a world full of competition and greed, the smallest among us sometimes stand as giants when they are able to show so much love that they are willing to say goodbye to one friend in order to help another.  Matt had spent the entirety of the interview looking pretty stoic but as we wrapped up our time together with both of us having watery eyes Matt concluded with, “We are definitely blessed.  I can't tell you how proud we are.”  Piggy Smalls will go down in history as being “Some Pig” but let us not forget the actions of Flint Van Buren who I think is “Some Kid”.