LUCASVILLE - Leigha Allen had a tough decision to make before fair season.

“She had raised a steer and a pig and had to decide which had a better chance of winning,” said her mother, Angie Allen, of Minford. “So she chose the pig and walked away with the grand champion hog.”

Leigha Allen says that a champion hog is a lot of work.

“You have to walk them twice a day, feed and water them, and constantly clean their pen,” she said.

One might not believe it to look at them at the fair, but a pig's weight must be closely monitored.

“(Her hog) had a little bit of a weight problem and we had to get it down below the limit,” said Angie Allen.

The champ weighed in at a svelte 272 pounds.

The family bought the pig from Jerry Hull, of Minford, at a mere 85 pounds.

So one might wonder how attached a youngster would get to a project hog that grew from 85 to 272 pounds.

“I know I'll be upset a little after the auction Saturday,” said Leigha Allen.

She wasn't the only member of her family who fared well during the judging. Her sister, Lindsey Allen, 9, who also attends school at Minford, picked up first place in weight class of her pig as well.

“I have to give them credit, they did an outstanding job, and provided a lot of care,” Angie Allen said.

However, not everyone is in agreement on what to do with the money from the auction.

“I want a 400 EX four-wheeler. Yeah, that's what I want,” Leigha Allen said.

“I think we'll save it,” said her mom.