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DES MOINES - It didn't take long for the Burt brothers to have success showing pigs at the Iowa State Fair.

Michael, 16, and Jacob, 11, who live just outside of Marshalltown, each won awards as of mid-day Monday at the fair with still more competitions to go.

Michael won a first in class and Jacob took home a showmanship belt buckle. Both attend GMG schools.

"We live on a farm and we've been working with them our whole life," Michael Burt said of the pigs. "It's fun and it's big here at the fair. There's a lot more competition than the county fair."

The boys take care of the pigs by feeding them every day and getting them moving the weeks leading up to the fair.

"We walk them around when it gets close to the fair so they get used to us poking them around," Michael Burt said. "We exercise them in the grass then cool them off in the mudhole."

Both said they enjoy spending time at the fair and meeting people from different counties.

Jacob Burt said his favorite part is "just walking around" with the pigs during the show event. His brother noted the biggest pig they brought to show is 323 pounds.

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Contact Andrew Potter at 641-753-6611 or apotter@timesrepublican.com