Twelve-year-old Baldwin City twins Tate Anderson, right, and Lane Anderson go through their morning ritual of walking their show pigs at their farm. The two brothers, who have been showing pigs since they were 7, have spent quite a bit of time readying their animals for presentation in the upcoming Douglas County Fair.

It’s not yet 10 a.m., and a fight has already broken out in the front yard of the Anderson home outside Baldwin City.

A pair of black-and-white spotted hogs size each other up, hoof to snout, and a sparring match commences with a few head-butts and fairly harmless bites. The whole thing doesn’t look much different from a playful fight between puppies.

“They do that sometimes,” said 12-year-old Tate Anderson, using his hog whip –a thin, black stick with a leather loop at its end– to gently break up the scuffle.

Tate and his twin, Lane, have become experts on pigs’ many behavioral quirks during their five years with the Palmyra 4-H club.

Next week the brothers will enter their pigs in the Douglas County Fair’s swine competition, just as they’ve done every summer since they were seven years old. The Andersons are among the many young people competing at the fair, which runs through Aug. 3.

Lane and Tate Anderson agree that pigs show more personality than many other species.

During that time, they’ve learned to show bigger animals — bucket calves and heifers– but they keep coming back to pigs.

The brothers are taking four pigs to the fair this year.

“They’re easy to show, they have personality and they’re fun to work with,” Lane said.

Lane and Tate have six of them in total –one Duroc, one Spots and four crossbreeds– housed at their family’s 45-acre farm.

Taking care of pigs is a lot of work, but the Anderson boys are up to the challenge. The two spend anywhere from two to four hours with the animals each day. Walks, pen cleanings and feedings are twice-a-day tasks.

“First thing in the morning they’re out checking their pigs,” said Amy, the twins’ proud mother. “They know it’s been hot the past few days so they’ve come out several times throughout the day to check on their pigs– bringing them out to the wash rack and wetting them down, making sure they’re cool, checking on their water.”

Lane, left, and Tate have been raising pigs for show since they were 7.

In the weeks leading up to competition, Lane and Tate have taken additional precautions to make sure the hogs are ready.

During walks, the boys watch their pigs’ stride –judges like a straight and narrow gait, Tate said– and examine the pigs’ muscle tone and fat distribution.

Smooth skin is also a must.

“We have this bottle of oil that shines them up, and when you wash it off, it makes their skin less flaky and dry,” Tate said. “We start doing that close to the show.”

Between trips to the hog barn, Lane and Tate find time for other activities. They’re also competing in 4-H’s woodworking, arts and crafts, food and “Away With Waste” contests.

But, make no mistake about it: The swine competition is still the biggest prize in their eyes.

This year, both Lane and Tate are gunning for champion titles.