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If there’s one thing pig farmer Kristen Temessl loves to do, it’s teach.
And while she’s usually sharing her knowledge with agriculture students at Parkes Christian School, once a year the Sydney Royal Easter Show becomes her classroom and her pupils, the Australian public.
Kristen puts her educator skills to good use at Sydney Royal, working to bridge the gap between producers and the public by giving families a rare insight into modern pig production and animal care, and educating thousands of show visitors through interactive experiences like ‘pat-a-pig’ and ‘wash-a-pig’.
Her impact and influence have been so great that Kristen was this year announced as one of 14 Champions of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS).
It’s one of the RAS’ most prestigious awards, recognising long-standing dedication, expertise and service to the recipient’s respective fields.
“It’s a very prestigious award and to be recognised for the hard work behind the scenes, it’s nice,” Kristen said.
Kristen and her husband Wes, who run Spicer’s Creek Pig Stud in Parkes, are a familiar name in the Sydney Royal Pig Show, and claimed Most Successful Pig Exhibitor at this year’s show.
Among their best results were the RAS of NSW Award of Excellence Medallions for both Champion Interbreed Senior Sow and Champion Interbreed Senior Boar, and Most Successful Exhibitor for three different breeds, cementing their position as one of the country’s leading pig breeders.
The couple took 35 pigs for competition at Sydney Royal this year - that’s on top of the two sows with litters they also brought along and 12 pigs for the ‘pat-a-pig’ activation.
In total they received nine Champion ribbons, five Reserve Champion ribbons and multiple firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths in individual classes.
“This is the most successful year so far for Wes,” Kristen said.
“It takes us 12 months to prepare for the Sydney Royal Show.
“We look carefully at our breeding stock and genetic lines to make sure we are exhibiting quality stud stock on a larger stage.”
Kristen grew up on a broadacre sheep and cropping farm near Condobolin and had nothing to do with pigs before she met Wes.
She described her introduction to the industry only eight years ago as “eye-opening” but took it all in her stride.
And then it was being involved in the show movement that really captured her interest and passion.
“My husband has been attending Sydney Royal and showing pigs for 25 years now and he is the president of the Dubbo Show, so shows just came with it,” Kristen said.
And while it’s all been a big part of his life for a long time and Kristen wanted to make it a part of hers for that reason, she soon found her niche.
“Me being a teacher, the education side of it is what I love most,” she said.
“People asking questions and wanting to know more… That’s why I’m there, that’s what I really go down there for.
“The awards and ribbons are just the icing on top.”
Kristen helped to get the ‘wash-a-pig’ demonstration back up and running at Sydney Royal after it being absent from the schedule for some years.
She also started and runs Baconomics, an education program for high school students where they learn about pigs and the pig industry, which has been running for a few years now.
Kristen has been teaching for 12 years, starting at Parkes Christian School in 2015 in primary education. She became a full-time agriculture high school teacher in 2020.
“My passion is teaching how agriculture fits into their everyday life,” she said.
“At Sydney, it’s educating the general public about agriculture, like the Sydney Royal Show slogan goes ‘bringing the country to the city’.
“The whole experience is the highlight for me: it’s the people, the programs, the exhibitors, it’s the whole show movement.”