Meet the Wittum brothers!
Ben and Braden are a couple of our steer and swine exhibitionists with each of them competing since they were eight years old thanks to the encouragement of their mother and grandfather. However, these brothers are no strangers to livestock exhibitions.
The boys have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents who have competed and are there to offer encouragement, insight, or even compete right alongside them. With so many family members competing past and present Ben and Braden practically have a legacy to uphold – which they are doing a great job of. This past year Braden won the 4-H trophy for Grand Champion Market Beef and Ben won the 4-H trophy for Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef. These awards go to the best animal as well as the best handler, but these trophies have never been awarded to two family members in the same year before. These wins are extra special as these same trophies have been awarded for decades and each winner’s names are engraved on. If you look you will find the names of previous Wittum family winners.
This is Braden’s second time winning the Grand Champion trophy, and it was won by his mom Jennifer Wittum (formerly Jennifer Jacobs) in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999. She is still the only person to win the trophy three years in a row. The boy’s great aunt also won the trophy in 1976 and 1978, making three generations of family members to win this award. Ben’s Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef trophy is much newer and dates to the 1990’s. Yet his mom also won this trophy in 1998, making this another victory the family can share.
The McHenry County Fair isn’t the only place Ben and Braden bring their talent and award-winning livestock to. They also compete in the Badger Brawl in Madison, WI, the Southeast Elite in Fon Du Lac, WI, and more shows throughout Wisconsin. They compete in all of the Junior, Open, and 4-H exhibitions. Each of them enters the natural resources (sport fishing) exhibition, and Ben also competes in the vegetable and small engines exhibitions. This year Ben exhibited his sport fishing project at state and took home another grand champion victory!
Beyond carrying on the family tradition of competing, Ben and Braden have both enjoyed how these exhibitions give them a goal to work towards and sense of the accomplishment gained from each win. These experiences have also given them a stronger connection to their animals and countless memories of time spent with family and friends.
We have a feeling the Wittum brothers have a lot of exciting achievements ahead of them, and we’re excited to be here to witness it.
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