The 59th annual Minnesota Spring Barrow show started Thursday and will run through Saturday at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds.

According to president of the board for the event, Daryl Mattson, around 410 pigs will be there.

&uot;That’s pretty good for the amount of hog farmers we have in the area,&uot; he said.

In the mid ’70s, when there were many more locally owned farms, the event had 730 pigs.

The show is one of the only of its kind in the area. Farmers from as far north as Minneapolis and south as Des Moines come to Albert Lea annually to take part.

Most of the participants, though, are from Albert Lea and the surrounding area. &uot;A good deal of the competitors are from the FFA or 4-H clubs in Albert Lea, Glenville and Northwood,&uot; Mattson said.

The three-day event has a number of different competitions and prizes. Weigh-ins and other preliminary activities were Wednesday and Thursday, with most of the competition today and Saturday.

There is a three-pig junior pen event, a two-pig individual event, and a six-pig trucklot event. In each of these, the hogs are judged based on their health and their likeness to other pigs in their group.

There is also a derby event. In this, judges from various FFA, 4-H and even college teams judge the pigs based on their weight and physical appearance. From this they guess the pig’s percent lean and the quality of their meat.

The competitions run through Saturday. After the events are finished, winners will be picked for each category, as well as for best handling and presentation for the overall event.

Mattson has been involved with the event since he started showing his pigs in 1962. He says it is a great experience.

&uot;We always have a good time here,&uot; he said. &uot;You meet a lot of people and see a lot that you know from other shows.&uot;

&uot;Most importantly, it’s a good program for the kids,&uot; he continued.

The event is funded by more than 95 donors from the area. Matson also said that the event is run by volunteers. More than 60 help out throughout the weekend.

&uot;We couldn’t do it without them,&uot; he said.

The event doesn’t pay a great deal to the winner, Mattson said, but the competition has always been very good.