MOUNT VERNON, MO. – Lindsay McDonald from Mt. Vernon, Missouri is a young, but inimitable, force for agricultural advocacy. Prior to showing her pigs at the Gold Buckle Gala at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, she spared a few moments to share her agriculture background and talk about the raising, training, and showing of her show pigs.
Born to a farming family, the only daughter of Glenn and Tabitha McDonald, Lindsay is the eldest of four children, Gavin (17), Zane (12), and Jacob (7). When asked if any of her siblings would prefer a different upbringing, she confidently stated: “None of us would choose differently.”
McDonald is proud of her farming background. Being the first of four children, she spoke of her time as a young child when her father would rig a car seat to the tractor while baling hay.
“I loved spending time with my grandmother, who sought every opportunity to give us as many farming experiences as possible,” proudly shares McDonald.
From gardening to horseback riding to playing with goats, sheep, chickens and helping select bulls to bring to the operation, these factors eventually led to McDonald’s affinity for pigs, presently evident from the showring.
“My favorite part of agriculture is seeing things grow, from the plants to the baby animals. I love how growth-based everything is,” says McDonald, who loves to capitalize on the end result that so much hard work plays into each facet of farming.
During her time in high school, McDonald worked with Ag Ed on the Move, a Missouri-based agriculture program that educates third grade public school students on agriculture and how it affects their daily lives.
“As a high school junior and senior, I worked with Ag Ed on the Move within my local FFA Chapter as part of our Program of Activities,” shares McDonald.
McDonald is proud of her time as an FFA representative and officeholder. Lyndsey encourages youth interested in agriculture to simply get involved.
“Younger kids might not know the impact farming has on their everyday lives. During our Food for America day, we bring farm animals for the kids to meet and share a brief lesson. At the end, the kids are quizzed to see what they learned in exchange for candy. It is always surprising to see how much their knowledge grows after just a short time with our FFA representatives,” says McDonald.
McDonald’s father and grandparents were involved in FFA as well as several of her aunts and uncles. Farming is a family business, and McDonald attributes the success she has had in the agriculture industry to her parents, for believing in her and providing ample opportunities to succeed. McDonald’s paternal grandmother was Pennsylvania’s second female State FFA Officer, which elicited no surprise to Lindsay’s family that she spent one year as a State Vice President for the Missouri FFA Association in 2025.
During her time as a State Vice President, McDonald got to enjoy time visiting with her state representative, Mitch Boggs, who was interested to hear what she had to say as one of his constituents. McDonald shared that she felt the experience was mutually beneficial, as she got to share some of her passions within the agricultural industry, and concerns about things happening back home, while Boggs got to connect with youth he was actively working to represent.
She received the opportunity to assist with Missouri FFA HYPE Academy as well, a legislative Academy for Missouri senior FFA members that provides opportunities for students to research a current agricultural issue, such as eminent domain for solar and wind energy, or foreign agricultural land ownership, and testify to current Missouri legislators.
“The legislators love to hear from youth in agriculture. It is a reciprocally valuable experience that makes us more comfortable having these conversations as we mature in our agriculture knowledge,” McDonald says.
McDonald will be a sophomore at Missouri State University this fall, majoring in Agriculture Education. Her desire is to be an Agriculture educator for high school students. She spoke of the positive impact her teachers had on her, how they pushed her out of her comfort zone and gently enhanced a deep confidence that allowed her to do new and unfamiliar things she had no idea she would grow to love.
McDonald spoke of the journey she has taken with her pigs, sharing the opportunity her grandmother provided for her to jump in headfirst when she was in 8th grade. At 14 years of age, Lindsay’s grandmother offered her and her brothers a litter of baby pigs. Lindsay loved taking care of them – everything from feeding, to grooming, and even assisting with farrowing out the sows. She was hooked from that summer with her love for pigs and desire to be an active participant in the show ring. While McDonald is fairly new to the show ring, she has truly grown to love it.
“Show pigs are not as easy as other animals. Many factors play into choosing a show pig, such as growth structure and current trends,” shares McDonald, who clearly has an affinity for her show pigs.
“Pigs are different than other show animals. You don’t lead them with a halter. The training involves walking around with two whips and attempting to get down to one, while keeping the pig’s head up. Consistency is key with pigs.”
“Owning a farm is a communal business, I am grateful that my family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents help when needed and we do the same for them.”
McDonald hopes to own her own farm one day, sharing the balance of helping her family of origin while investing in her own agriculture dreams.
