Long before they stepped into the spotlight under the dome of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in front of tens of thousands of cheering FFA members, Tyse Buck and Landry Mabry knew what it felt like to perform under pressure. Their first arena wasn’t a concert stage—it was a shavings-lined show ring. At the National FFA Convention, the two junior swine exhibitors proved that the discipline, grit and humility forged in the pig barn translate seamlessly to center stage.
Deep Roots: Raised in the Hog Barn
By the age of 2, Buck was following in his dad’s footsteps showing pigs in National Junior Swine Association shows and other jackpots. His parents and grandparents owned and operated Triple B Sires, a boar stud and showpig operation in Eufaula, Okla.
“My first job was helping process boar semen in the lab at Triple B,” says Buck, now a senior from Depew, Okla. “With both of my parents working full time at the hog farm, I spent the majority of my childhood helping out around the farm.”
Agriculture was his first passion, but music quickly became his second. In second grade, Buck began piano lessons, followed by singing. After landing the lead solo in his elementary school play, he began singing in church.
“By seventh grade, I had stopped singing as much, but my parents pushed me to try out for the Oklahoma State FFA Convention Chorus my eighth-grade year,” he says.
That week changed his life.
“I fell in love with FFA and I fell in love with singing,” Buck says. “The following week I sang at my local FFA banquet, and then at my eighth-grade graduation. That summer, I did my first gig at the town celebration in Eufaula, which led to starting my first band with people I met through the state FFA chorus.”
The following year, that band—Tyse Buck and the Okies, featuring bandmates Jolie Marshall and Liam McMahan—won the Oklahoma State FFA Convention Talent Show in front of 14,000 people. Buck has since performed at the National FFA Convention for four consecutive years: two in the National FFA Chorus and two as a featured talent act.
Meanwhile, fellow talent contestant Landry Mabry of Crawford, Texas, built his foundation on a nearly identical timeline. Mabry began showing pigs and playing guitar at age 5. His show career began when his dad, Brad, bought him a Spot gilt to exhibit at the World Pork Expo Junior National in Des Moines.
“She ended up fifth spot gilt overall,” Mabry recalls. “From then on, I was honestly hooked. That was where it all started.”
At the time, their family was living in Iowa where they raised Durocs and Spots and participated in the Iowa Swine Jackpot Series, World Pork Expo and the Midwest junior shows before relocating to Texas.
“Since we moved, I have shown at all of the Texas majors and have been blessed with having some breed and reserve breed champions as well as the Grand Champion Barrow at the Houston Stock Show last spring,” he says.
Music ran just as deep. Mabry started singing and writing his own songs at 14, heavily influenced by his family.
“My Mimi (Dad’s mom) bought me my first guitar and her musical influence will always be a huge inspiration to me,” says Mabry who plays both acoustic and electric guitar. “My Grammy (Mom’s mom) takes me to watch live music often. Music was always around me growing up in Texas and Iowa. Both places have a big musical impact on me and have shaped my style and taste in different ways.”
Teaming up with fellow Crawford FFA member and vocalist Tynlea Nystrom, Mabry arrived in Indianapolis with eight songs ready for competition.
Center Stage Under the Lights
Stepping onto the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium is an experience neither boy will ever forget.
For Mabry, who advanced with Nystrom into the Top 11 Semifinals with a performance of Sam Barber and Avery Anna’s “Indigo,” the sheer scale of the venue was humbling.
“I felt small on that huge stage in that massive stadium,” Mabry says. “I don’t remember hearing much. Everyone in the crowd was quietly waiting to watch the semifinalists’ performances.”
Buck and his band pushed all the way to the National Finals (Top 3), taking the stage for a stripped-down performance of the Eagles’ classic “Seven Bridges Road.”
“It was almost like a dream,” Buck recalls. “I was concentrating on the song, yet going through the motions just as we had in practice so many times before. The song starts and ends a cappella, so Jolie and I have to concentrate on each other so our timing is perfect.”
Buck credits his bandmates for keeping the group grounded—including McMahan, who learned the bass guitar just one month prior to convention to fill out their sound.
“Liam is usually on keyboards, but he transitioned to bass for the contest,” Buck says. “And Jolie is the greatest fiddle player I’ve ever known. She’s the one who keeps us on track. Going through this competition together meant the world to me.”
Grit, Grace and Getting the Gate
Both families agree that the hours logged in the barn provided the ultimate training ground for stage presence and mental composure.
“Show pigs and music are tied together in the sense that you can’t get better without hard work or help from others,” Mabry says. “Showing pigs is always a family project; it’s not something one person can do alone. Music is the same. Without my dad’s support, encouragement and guidance, I would not be the musician or swine showman I am.”
His mother, Chyla, sees the crossover every time her son picks up a guitar.
“The grit that it takes to train a pig that loves to turn around and run away—to stay patient and keep going day after day until he is showring ready—is the same kind of grit it takes to keep playing the same chords over and over when your fingers are nearly bleeding until you get it perfect,” she says.
That barn-tested resilience was tested in real time during convention. When Landry learned he and Nystrom had missed the cut for the final three, there was no time to dwell on disappointment: he was scheduled to perform the National Anthem solo on his guitar just 15 minutes later.
“The maturity it takes to celebrate your friend winning your class while your pig got the gate is the same maturity it takes when your new friend makes the final round and you don’t,” Chyla says. “Fifteen minutes later, he was out on that stage playing the National Anthem and smiling. Resilience is required in both arenas.”
Buck echoed that sentiment, noting that the show ring strips away entitlement.
“Showing pigs teaches you how to win with grace, how to lose with dignity, how to outwork your competition, and how to compete fiercely,” Buck says. “While I love to win, I also love to be a friend. The FFA talent contest gave us an opportunity to compete with the best in the country, but it also gave us the atmosphere to make friendships that last long after we head back to our home states.”
Buck’s father, Terrell, watched that show-barn work ethic play out under the stadium lights.
“Tyse and Jolie both grew up showing and raising pigs, while Liam grew up showing lambs and goats,” Terrell says. “All three families used livestock to build character and instill the work ethic it takes to be successful in whatever field they choose. They took what they learned from growing up in a show barn and created something special to watch.”
Beyond the Banners: Empty Ballrooms and Lifelong Bonds
Ask either competitor about their favorite memory from convention week, and neither points to a trophy. Instead, they talk about what happened when the official lights went down.
Musicians from Oklahoma, Texas, California, Georgia and Kentucky tracked each other down at their shared hotel, lugging instruments into an empty ballroom to jam until past 1 a.m.
“The late-night jam sessions are definitely a highlight of my convention experience,” Mabry says. “I went into the week knowing nobody at our hotel, and by the end, I had built amazing relationships with musicians and FFA members from across the country.”
For aspiring musicians and showmen alike, their advice boils down to relentless preparation and authentic character.
“Observation and hard work,” Mabry suggests. “I’ve spent so much time nerding out about the little things artists do—stage presence, guitar gear and vocal control. Use those things to get better, but embrace who you are. You can always learn and grow.”
Keep working on your craft, Buck says.
“We made it to the finals, which was amazing, but the journey and the people we met along the way made it worth doing,” Buck says. “No matter if you are showing pigs or singing on a big stage, the people you meet and the relationships you make are worth more than any banner you could ever hang on a wall.”
What’s Next: Feed Buckets and Tour Dates
With convention in the rearview, both young men are back to balancing livestock and lyrics.
Mabry currently has 15 pigs on feed in Texas as he prepares for the spring major show run with his brother, all while writing new music and assembling a local band.
“I want to keep doing my best and growing as a stockman and livestock evaluator,” Mabry says. “Musically, I just want to have fun, make connections and grow as a performer.”
For Buck, senior year brings a bittersweet turning point. His calendar is packed with upcoming gigs at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Convention, American Farmers and Ranchers Convention, PRCA rodeos, and an Oklahoma State University tailgate, alongside recording 10 newly penned original songs.
Because of that demand, he made the difficult decision to hang up his show whip this season.
“After showing pigs every year since I was 2, I decided I didn’t have the time to devote to a set of pigs for my senior year,” Buck admits. “My schedule wasn’t going to allow time to do them justice. As the air cools down and all of my friends are getting their show pigs in the barn, it feels a little strange not having a barn full of pigs to go work. But you have to keep moving forward.”
