Showpig enthusiasts are currently descending on Duncan, Oklahoma. For one week, Duncan transforms into the showpig prospect Mecca of the Southwest. Between the sifts, the sales and the deals to be made in the parking lot, you will find lots to do at the Stephens County Fairgrounds. Then, add the excitement of breeding stock shows sponsored by the National Swine Registry, Certified Pedigreed Swine and American Berkshire Association you might never want to leave. But, if you’re looking for venues beyond the barn, Showpig.com’s team has you covered.
The National Pork Board, the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and PrairieFresh® Premium Pork joined forces to support the second annual #HamsAcrossAmerica campaign in Central Iowa. The organizations hosted a kickoff event, on Giving Tuesday, to serve clients of the Central Iowa Shelter and Services and provided a nearly 70,000-pound pork donation to the Food Bank of Iowa, courtesy of Smithfield Foods, Seaboard Foods, Triumph Foods and U.S. pig farmers.
The livestock industry’s greatest product isn’t the number of shows organized, nor the amount of banners awarded. It’s not even the elite livestock bred to compete at the highest level. Our greatest product is the youth that will go on and use the skills they learned to impact their communities in a positive way.
We’ve all heard it. With less than 2 percent of the United State’s population directly involved with production agriculture, we have to share our story with consumers about what farmers do. This is especially important since the majority of Americans are removed from the farm.
My name is Chris Fischbacher, and I’m 32 years old. Ilive in Wildorado, Texas. I have been married for 7 years to my wife, Steelee, and we have two kids, Mattlee and Case. I started raising pigs when I was a kid in 4-H, and I have been doing it full-time since 2011. We currently have about 50 sows and a dozen boars. We primarily raise crosses and Yorks, but we also have a few Spots, Durocs and Berks.
To celebrate National Pork Month, fondly known as PORKtober, the Showpig.com team is catching up with some “agvocates” to learn how we can all better represent the swine industry. This week we have tips from Thomas Titus of Elkhart, Illinois. Thomas operates Tri Pork Inc as well as a purebred showpig operation, RBC Chesters. He is former Face of Farming and Ranching for the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance as well as a #realpigfarming advocate for the National Pork Board giving tips on how to best build impactful consumer relationships.
Collegiate livestock judging is equivalent to Sunday night football for stockmen and women, and the National Barrow Show (NBS) is the swine enthusiast's Super Bowl. Will Taylor of Western Illinois University (WIU) just had the honor of topping the reasons division at NBS. The Showpig.com team caught up with Will, and he was kind enough to offer us these tips to help you rock the reasons room.
It’s PORKtober! In honor of National Pork Month, the Showpig.com team is learning what #realpigfarming means to those in our industry. We caught up with Team Purebred President Jordan Monier to see how the swine industry has shaped his life.
I’m Will Winter and a third generation WTX. I live on the farm with my wife, Marisa, son Monster (Colter) and 2-1 (Sutton). We operate Wintex with Dad. We run 4.5 acres of showpig and purebred sows and roughly 30 boars. We row crop farm and are starting to attempt to raise club calves (because we had free time).
With summer drawing to a close, many successful show gilts will be retired. But, success in the show ring doesn’t guarantee that female will make a great sow. Many factors including, condition, care and even genetics will affect that gilt’s future in the farrowing barn. The Showpig.com team caught up with Lynsee Shaffer of Shaffer’s Goldrush to get her tips to make your show gilts into brood sows.
If you name a hurricane after a man, “he” will get lost, won’t ask for directions, wander around for days and leave a mess. That’s one of the lighter ways Texans describe Hurricane Harvey’s meander through the Lone Star State, which dumped 30-50 inches of rain over large swaths of Texas, according to Montgomery Lone Star Cowboy Church co-pastor Darla Weaver.
Having a successful sale requires more than simply booking the date. Marketing and promotions are still key to marketing livestock whether they’re selling online or in-person. This week, Kim West of KWest Communications, LLC, tells us how to make the most of your sales marketing.
I grew up on a diversified livestock operation and was very involved with showing livestock through 4-H, FFA and other junior programs such as the NJSA. I attended Fort Scott Community College as well as Iowa State University (ISU) where I was a member of the Livestock Judging Team. After graduation at ISU, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to return back to Missouri and oversee the showpig portion of Team Sloan Livestock. I am also part owner of Apex Sires that’s located in Indiana, as well as an advocate for Linder United.
