< PreviousThe Lone Star State is home to The Alamo, George Strait and takes the crown as the leading U.S. producer in cotton, but for those raising hogs in the purebred swine industry, it has housed the majority of the Southwest Type Conferences since 1957 to present day. By Rachel DotsonFEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2018 FebMar SE Form.indd 202/1/2018 10:12:01 AMNATIONAL SWINE REGISTRY Since 1999, a year after the Landrace joined the National Swine Registry, the Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire SWTC has been consistently held in Belton, Texas, and then in 2005, Hampshires started showing there. Here is a look back on each breed's show presence in the southwest.UNITED DUROC SWINE REGISTRY Long before the NSR consolidation in 1994, the United Duroc Swine Registry was the fi rst breed to hold an offi cial SWTC in 1957 in Lubbock, Texas. Waylon Carroll, Lubbock, Texas, served as the secretary and treasurer of the Southwest Duroc Breeders Association and was an integral role in executing the show from 1957 to 1992. “He was not one you would regularly spot in the hog barn, he was a business man,” says Russ Baize, owner of West Texas Boar Stud, Texas. “He loved hogs, and he loved hog people. He was a true leader.” If you fl ip open the 1959 April issue, Carroll stated in the show report explaining at the time what breeders were looking for in their ideal animals. “Association members are breeding toward a meat type hog that is clean and smooth and has a high percentage of primal cuts of pork,” Waylon says. “In sows they like roominess that will produce large litters and fast-growing pigs. In the boars they are looking for ruggedness, smoothness, balance and an individual that will produce the kind of offspring that commercial men will buy for boars to produce the kind of pigs that packers will pay premiums for. Duroc breeders are promoting this program through the efforts of fi eldmen of the United Duroc Swine Registry in selection of Duroc boars and gilts that will sire and produce the right kind of individuals.”Besides the breeding stock show and sale, the Duroc’s would hold a judging event, which consisted of carcass evaluation on foot and then the following day on the rail. The 1961 show saw the fi rst biggest jump in sale total when judges John Lehmann, Illinois, and T.D. Tankdsley, Texas, sorted through 123 head that had a gross total of $20,660 in Abilene, Texas.Six years later, the Grand Champion Boar named Ten Grand was the fi rst boar to sell for fi ve digits. Fred S. Vanderburg, Jr., Texas, exhibited the boar that sold for $10,000 to Robert Johnson and Sons, Arkansas, at the 1967 show, which grossed $76,260.“The one thing is this is barrow country,” Baize says. “It always has been. I remember the day when there would be 10 production sales, maybe even more than that. Majority of those hogs sold to make barrows for 4-H and FFA kids.” When the 1979 show was held outside of Texas in Wichita, Kansas, Duroc exhibitors where apart of their fi rst SWTC that totaled over $300,000. Not only was it a record-shattering event, but for Baize who $42,500 Record-Selling Champion Duroc Boar, 1979 Duroc Southwest Type Conference. Shown by Baize Durocs, Texas.21FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 FebMar SE Form.indd 212/1/2018 10:12:02 AMsold the record-selling Champion Duroc Boar at $42,500, it will be a memory he’ll never forget. “We had bought the world-record selling Duroc gilt one year and sold a boar out of her for $31,500,” Baize says. “I appreciated every bit of it, but it was nothing like that one day in Wichita, Kansas.” Baize says he and his wife probably only had $200 to their names on the day of the show. But according to Baize, Tom Baas showed a red gilt he had to have. “I bought that gilt before the boar sale for $4,900, and I thought in my 20’s I was fi xing to have a heart attack,” Baize says. “When the boar started selling and Howard [Parrish] got in the $35,000 range, and I thought he was at $3,500.”As Baize drove his boar under the bright sale ring lights, he was questioning how he was going to cover the check for the gilt. “I guess somebody said something, and all I heard Howard say was, ‘I think you are right,’” Baize says. “And then Howard said, ‘Young man do you know where I am at?’”Baize told Parrish he was at $4,150. The stands full of people crowded around the sale ring began to laugh, and at that moment, Baize said all he wanted was to go home.“I thought well now they are making fun of me because I’m not getting much money for my boar,” Baize says. “He [Parrish] said ‘I’m not at $4,150, I’m at $41,000.’” Baize then fell against the fence. He remembers Ernest Harold grabbing him and asking if he was alright. He told Harold he had never been better. “I got the gilt paid for and feed bills paid for,” Baize says. “I headed home, and I was hooked.” The Duroc National SWTC continued to grow each year not only in numbers exhibited but also in sale dollars. Baize says Waylon Carroll is the reason.“Waylon Carroll was the only wheel involved in getting this thing going and keeping it going,” Baize says. “Without him it would have never gotten off the ground or stayed off the ground.”HAMPSHIRE SWINE REGISTRYTen years after Duroc breeders held their fi rst SWTC, the Hampshire Swine Registry gathered in Sweetwater, Texas, in 1967 where Texans and a lone Missourian took home champion honors. The lone Missourian exhibitor, Ted Sloan of R.T. Sloan and Son, says it’s a short story as to why he decided to make the 10 and a half hour trip to Sweetwater. He wanted to take advantage of another opportunity to market his hogs. There wasn’t anybody interested in going in Missouri so Ted asked Paul Belts from Arkansas to go with him. “I did a lot of pig business with ag teachers in Oklahoma and some out into Texas, and I thought it would be a good move for me to go out there and show them what I had,” says Sloan. Sloan continued to exhibit at the show as years went on and had the Premier Sire in 1972 with his boar Sidekick Being from the Midwest, Sloan like many other exhibitors enjoyed the opportunity to meet breeders from the Southwest. “I became good friends with the Winter family,” Sloan says. “We would go back and forth to each “Waylon Carroll was the only wheel involved in getting this thing going and keeping it going." — Russ Baizeother’s sales, and they would stop at my place on their way to the National Barrow Show. When I would go out to their sales, it was interesting to see that country and what was going on out there.” There were 28 exhibitors from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri at the fi rst show. Eighteen boars were sold for an average of $359, 39 open gilts averaged $173.46 and three-bred gilts at $145. That year, the high-selling boar was exhibited by Bilt Rite Farms, Texas, and sold to Wm. J. Heger Farms, Missouri, for $1,000. For the 1970 show, the registry announced for the fi rst time they would be opening the show to all states instead of it being invitational. Show numbers that year jumped to 111 breeding stock entries and exhibitors from eight states. Fifty-three boars averaged $478 and the 58 gilts fi gured $243. The next record-selling boar was driven by A. Ruben Edwards, Missouri, at the 1974 SWTC. Edward’s reserve champion August boar sold to Jim Foster, Missouri, for $7,750. Long-time Hampshire breeder and Oklahoma native, Joe Lancaster, Lancaster Hampshires, says his favorite part of attending the show in Sweetwater was getting to visit with other breeders during the show and at the banquet. Lancaster fi rst started attending this show in the late 70’s.In 1976, Lancaster drove his August gilt entry to champion honors. According to the sale report, the long bodied female that was extra clean throughout sold to Jerry Kobyluk, Oklahoma, for $950. “I love Hampshires, and I am partial to them,” Lancaster says. “They use to really dominate the show barrow industry back in those days. Maybe not every year but they were always pretty close to the top.” For Lancaster and many other breeders during that time, the SWTC was an essential part to showpig breeders in that part of the world. Lancaster says in the days before AI, there were more individual farmers around, and everyone was in search of a Hampshire herd boar or gilt at Sweetwater. “It used to always be in February, and for the southwest it was fall pigs that were important,” Lancaster says. “So Headline from the 1979 Duroc News.FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2218 FebMar SE Form.indd 222/1/2018 10:12:03 AMthat was the show to go to and buy boars and gilts and breed them for fall pigs. The showpig industry in the southwest made the show work.” Sweetwater remained the constant location for the show until 2005 when the Hampshire Board of Directors decided to join the remaining NSR breeds in Belton, Texas, according to the late Ralph Doak’s, former NSR fi eld representative, show report. “Change for sake of change is never a good thing,” says Doak in his report. “But when change is made to benefi t the majority, it can be a move in the right direction.”A record number of hogs were exhibited that year and Kevin Wendt, Ohio, had the task to sort through the breeding stock. The sale total calculated to $190,375. Robert Wehmer and Family’s, Indiana, reserve champion boar sold for $57,000 to Lean Value Sires, Ohio, Tony Holcomb, Colorado, and Leland and Larry Mapes, Ohio. Wehmer’s also had the second top-selling boar that brought $29,000 and went to SGI, Iowa. “Progress can be measured in the distance that one travels and not in the size of the step,” Doak says in his report. “This set of hogs will take the people that use them a great distance.”AMERICAN LANDRACE ASSOCIATIONIn 1999, the late Sam Howell, former NSR fi eld representative, wrote the fi rst Seedstock EDGE Landrace show and sale report when the breed joined the Duroc and Yorkshire SWTC in Belton, Texas. Galen McCune, Oklahoma, judged his fi rst NSR show and lined up both the Yorkshires and the Landrace that year. Keith Miller, KDM Landrace, Illinois, took home the Landrace Premier Sire plaque that year for his boar, CR7 Omar 101-1. Miller also had the champion boar, champion gilt and reserve champion gilt all sired by Omar. Stanley Young, Texas, had the reserve premier sire with his boar, CR7 Conquest 29-1. “We bought our seedstock from the Grohman’s, and I am sure he [Conquest] was the second boar we bought from them.” “I was the county extension agent here in Lubbock back then, and we were mainly showpig breeders, but we did raise some breeding stock back then. It was just a way to get our stock out so people knew what we had,” Young says. “We really enjoyed it.” The world-record selling Landrace boar title is currently held by Autumn Rose LLC, Indiana, for their $31,000 Champion Landrace Boar auctioned off by Howard Parrish in the 2004 edition of the show. Triple B, Oklahoma, and Wintex Farms, Texas, purchased the boar that day in Lubbock. “This $31,000 champion boar is proof that if you make one good enough, there’s a market out there,” Howell says in his report. AMERICAN YORKSHIRE CLUBYorkshire breeders held their fi rst SWTC in 1995 on the Fort Worth Stock Show Grounds with the Durocs. “We never really had a specifi c Yorkshire Southwest Type Conference,” says Garry Childs, who was serving as the NSR Director of Member Development. “The Yorkshires fi rst started participating in the Southwest when the Chester Whites, Hamps and Yorks all shared fi eld service.”Eddie Robinson, Robinson Livestock, Missouri, made the trip to the fi rst show to take advantage of marketing their breeding stock and showpigs in the southwest. “It was just another avenue for us to get into instead of commercial breeding stock,” Robinson says. The second edition of the SWTC for the Yorkshires took place in Lubbock, Texas. In Childs’ show report he states that one of the show's highlights was the set of hogs Robinson brought. Robinson exhibited the champion boar, BOW4 Shamrock 8-6 x GSF3 Gunslinger 72-5, the reserve champion boar, BOW4 Shamrock 8-6 x 2 Earthquake 271-4. Robinson’s littermate boar to the champion boar was the high seller at $10,500 and sold to Lean Value Sires and Freddie Shaw, Ohio. The high-selling gilt was also Robinson’s littermate to the reserve champion boar. The fi rst largest grossing sale for Yorkshires was in 1998. The sale totaled $176,225. Jimmy Strube, Texas, sorted through 103 head that averaged $1,710. National Southwest Conference, Texas, show report from the 1976 Hampshire Herdsman“This $31,000 champion (Landrace) boar is proof that if you make one good enough, there’s a market out there.” — Sam Howell$31,000 Record-selling Grand Champion Landrace Boar, 2004 NSR Southwest Type Conference. Shown by Autumn Rose LLC, Ind.23FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 FebMar SE Form.indd 232/1/2018 10:12:03 AMRobinson received the Yorkshire Premier Sire award that year for his boar LFC6 Frontier 273-4 that he owned with Wilbert Moench, California. “Frontier was a boar I bought from Tracy Lorenzen at Duncan, and we sold a lot of semen out of him,” Robinson says. “His fi rst pig crop was there at Lubbock that year, Brad Eddie had a boar that was really good and people offered him like $10,000 to buy him right out of the barn. He came up and asked me what he should do. I said you need to keep him in the show.” Eddie listened to Robinson’s advice, and Eddie Farms’, Iowa, Frontier boar took home reserve champion boar honors and the high-selling boar title at $52,000 to Top Cut Show Pigs, Ohio. A Frontier daughter exhibited by Robinson was the top-selling gilt and went to SGI and Compart Boar Store, Iowa, for $4,300. The second high-selling boar was also a Frontier son shown by Robinson. He sold to Elite Sires, Missouri, Conklen and Nichols and Wienrank Yorkshire Farms, Illinois, for $19,000. Not only was Robinson an active exhibitor, but he also stepped into the ring to judge the show. “Mike Paul called me in around November or December to judge the show in 2002, and my wife, Tammy, was sitting beside me,” Robinson says. “Then I got off the phone and told her I was going to judge the Southwest Type Conference. She started grinning and then I realized we had a baby due then. I called back and cancelled.” In 2003, Robinson was able to judge the show with his niece, Lacey, and returned again to sort through the hogs in 2004. “For the Yorkshire breed, the Southwest Type Conference was a really pivotal event because it was the fi rst time that the Yorkshire breed and breeders were getting more exposure to the barrow industry in the southwest. Yorkshire hogs had basically revolved around selling commercial boars for production hogs. When we fi rst started going to the southwest was when we were fi rst making a little more turn to look and that sort of thing verses growth rate and reproduction.”$52,000 Res. Champion Yorkshire Boar, 1998 NSR Southwest Type Conference. Shown by Eddie Farms, Iowa.Tuesday, March 20Four Points by Sheraton Hotel1600 Cumberland AvenueWest Lafayette, IN 479062018 ANNUAL MEETINGNoon: NSR Annual Awards LuncheonTop-Recorder Awards Ceremony1:30 p.m.: Joint NSR Annual Membership Meeting3 p.m.: Individual Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace and Yorkshire membership meetings(All times EST)To help plan for meals, please call Lisa Kennedy at 765.463.3594 to RSVP. See you there!FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2418 FebMar SE Form.indd 242/1/2018 10:12:05 AM2017 Ohio State Fair Grand Champion (Open) • 2017 Third Overall Ohio State Fair (Junior) • Littermate to 2017 Clark County Fair Grand Champion Overall. BRED BY KIMLEYGrand Champion Hampshire and Fifth Overall Barrow 2017 NJSS Louisville Kentucky • Multiple time Champion OHPigs Circuit • Champion Hampshire Ohio State Fair Open Barrow BRED BY WENDT LIVESTOCKReserve Champion Berkshire Gilt 2017 OSFClass Winner Team Purebred Jr ShowHigh Point Berkshire Gilt, OH Jackpot SeriesBRED BY SHIPLEY • SOLD AT 2017 MARCH MADNESS SALECLINTHIGH SHOWPIGSWWW.CLINTHIGHSHOWPIGS.COMKasey Smith: 740-505-8845Don Geer: 937-218-1353Steve Kenney: 937-302-0785ROGER BENTLEY AND FAMILYWWW.BENTLEYSHOWPIGS.COMRoger: 937-901-3775Leanna: 740-837-6603KIMLEY SHOWPIGS Kelley and Kirsten KimleyWWW.KIMLEYSHOWPIGS.COMKelley: 937-605-2393Kirsten: 937-605-2413SHIPLEY SWINE GENETICSRandy Shipley, Rick Snyder, and Jake HoltWWW.SHIPLEYSWINE.COMRandy: 740-404-5048 Rick: 740-403-6367Jake: 317-402-2013HUGHES BOYS SHOWPIGSDJ, Sara, Colt, Tommy, and Cooper HughesFacebook search: HUGHESboys Showpigs DJ: 614-419-6843PRICE FAMILY SHOWPIGSTodd and Grant PriceWWW.PRICESHOWPIGS.COMGrant: 567-207-4659 WENDT LIVESTOCKKevin and Megan WendtWWW.WENDTLIVESTOCK.COMKevin: 419-566-1499Trevor: 740-572-6232Selling 90 December and January Crossbred and Purebred barrows and gilts.KEVIN WENDT, AUCTIONEER BLAINE EVANS, NSR: 765-490-3731Champion Market HogRichland Co. OHSold in 2017 March Madness SaleBRED BY PRICE2017 High Points Gilt in the OHpigs Circuit11-time Grand Champion in both Ohio and Ind. Her first kiss litter will sell March 17th!BRED BY HUGHES BOYSChampion Overall at Greene County Open Show and 4th Overall Market Show and Purebred Barrow ChampionBRED BY BENTLEYChampion Hereford Gilt 2017 Ohio State FairLittermate to “Never Say Never” at Upperhand$50,000 Record Selling Hereford BoarBRED BY CLINTHIGH SHOWPIGS25FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 FebMar SE Form.indd 252/1/2018 10:12:05 AMWITHIN EVERY JOB IN EVERY INDUSTRY THERE IS A DELICATE RATIO OF WORKFORCE VETERANS WHO ARE WISE TO THE WAYS OF THE WORLD AND YOUNG UP AND COMERS, ENERGETIC TO TAKE ON NEW CHALLENGES AND SHAKE THINGS UP. THIS BALANCE IS VALUABLE BECAUSE EACH GROUP HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM THE OTHER, GROW AND ULTIMATELY BETTER THE INDUSTRY THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. THROUGHOUT 2018, THE SEEDSTOCK EDGE TEAM WILL TAKE A LOOK AT A FEW YOUNG NSR BREEDERS WHO ARE MAKING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN THE PUREBRED SWINE INDUSTRY. By Cassie GodwinYOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGKNIGHTGeneticsYOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGFEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2618 FebMar SE Form.indd 262/1/2018 10:12:13 AMYOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGIt all started out with two boys anxiously sitting ringside itching to get in there with a showpig. These same boys then were responsible for breeding decisions, farrowing, caring for and feeding pigs. These two exhibitors went on to hang champion banners with those same pigs. A few years down the road, they are attending Type Conferences to show and sell their breeding stock. And now those same two people once again are anxiously sitting ringside, but this time it is watching a new generation of showmen. This is the evolution that Ryan and Tyler Knight, of Knight Genetics, have gone through to get where they are today. Ryan and Tyler Knight, along with their father, Brad, operate their family-owned business, Knight Genetics. Their farm is located in Armstrong, Illinois, on the land where Brad grew up. The 30-head sow herd consists of 20 Duroc and 10 Berkshire sows. The Knight family has been involved in the swine industry long before Ryan and Tyler started Knight Genetics. Parents, Brad and Mona, married in 1987 and had three children, Traci, Ryan and Tyler. Brad has spent a large portion of his life raising pigs on the commercial side, and it was important to him and his wife that their children grow up in the livestock industry, as well.The brothers admit they never dreamed their pig business would grow to the extent that it has. “Our family has been raising showpigs for as long as we can remember,” Tyler says. “We watched our cousins show pigs at the county and state fair, awaiting our turn to get in the show ring. Growing up dad had about 10 sows; a few Polands, a few Landrace, and added Berks along the way. We started in our local 4-H club, and dad gave us a few pigs each summer to show. Ryan developed a love for Chester Whites and acquired a few sows from Grant Norman around 2006. It wasn’t until 2009 that we got our fi rst Duroc sow from Chris Lanham at the CPS Extravaganza for $230. Little did we know this would be the foundation sow for our Duroc herd.”A few things have changed since acquiring that fi rst Duroc. In less than 10 years, this family has put infl uential red boars into studs and helped junior exhibitors achieve big wins. One of the fi rst highlights that comes to mind for the brothers is winning Champion Duroc Gilt and Reserve Champion Overall Gilt at the 2012 Illinois State Fair.“She was a High Roller on a Final Touch and Circumference sow,” Ryan says. “This was special because we raised her, and it was our last year showing in the Junior Show at the Illinois State Fair.”Two years later, the Ammann family would drive a Knight Genetics gilt to Champion Overall Gilt honors at the Illinois State Fair. This same gilt would go on to produce several more top moments for the brothers including the 2016 World Pork Expo Champion Duroc Boar that sold for $50,000, Champion Duroc Gilt at the 2016 Fall Classic that sold for $8,750, plus she is the grand dam of the 2017 WPX Champion Duroc Gilt and Reserve Champion Overall Gilt shown by Cody Maxwell, Indiana. Another big win was Garrison Straka, Oklahoma, showing the Champion Duroc Barrow at the 2017 Oklahoma Youth Expo. Ryan and Tyler both agree that from a breeding stock perspective, the boar they raised and sold to Hi Point Genetics, RYNK5 War Paint 1-5, being named Premier Duroc Sire at both the 2017 Fall Classic and Winter Type Conference were also big moments. “It is truly gratifying to see your genetics work on other people’s sows,” Ryan says.The Knight family has also grown. Daughter, Traci, is married to John Johnson. They have two children, 4-year-old, Addison, and 1-year-old, YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGThe Knight family with their Champion Duroc Gilt and Reserve Champion Overall Gilt at the 2012 Illinois State Fair. “The friendships that we made through the NJSA have led to some of the best friendships that we still maintain today. The opportunities that the youth have when participating at the junior level are tremendous.” — Tyler Knight27FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 FebMar SE Form.indd 272/1/2018 10:12:14 AMNash. Ryan and his wife, Malory, are newlyweds and Tyler will marry his fi ancé, Bree, this fall. Having grown up in the National Junior Swine Association (NJSA), Ryan and Tyler are very adamant about the positive aspects of the organization. Today, the brothers continue to support the NJSA by being a NJSA Booster Sponsor. “We feel that the NJSA is a great organization,” Tyler explains. “The friendships that we made through the NJSA have led to some of the best friendships that we still maintain today. The opportunities that the youth have when participating at the junior level are tremendous.”Aside from the NJSA shows and educational contests, both brothers were very active in the bred-and-owned division.“When we were showing in the NJSA we always tried to show the pigs that we had raised ourselves,” Ryan says. “Very rarely did we buy any pigs, so it was our goal to farrow them and show them the best that we could. We always took great pride in winning with ones we raised. This has continued on after our involvement in NJSA, and we feel if we can produce a gilt or boar that can breed on and infl uence future genetic lines, then we are successful and contributing to the showpig industry.”Through their years of raising pigs the brothers naturally have their favorite and not-so-favorite parts. Tyler’s favorite aspect of raising pigs is watching each pig change from when it is kept as a baby and grows into a sow or boar. “The different stages it goes through and how much a pig changes right in front of your eyes is truly amazing,” Tyler says.Ryan’s favorite part happens on the forefront when it comes to making breeding decisions. “I enjoy the critical thinking that is involved with selecting the right sires for our herd,” Ryan explains. “Sorting through different genetic lines and deciding which ones will work genetically and phenotypically can always be a challenge, which makes it fun.”All family businesses can relate to one of the challenges Ryan and Tyler have to work through, which is working with family. “We have to be honest and say that working with family can sometimes be challenging,” Tyler explains. “We all have our own opinions and strengths, remembering to give and take can sometimes be diffi cult,” Ryan echoes. The brothers also agree that having full-time jobs off the farm can be diffi cult and without their dad helping with the day-to-day tasks they would not be as successful as they have been.But Knight Genetics has a system that works for their business, and they are also big believers in constantly learning to better their operation. “We feel that a very good resource for making our operation better is consulting with other breeders amongst the industry,” Tyler says. “You can always learn something when visiting with others at shows and sales and learn what is working for other guys and what hasn’t worked as well for them.”Ryan and Tyler both know that a big reason they have been fortunate and YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGThe Knight family at Ryan and Malory’s wedding. Left to right: Addison, John, Nash, Traci, Bree Selenik, Tyler, Malory, Ryan, Mona and Brad. One of the many highlights for Knight Genetics was Cody Maxwell, Ind., exhibiting the Champion Duroc and Reserve Champion Overall Gilt at the 2017 World Pork Expo.YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGFEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2818 FebMar SE Form.indd 282/1/2018 10:12:15 AMYOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGYOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNG BREEDER SPOTLIGHT • YOUNGexperienced the success they have is because of the individuals they were able to look up to and learn from. A few of the mentors they credit are the Norman family, Kent Hales, their uncle Roy Knight and cousin Matt Knight. Plus their parents have always been their biggest supporters.“We started out showing at the county level against the Norman family,” Ryan says. “We always felt that if we could compete with them, then we were on the right track. Along the way Greg and Grant have always had advice and have helped us when we had questions.”“Our parents have also been great mentors as well,” agrees Tyler. “They have always been there for us and encouraged us to keep raising pigs. They never once told us that we couldn’t do it or that it would not work.”The Knight family feels that youth exhibitors can benefi t greatly from working with NSR members and encourages NJSA members to take the time to learn from breeding programs.“If you are a NJSA member and have an interest in raising showpigs in the future you should watch the open shows and talk with many of the infl uential breeders who participate,” explains Ryan. “Consult with them and learn as much as you can. Remember that you do not have to spend a lot of money to be successful. If you have a vision and a plan, stick with it, and your hard work will pay off in the future!”They feel it is important for kids who are raising their own pigs, or want to be in the showpig industry to not get discouraged when starting out. Both Ryan and Tyler can attest to the challenges that come with raising livestock but fi rmly believe that with patience and hard work results will start to show.“Spending lots of money and buying the best genetic lines is not required, although some kids may think it is,” Tyler says. “I feel like we are a great example of that. We didn’t see great results in the beginning, but after a few years, our hard work has started to pay off. We started out with one Duroc sow in 2009 for $230 and have built around her with her own offspring. Since her purchase, we have only added one other Duroc female to our herd that wasn’t in our genetic line. She is a daughter of the Fordice sow from Normans. She went on to produce the 2017 OYE Champion Duroc Barrow.” Time marches on, and Knight Genetics has plans to keep marching forward with it. Their number one goal is to continue producing top-quality genetics, by expanding their sow herd with exceptional females. With no thoughts of downsizing, plans are in the works to reinvest in their own operation and upgrade their facilities; allowing their business to grow. The family hopes to still be involved in the NJSA and help put good hogs into the barns of great showmen. Of course the two youngest family members, Addison and Nash, will continue to be the farm’s number one helpers and will start showing themselves. Staying very involved in the NSR and type conferences is also a key component to their future plans.“We feel that if we have a boar prospect or gilt that we think is very high quality, then we are going to take them to a NSR Type Conference,” Tyler says.“We believe there is no better way for your pigs to be seen by numerous people throughout the country,” Ryan says. “If you are looking to get the highest value out of your animal, than it will be at a NSR event. We also believe that if we have one good enough for a show, then we will not sell it before. If you believe your animals have genetic potential, you should show them at an event to see how they compare with others genetics in the industry."Ryan and Tyler’s dad gave them this piece of advice years ago, “You have to be honest about your pigs. It’s easy to get caught up when you are competing, but at the end of the day you have to be able to look back and know that you did the right thing.” This solid piece of wisdom, along with their passion for hogs and work ethic Knight Genetics has made a quite a reputation within the Duroc industry and they are confi dent that it will only continue grow in the years to come.Tyler Knignt (center) pictured with Mike Miller (left), of Hi Point Genetics, and Blaine Evans, NSR Field Representative accepting the Duroc Premier Sire banner at the 2017 NSR Fall Classic.“Sorting through different genetic lines and deciding which ones will work genetically and phenotypically can always be a challenge, which makes it fun.” — Ryan Knight29FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 FebMar SE Form.indd 292/1/2018 10:12:16 AMNext >