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We are often asked about breed qualifications of the 4 breeds of the National Swine Registry. Below is a summary of breed requirements and markings.
DurocsDurocs should be red with down ears. If a Duroc has white on any part of its body, including its feet, it may be disqualified. It is okay for Durocs to have white on the end of their nose, as long as it doesn’t break the rim of the nose. They are not allowed to have more than 3 black spots and none over 2 inches in diameter on the body.
HampshiresHampshires should be black with a white belt that goes completely around both front legs and feet. They are allowed to have some white on their nose, as long as it doesn’t exceed the rim of the nose. If the white goes under the pig’s chin, it cannot be more than what a U.S. minted quarter [ … ]
Several fairs in Indiana and Ohio have recently had exhibitors and livestock affected by the influenza virus. Influenza, or the flu, can occasionally be transmitted from people to pigs or from pigs to people. Here are some recommendations from National Pork Board you can follow to help protect you and your animals from illness:
1) If anyone in your family has flu-like symptoms, please do not attend any public livestock events, including your county, state or regional fairs, for seven days after the symptoms began or until you have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications – whichever is longer.
2) If any of your animals show signs of flu-like illness on the farm, please check with your veterinarian before bringing them to your county, state or regional shows. In addition to the precautions above, Dr. Tony Forshey, State Veterinarian in Ohio, says that being proactive and doing things as simple [ … ]
Another outstanding week on the road it has been for me. State fair season is here folks and it seems as if it has brought my herd visit opportunities to a screeching halt, with the exception of a few firms in Ohio. The better portion of last week was spent at the Ohio State fair accompanying Ralph and helping out in a variety of fashions. Ralph and I both spent time at the beginning of the week at the junior gilt show there in Ohio and then helped with the junior barrow check-in later in the week. I was flattered to have the opportunity to assist with a variety of tasks at these two shows. Ohio has a remarkable set of leaders that work hard to make these shows a success.
Tuesday the 31st Ralph and I made a quick visit to Watsons in KY to look at their [ … ]
You’ve heard it a million times that a picture is worth a thousand words, and in June’s Stock Marketing, we learned how a good picture helped the Kaufman’s land their Hillbilly Bone son at Prairie State Semen,Inc. Now, we’re going to talk about how to get that perfect picture.
Get your subject to 12 ’o clock – Whether you’re selling pigs online or vying for buyers attention in print advertisements, a picture can make or break a sale. Have your pigs dialed in before you take a picture. Make sure your pigs are clean, in shape and accustomed to the surface you will attempt to pose them on.
But don’t shoot at noon – While ‘high noon’ may have been preferred time for fictional Wild West shootouts, it’s far from the ideal time to shoot livestock pictures. The bright, direct sunlight throws harsh highlights and shadows, which oftentimes don’t accentuate the features we would like. It’s also much [ … ]
The week of July the 23rd was spent with only a few days out on the road as I had the annual NJSA Junior Board retreat to tend to. I am incredibly excited to serve as your 2012-2013 NJSA President. I take every opportunity presented to share with people just how fortunate I have been this year with the once in a lifetime opportunities that have come my way. I truly feel privileged!
Monday the 23rd I had to make the stop in Chrisman and look in at a Yorkshire herd that has made a rather significant impact on the breed in the past several years. Tracy Lorenzen has an infatuation with making Yorkshire better each generation. His determination is paralleled by only a select few breeders in the business. Like many visits I have been on, the sow herd here is the element that allows success to come [ … ]
Michigan Livestock Expo was held July 13th-17th. Ali, the NJSA Intern and I would spend the weekend at the show helping out in any fashion we could. Hats off to Al Snedegar, Brad Mortenson, Ernie Birchmier and crew for organizing a great event. The NSR breeds were very well represented and your grand and reserve overall hogs would be two Yorkshires. My first Michigan experience was great! My favorite part may have been meeting a lot of new people!
After wrapping up my trip to Michigan Livestock expo I would make my way back down into Indiana where I would finally make my way to a few well marked places on the map for those that scour the country come spring time looking for that next great one.
I spent Tuesday morning visiting with Dave Kilmer about their program and what allows for their success. Dave has seen the [ … ]
Hey folks, I saw a really nice set of hogs this week. If you are looking for some breed changers, I have seen some hogs that will make an impact. I had a great visit at numerous places, including Meekers, Peters, Showtime and Hi Point. Give me a call or check out their websites!
Members of the National Swine Registry can take advantage of several benefits, including a one year subscription to the Seedstock Edge magazine, discounted litter rates and voting privileges within in the organization. To become a member of the NSR, you can simply fill out a membership application. The first year for NSR membership is $85 per breed. To maintain membership after the first year, it is $75 each year.
As a member of NSR, you can record your litters at a much cheaper rate than non-members. As a member, if you record your litter within 90 days of the farrowing date, the cost of the litter is $15. If the litter is older than 90 days, the cost is $30.You are also welcome to record as a non-member. The cost for a non-member to record within 90 days of the litter’s farrowing date is $30. If a non-member is recording after the pigs [ … ]
Most of the year, I call my home Madison, Wis. In the heart of the University of Wisconsin campus, cresting Bascom Hill, sits a statue honoring a man most Americans would agree was a visionary leader – Abraham Lincoln.
He is not emblazoned at the University of Wisconsin for his role in holding together a divided country through what was arguably one of its most tumultuous eras, though he could be. The reason he’s honored there is for his role in shaping not only our university, but modern agriculture.
During the dark days of the Civil War, 150 years ago this month, Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, legislation that created the land-grant university system, into law. The act granted 30,000 acres of land to each state for each member of Congress that state had. The money raised from the sale of the land, a combined $7.5 million nationwide, was to [ … ]
What an impressive week it was there in Louisville folks. Once more, I was impressed by the amount of outside help and commitment displayed by the youth, parents, and breeders of our outstanding organization!
The opportunity to spend the week before Louisville at the office in West Lafayette brought upon an opportunity for me to experience first-hand just what kind of “prep” went in to making this show run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Needless to say, I may have fine tuned my organizational skills that week by a mere margin.
July 9th would mark that start of a week that was sure to be an eye opener for me not only in terms of the hogs I would set me eager eyes upon, but maybe more so the philosophy and passion possessed by the gentlemen behind these two lucrative firms. Now readers, on a more personal note, as [ … ]