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As we move into the fall season, several activities will be taking place during the next few months. These include the NJSA Eastern Regional, American Royal, North American and, of course, the granddaddy of them all – the Fall Classic in Duncan, Okla. Information for the Eastern Regional and Fall Classic can be found at www.nationalswine.com under the Shows & Events tab. The Eastern Regional, which will take place in Hamburg, N.Y., is October 11-14. The entry deadline for that show has already passed. Rules & Regulations, Entry Forms and a schedule for the NSR Fall Classic can be found in the September issue of Seedstock EDGE or by clicking here. The entry deadline is October 12….don’t miss this deadline! Duncan Up!!!Also, a reminder to breeders of purebred animals that are sold for the 2013 Southwest shows – Most of these events require that animals be recorded and transferred to the junior exhibitor before December 1. Take care of your business and [ … ]
In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell set out to discover what makes people successful. He concluded that a key factor in being successful is opportunity – those who are given extraordinary opportunities and have the presence of mind to seize on them outperform those around them.
I can say, the past two summers I have been blessed with two extraordinary opportunities. Last summer, the PR team at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau took a chance on me as a college freshman. It’s that experience that gave me the confidence and experience to apply for this position, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Jen, Katie and everyone who was involved in selecting me the 2012 NSR Marketing & Communications intern.
Over the course of the summer, I have learned and grown a lot. Below are just a few lessons I’ll take back with me to Madison as I [ … ]
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 [ … ]
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 [ … ]
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 [ … ]
The 2012 NSR Summer Spectacular is off to a great start in Louisville, Ky., this week! With a great set of contests, shows and sales on tap, we look forward to bringing you some sights and scenes from throughout the week. Be sure to watch the NSR Shows & Sales blog, where we’ll have results from tonight’s Junior Purebred Barrow Show appearing throughout the evening. Below are some photos from the first couple days of activities here in Louisville.
NSR Director of Junior Activities Cally Hass helps pair up some young NJSA members at Tuesday’s MVP (Mentoring Values People) event.
NJSA Junior Board members Amy Newnum and Kaylee Miller help their group during the scavenger hunt.
One of nearly a dozen Barnyard Olympics teams concentrate on catching their egg during the egg toss contest.
An annual favorite in the NJSA Barnyard Olympics, the water relay proved exciting again in 2012. Here, Nalaney Guyer tries [ … ]
Everyone knows our showpig issues get a little hefty. In fact, we expect three times the number of ads in our September Showpig issue of the Seedstock EDGE than the July issue you’re most likely flipping through this week. So for all of you advertisers out there wondering how to make your ad stand out among the clutter, here are a few quick tips.
Lead with a strong headline – (Sorry, but your farm name doesn’t count.) An ad headline needs to give potential customers news or advice, evoke emotion, establish curiosity or make a statement about your products. Now the trick to a good headline is making it short, but impactful. Five times as many readers will read the headline in an ad rather than the small print so make it a good one. Amazingly, most readers are bored by the ninth word. Marketing research shows the best headlines are less [ … ]
Recently, Justin Fix, Ph.D., Vice President of Global Technical Service for the National Swine Registry, attended the joint venture signing ceremony between Whiteshire Hamroc LLC and Tangrenshen Co. Ltd. The ceremony was held to celebrate the next step in the partnership between these two companies – the construction of an international genetic research and development facility in Northeast Indiana. Whiteshire Hamroc LLC, a genetics company located in Albany, Ind., has been a long-time member of NSR and utilizes STAGES™ for their genetic program. Tangrenshen Co. Ltd. is the operating partner behind Meishan Whitshire – the first Chinese-based joint venture to record U.S. derived pigs born in China with NSR.
The new research and genetic facility will participate in the STAGES™ genetic evaluation system and will quickly become one of the premier purebred herds in the world. In addition to the research, training will be provided for both domestic and international [ … ]