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July 2004 Issue
Just some thoughts
by Ralph Doak
It is time for another Herdsire Issue. Where has the past year gone? Lots of miles on the highways and byways have zipped right on by. Lots of hog shows, lots of hog sales and, all in all, a really good year in the pig business.
At the conferences and state fair sales, not many of the old records were broken, but nearly everyone who brought good hogs got to take home a nice check.
A new all-time record-selling Landrace boar did sell at the Southwest Type Conference. This great individual shattered the old record and could write new Landrace history before he is done. It was nice to see Autumn Rose LLC be rewarded for sticking with a breeding program that they believed in, while not being afraid to sample other genetics.
Whenever positive thinking is combined with positive doing, the results have to be positive.
Many new events are having their inaugural kickoffs in 2004. A junior gilt and barrow show was added to the World Pork Expo. And a new junior show will be added to the National Barrow Show®. These events will build enthusiasm and put many new or prospective buyers in the seats for those events. This will certainly be a positive change.
Youngsters will have a place in the central cornbelt to show off their animals, and breeders will have a bigger audience when it comes sale time.
A lot of important decisions were also made this year.
The executive committee and the breed boards of directors had a number of soul-searching matters that needed to be handled.
One of the roughest things in the world is to sit in a meeting like that and take away all personal feelings, only doing what is best for all that you represent. I am sure these board members spend lots of time listening to the thoughts of the breeders that elected them. It is a thankless task, but with the right decisions, it’s very rewarding.
Before you know it, state fair time will be here. A great group of hogs are eating, drinking and growing, so that you can decide which ones will represent your breeding program. This year, it sure will be nice to see hogs that have been allowed to perform and grow without being fitted into a mold of nothing but leanness and muscle.
We can find hogs with structure, rib, depth and width. And, oh my, we might even find some good feet and correct hips in the process.
This summer will be lots of fun.
The importance of good purebred hogs has never been stronger than it is right now. When some tell me that they don’t need purebreds, I simply ask them, “Why do you use purebreds to make your crossbreds?”
As sure as Yorkshires are white and Durocs are red, it is a fact that won’t change. You must have a pure, reliable base of purebreds before you can make better crossbreds. Let’s be open minded and search out some of these programs where the sow herd has been lined up with some genetics that are known to work well, and let’s look and see what we might find.
Of all livestock species, swine people can make change for the better or worse faster than any other livestock people. Let us all take advantage of that and make change for the better.
Jotting down these thoughts has been one of the harder things that I have done. This pig sale season, I only made it through Easter. The Monday following Easter, I went to the doctor – I could not kick what I thought was a bad cold.
After getting in to see the doctor, he said that we needed to get a chest x-ray. When he looked at it, he sent me to the hospital. I was placed in the ICU and hooked up to a respirator.
Twenty days later, I was allowed to
go home.
I want to thank everyone who sent cards, called and prayed for my recovery. It was, without a doubt, the roughest deal that I have gone through.
With the help of everyone’s kind thoughts, well wishes and prayers, I am sure when you read this I will be back to normal. You know I’ll be hard-headed, contrary and opinionated. And, of course, I’ll be there to help whenever you need me.
Thanks so much to all of my wonderful family, friends and co-workers.
I am sure that I have rambled long enough, so I’ll see you at the hog shows.
