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October/November 2004 Issue

 
Hold our heads high
by Darrell Anderson



I am nearing the end of my 18th year at this desk. Maybe that helps explain why some months it becomes difficult to find the inspiration to write something in this column that serves, in some small way, to challenge you, the reader.

You see, I take the responsibility of filling this white space each issue very seriously. I vividly remember the advice I received many years ago from a prominent Yorkshire breeder who was on the AYC board at that time. He told me that there were really only two things that I would ever do that would impact the Yorkshire breed, and the breeders that raise them. One was the selection of the judges for our national events, and the other was the writing of this column. I’ve never forgotten those words of wisdom.

 With that in mind, this column has been particularly difficult to initiate and has been a “long-time coming.” If you don’t believe me, check with Christy – she was about ready to issue the proverbial “pink slip,” if I didn’t finish this today.

I left this morning for an NPPC Pork Alliance meeting in Des Moines . My theory was that surely during my seven-hour drive, inspiration would strike. Well it did – but in a rather unexpected way.

I was listening to a radio program and heard the following quote from Dr. James Dobson, “You are not what you think you are; you are not what others think you are; you are what you think others think you are.”

While his reference was to the importance of establishing self-esteem in your children, the lights started flashing in my mind regarding the relevance of that quote to our NSR members.

I think we have become some of our own worst enemies regarding the ability of our breeds to compete in this fast-changing commercial pork industry.

We’ve seen many of our clients get out of the hog business. And many of the ones that have adapted and survived have decided they needed to do business with the “corporate breeding stock companies.” As a consequence, we’ve convinced ourselves that we simply can’t compete anymore in supplying genetics for the commercial producer. We’ve become “what we think others think we are.”

But I’ve got some good news for you. We have NSR members that are enjoying their very best year ever serving the needs of commercial producers!

Have they had to change some of their tactics and approaches to servicing their clientele? Yes. But the rewards have been pretty good and well worth the investment.

How does the industry view the role of our breeds today? You need only to examine the ads of nearly all the major “corporate seedstock suppliers.” What do they promote and what do they picture in their ads? Duroc and Hampshire terminal boars and white maternal lines made up of Yorkshire and Landrace genetics. Sound familiar?

I sat next to a representative of one of the largest producers in this country at my meeting today. I knew they were using all Duroc boars on their sows, but I didn’t realize that they were totally frustrated with the options presented to them by the various genetic company reps. As a result, they have sought out some of the very best purebred boars from our members throughout the country. 

While the Hampshire breed has taken more than its fair share of abuse in the commercial sector in recent years, I am starting to see a reversal in that trend, as well. The largest seedstock company in this country told me yesterday that they have introduced a Hampshire terminal line to their clients in Europe , and the results have been incredible. You are also seeing Hamps show up more frequently in sow lines to improve durability and toughness.

Another interesting fact shared at the meeting today: the current trend among veterinarians and other consultants is to increase weaning age from 15 days to 21 days. Isn’t that interesting?

I can remember when the geneticists and other industry experts chastised us for not changing our 21-day weaning weight calculation. They thought we should “get with the changing times” and use 10 or 12 days as the standard adjustment. Well, as has been the case with so many other “fads,” the industry is now coming back to our
21-day figure as the best-case scenario.

In the meantime, we’ve accumulated over 1.5 million STAGES records to support our genetic superiority!

One last reinforcement to our ability to meet their needs: why are U.S. purebreds viewed as the world’s greatest hogs, but we don’t think we can sell them to our own commercial producers?

Never in our history have U.S. purebreds been more in demand throughout the world than they are today.

I guess in this case, it’s OK to believe that “we are what others think we are,” because to the rest of the world, we are the best option available.

Now if we can only convince ourselves!