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September 2006 Showpig Issue
“est” – is it in your herd?
by Rick Pfortmiller
Listen to the discussion in most every show ring, breeding-stock pen or barn this time of year and you will likely notice some “est.”
It is not a disease, although its consequences may sometimes appear similar. It is found in many farms, both large and small, and it can be present in both purebred and crossbred lines. It tends to come and go in different forms, but it is always present. Luckily, producers can create immunity through knowledge of the syndrome and perseverance to change their program.
Here are some examples that you may have heard or witnessed on your own: leanest, heaviest muscled, heaviest boned, tallest fronted, widest based, thickest made and thickest topped. I could go on, and I am sure you could add some to the list yourself.
Now, before I go any further, I should give credit where credit is due for coining this phrase. Unfortunately, I can’t pinpoint a specific source because I have heard it from several different people. And, if I did credit it to which ones I think I recall, they likely heard it from another breeder. (Not naming names also prevents me from implicating anyone for having a like mind with me!)
The “est” suffix added to any descriptive swine term may get you into trouble when you are trying to improve your program. Even if you have every good intention of moving forward, an “est” can hold you back.
Avoid single-trait selection. Focusing on just one aspect of a prospective breeding animal or even a market hog can result in single-trait selection, which history tells us does not work.
Let’s use the term leanest as an example. A few short years ago, the industry placed tremendous pressure on selecting the leanest animals. As a result, growth rate suffered, milking ability and timely rebreeding backslid, and sow-replacement rates skyrocketed.
The same can be said for selecting the heaviest-muscled animals with similar detrimental conditions related to it.
If you are a new breeder, talk to the older, established breeders about the “est” syndrome. They can fill you in on their experiences with cause and effect created from selecting “est” animals.
Commercial producers are not exempt. For those of you reading this commentary that are engaged in the commercial pork industry, don’t think for a minute that you are immune from this syndrome. I already pointed out that it can affect every farm. If you select the highest total born each and every time, will the traits of piglet birth weight, survivability and sow-milking ability keep up? How about selecting the fastest-growing gilts in a pen without regard for structural correctness? The commercial industry felt the effects of the leanest drive just as dramatically, if not more, than the show side through decreased growth rates.
Select for an optimum combination. I am continually amazed at the stockmanship skills that purebred swine enthusiasts possess. By balancing the traits, a breeder can still make progress in a particular area, without sacrificing everything else.
Nothing frustrates me more when I am discussing genetic lines with folks than when they tell me an animal lacks one specific trait, so they are not interested. The hog excels in so many other traits that it would make a great fit for their operation, but they are not interested. In fact, the STAGES program, that breeders can use for documenting performance, and breeders and customers can use to evaluate new seedstock, has parameters that allow for optimum performance, rather than maximum output. Tools like STAGES can help pinpoint a balance of traits that are economically important.
So, the next time you are sitting ringside at a show, at a breeder’s farm selecting your next seedstock or in the gilt-development pens for a large commercial operation, remember to avoid the “est” syndrome and choose animals that optimize the highest number of traits for you.
