CommunicationsSeedstock EDGE | “For the Record” | “The Pinnacle” | |
| Seedstock EDGE Seedstock EDGE main | Seedstock EDGE archives Advertising rates/deadlines | Mail dates Subscribe today! | Seedstock EDGE staff |
Michigan State University:
Maintaining a Purebred Philosophy
by Katrina Waters
Students choose a four-year college based on everything from its academic record to the quality of its parties. At Michigan State University , East Lansing , Mich. , however, many agricultural students say they picked the institution for its belief in purebred livestock and the livestock people who teach and work there. This focus on purebred genetics has a history dating back to the beginning of the swine program and attracts students from all over the country.
Nick Mauck, Gaston , Ind. , a 2001 graduate of Michigan State and member of the 2000 National Champion Livestock Judging Team, says he had several options when it came time to choose a college.
Mauck says he visited several schools, but MSU seemed to be the best fit.
“It’s like no school I’ve ever been to — they have maintained a focus on purebred genetics,” Mauck says.
According to Al Snedegar, Swine Farm Manager, the university’s program is a total production facility.
“We’re breeding them, farrowing them, feeding them out,” he says. “A lot of universities just buy pigs as they need them.”
Snedegar says it is a balancing act to have a teaching and research program — especially on a single farm.
The People
Snedegar, who received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Purdue University and his master’s degree in education from Indiana University, has been involved in the purebred swine industry all of his life. He grew up on a small cattle and hog operation in Rush County, Ind., and was involved in raising, showing, and judging livestock. His passion for evaluating livestock was evident at an early age. The local high school agricultural science teacher recognized Snedegar’s desire and knowledge and arranged for him to judge livestock on the high school’s team when he was still in eighth grade. Each of the four years he judged, the team qualified for the state contest. However, since he started his FFA eligibility a year early, that also meant that his time was up after the completion of his junior year in high school. So, without livestock to judge, Snedegar joined the crop judging team, which went on to win the state contest. He then went on to Purdue where he continued to judge livestock.
“We didn’t win a lot while I was there, but we had a good time,” he says. “And we sure learned a lot.”
Upon completing his studies at Purdue and Indiana University , Snedegar took a job working for the Williams family of Knightstown , Ind. , raising Yorkshires. He then began his career as an educator at Hawkeye Technical College — now Hawkeye Community College — in Waterloo , Iowa . Since leaving Iowa in 1989, Snedegar has been at Michigan State ’s Swine Teaching and Research Center , where his responsibilities include organizing events, making the genetic decisions for the herd and overseeing the staff which includes two full-time employees and eight to 12 students, depending on the time of year. In addition to these duties, Snedegar enjoys judging hog shows all over the country — so far in 28 states. He has kept track of every show he has judged on a large map hanging on the wall of his office. This map, given to him by his father to record all of the places hogs have taken him, is full of thumbtacks representing the county, state and national shows he has judged.
“Most people would think the Houston barrow show was the pinnacle of my judging career,” Snedegar says. “But going back home to judge my county fair was just as important to me.”
Often, Snedegar takes one of his students along when he judges a show — not only to give them the opportunity to evaluate the hogs, but because he is genuinely interested in their opinions. Mauck, who assisted Snedegar at the Fall Classic in Duncan , Okla. , last fall, says it was a great experience.
“It gets you out there in the public and gives you the opportunity to be on the other side of the mic,” Mauck says.
Snedegar is not the only staff member with a passion for purebreds, though. Dr. Maynard Hogberg, chairperson for the Department of Animal Science, has been involved in almost every aspect of the industry. Hogberg, who grew up on a swine and beef farm in Iowa and received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from Iowa State University , says there is a definite purebred advantage.
“Maintaining as purebred herd keeps us actively involved because we have high quality animals to work with,” he says. “And it’s a lot more fun to work with high-quality animals than with mediocre ones.”
Hogberg, a former high school agricultural science teacher, came to Michigan State to work in research and extension. He became the swine farm manager in 1976 and continued to stay involved with the program after being named department chair in 1984. Hogberg has remained active in the industry through involvement in the National Swine Registry (NSR), National Swine Improvement Federation (NSIF) and the Animal Industry Coalition committee. He served six years on the Yorkshire board of directors. In addition, Hogberg was the Yorkshire board’s representative for NSR’s executive committee and chairperson for the executive committee. He was the NSR’s Long Range Strategic Plan (LRSP) implementation committee chairperson as well as the chair of the LRSP. In addition, Hogberg serves as the chair of NSR’s Genetic Advisory board. He has been involved with NSIF since its inception, serving on the board of directors for 26 years. At Michigan State , he serves as chairperson of the Animal Industry Coalition committee.
Hogberg’s involvement stems from a genuine dedication to the purebred swine industry, the reason he came to Michigan State in the first place.
“We’ve always maintained a strong purebred philosophy at MSU across species,” Hogberg says.
He credits the university’s dedication to purebred livestock as one of the biggest recruiters.
“Purebreds have brought us a lot of good students, especially grad students,” Hogberg says. “These students want to be close to the industry, and they understand the importance of good breeding animals.” He adds, “But they don’t just come to work with the animals. They come to work with the faculty as well.”
Mauck says one of the reasons he was so impressed with Michigan State was the faculty.
“There are a lot of good livestock people there that still have ties to purebreds through raising, showing, judging, whatever,” he says.
Mauck worked at the beef barn throughout college, but often visited the hog facility.
“I could quit studying for awhile to go look at the National Barrow Show entries, or walk across the yard to go wash calves,” he says. “It kept me sane.”
Daniel Hendrickson, an animal agribusiness major from Farmland, Ind. , works at the swine farm, where some of his responsibilities include heat checking and breeding sows. He says he came to Michigan State because of its support and belief in purebreds and the livestock judging program. Hendrickson also appreciates the university’s high standards when it comes to the breeding program.
“They try to raise good animals, where as most colleges are focused on the research,” he says.
The herd has been closed for four years, meaning no pigs can come in. Because of this, the school utilizes many AI sires. Hogberg says that the availability of semen from so many sources allows the university to make genetic changes as necessary, as well as teach students how to run a breeding program. However, now that a phone call is all it takes to use the nation’s best boars, the school faces many challenges.
“You still have to maintain a focus and a direction,” Hogberg says. “You don’t want to go in so many directions that you no longer have a system.”
Opportunities for Students
Students at Michigan State have many opportunities within the animal science department. In the merchandizing purebred livestock class, students design their own advertisements for the university, some of which are used in publications such as Seedstock Edge. In addition, students can participate in the student-run show pig sale, where every worker — even the auctioneer — is a student. In addition, the university enters at least two truckloads each year at the National Barrow Show in Austin , Minn. , and a few students are always invited to go to the show. Hogberg says the students that attend have a great time and get a lot of exposure.
“Probably the most important thing is that they get the opportunity to talk to and listen to people from all over the country that are involved with the hog business,” he says.
The students chosen are usually the ones that have been involved at the farm and show interest in the purebred industry.
The Philosophy
Another opportunity for students is working at the hog farm or another species’ facility to earn money and gain practical experience. Snedegar believes the focus on purebreds gives students an additionally valuable experience.
“It’s important that we maintain a purebred herd,” he says. “It gives us an opportunity to have differences and to be able to do some things genetically that we couldn’t do otherwise.”
Snedegar says the predictable genetics that purebreds offer allows the farm to have more control over the herd, which produces 5,000 pigs a year. The 325-sow herd is made up of 60 purebred Yorkshires, some of which are bred to Yorkshire boars, while others are bred to Landrace boars with the gilts produced being bred to Duroc boars. The facility, which was completed four years ago, includes state-of-the-art features such as a swimming pool where pigs are studied for neurological research and extra-large farrowing crates that satisfy environmentalists and animal rights activists. The swine center’s exceptional waste control method makes for a farm that is free of both odor and flies, even on a hot summer day. Environmentalists and activists are a challenge for swine operation, and Michigan State is no exception. Snedegar does not expect this problem to end any time soon.
“People on the outside are going to dictate what you do,” he says. “Part of that are the animal welfare groups, and part of that is just society as a whole and their ideas of how animals should be produced — they have zero-tolerance for odor, drugs and that sort of thing.”
Another challenge is the separation of the two major segments within the swine industry, show pig and commercial.
Hogberg says the industry does not have to choose one segment, though.
“It’s not an either/or thing,” he says. “But how do you get people to see that both of these segments are all right?”
Hogberg believes producers should accept both aspects of the industry, but that does not mean make the hogs need to look identical. Instead, both segments should go a little more towards the middle with their ideals.
“You can get too far off on a tangent on either one and that’s not going to be good,” he says. “The outliers of any breeding program, generally, are not the ones who help the industry.”
Snedegar agrees that the separation is a challenge for everyone in the industry.
“The purebred and show pig aspects can offer family togetherness, relationships and fun that the industry no longer offers,” he says.
Snedegar says family farms being replaced by corporate operations has put a strain on relationships that used to be shared between family members who worked together on the farm. Fortunately, the purebred industry has maintained that sense of closeness.
His goal for Michigan State ’s operation is to fulfill the needs of the students, the purebred breeder, the commercial hog man and the consumer.
“I think, down the road, we need to have an operation that meets the needs of teaching and research, but at the same time, is acceptable to our society as a food-producing system,” Snedegar says. “I’m not 100 percent convinced that our society is going to let it happen, though. I really don’t think our society cares whether their food is raised here or not anymore.”
Hogberg’s primary goal for the university is to continue to the tradition of purebred excellence.
“When people think of Michigan State University , we want them to think Yorkshires,” he says. “We want those two things to come together simultaneously.”
Hogberg strongly believes in the program, though, as do the other faculty members and students that chose Michigan State .
If a student is looking for a university with a passion for purebred livestock, a well-respected judging program and faculty and staff members deemed “great livestock people” by their students, a trip to East Lansing , Mich. , would be well worth the time.
