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What Goes Around, Comes Around
by Rick Pfortmiller
Most of us have heard this saying “What goes around, comes around.” For those young people reading this not familiar with this old adage, it refers to the cyclical nature of things. For example, the swine economists often talk about the swine market cycle and how producers respond to high prices by expanding their production and contract or get smaller when hog prices take a dip. I promise that this commentary is not going to be an economics lesson on the hog cycle but rather I am going to relay some thoughts for you to ponder regarding cycles that do exist in our purebred industry.
Hog type cycles
I do not want to sound like I am on a soapbox here, but the recent changes in type that have been occurring in the hog shows have been encouraging to me. I have always believed that the show ring should be indicative of the type of hog that all segments of the industry can be profitable with. Terminology like freaky fronted, explosive muscled, choke throated, bare topped and other popular terms from recent years do not describe hogs that are appealing to the commercial producer, packer or consumer. These types of animals often are slower growing, less productive, more prone to disease challenges and offer less longevity and decreased profit potential. During my college years at Kansas State, Dr. Robert Hines taught about the hog cycle as it related to hog types. He stated that as type made its great big circle, the new generation of breeders believed they were “wiser” than the previous generation of breeders and would be the leaders in making type change. However, invariably this change in type would make too wide of swing and we would once again be back into problem types unacceptable to the majority of the industry. We need to listen to the breeders who have bred hogs before us and prevent such radical type changes. We can also control our own destiny by attending events like the first National Market Hog Symposium in December. Opportunities like these allow us to tune in to the whole swine industry and prevent this wild type cycle swing from rearing its ugly head.
The purebred cycle
It is likely that many of you reading this are involved in the selling of prospect pigs or purchasing show pigs for your project or that of your family. I must say that I am not opposed to you involved in these opportunities. However, I must caution you of some lessons learned within the commercial swine genetics business regarding the use of crossbreds, most notably from our corporate genetic companies. I have noticed that many breeders within the show pig industry are using composite sires and dams quite heavily in their breeding program. You need to take a look at the website or product brochure from most of the leading swine genetics companies and you will quickly see that they have returned to a pure line base for their products. Why? The answer is simple. PREDICTABILITY! Their mongrelized product lines would not yield a consistent product for their customers and furthermore, the product would not perform as the customer expected. Is the show pig industry headed down the same path? You decide. Are you having trouble with sow productivity, consistency of product, customer satisfaction with purchased pigs and the percent of repeat buyers? Pedigreed purebred swine from breeders with integrity selecting for the traits you desire will pay long- term dividends in your breeding program by improving your predictability and profit potential.
Demand cycle
Wanted:
Performance proven genetics.
Reward possible!
Is this advertisement for real? I am here to tell you it is. As many of our breeders have repositioned themselves in an attempt to survive the downturns in the industry, have we lost some of our breeders that our purebred industry has relied on for new genetic material? Absolutely! What does this mean for you? It may indicate opportunity. I must relay to you that I have standing orders in all breeds for performance tested, high health boars that are sound, productive and predictable. Fellow purebred breeders focusing on commercial seedstock sales as well as progressive commercial producers are struggling to find new genetic lines. They have sampled many of the popular lines and have been disappointed with the results relative to their business. There is a need for dedicated breeders to take the time to develop long term breeding objectives and produce commercially acceptable seedstock. The National Swine Registry can assist you developing a breeding program that meets this market’s expectations. Yes, these same animals can work well in the show ring, particularly now that the show ring type is migrating back to more performance oriented hogs. Give me a call to discuss this further or to let me know when you have something that this clientele may be interested in.
Bright Future Ahead!
I believe that the foundation for success in the swine industry, whether you are a show pig producer, a seedstock breeder or a commercial producer, will be a good purebred foundation. Time has taught us this valuable lesson and it is up to us collectively to see that “What goes Around, Comes Around” is even better than when we left it. And that cycle is one I am definitely looking forward to being a part of.
