When we marked cards in Austin: stories from the NSR staff



Brian’s story
It is the dream of every hog kid to win the NBS judging contest. This is a dream that was shared by me and my best friend and teammate through college, Jeremy Jones of Bluffton, Ind. As kids growing up in the same county, we both had a drive to pursue judging at the college level and made the decision to attend Black Hawk East Community College. There were many nights that Jeremy and I would stay up in our college apartment talking about our anticipation, excitement and absolute fear of the NBS contest. We even tore out contest results and ads from the Seedstock EDGE to cover the walls of our apartment. 
I remember the pilgrimage trip our sophomore year like it was yesterday. I placed the last class of Berkshire gilts backwards at the Iowa State University workout and thought the world had ended. I’m pretty sure one of my coaches considered making me walk to Austin, Minn., from Ames, Iowa. I called my dad the night before the contest, and I remember him telling me to sort the hogs like I was in the barn at home. The next day, our team judged in Crane Pavilion, and we had an outstanding day off the floor. Our drops were between 5 and 12 points individually. One of my favorite memories was being a part of the winning team and hearing Jeremy’s name announced as high individual on Tuesday morning.
Two years later, Jones and I continued as teammates at Purdue University. Our senior year, I was fortunate enough to win high individual in the University division. For me and Jeremy, it was a storybook ending for two kids that grew up in awe of the NBS tradition.
I have many other great memories as a former coach of unlikely students that stepped up on contest day to help the team. One thing is for sure, anyone that has had a chance to travel on the pilgrimage trip and compete in Austin walked away from that contest with their own stories and new friendships along the way.

Katie’s story
Even though I grew up a "cattle kid," the National Barrow Show judging contest was the most defining competition of my judging career. I like to say it was both my best and worst moment as a collegiate judger.
Unlike a lot of the “hog kids” reading this story, I entered Crane Pavilion petrified. Hogs were always my "make-or-break" species. And being on the floor for the NBS meant I would mark cards on the toughest swine classes we would see all year. 
Amid all the classes that I sorted that day, Yorkshire boars will always be the one I remember.To this day, I could describe the four boars in that class. I think I will probably be able to describe them until the day I die. Frantically, I filled up my steno with everything I saw, and swirling in my head was what I believed would be the greatest set of reasons I could give. I confidently marked the card, turned it in and headed for the reasons room.
I remember it was the only set I didn’t feel nervous giving because I felt so sure of the way I saw the boars. I walked in that room and didn’t just deliver that set – no, I nailed it!
When our coach picked us up, I went on and on about that set.
“Oh Chip, you should have heard it. I’ll give it to you right now, because it was amazing. That set was flawless.”
Although he was happy I felt I’d done well, he had a bigger question, “How’d you place them?”
I’ll never forget the look on his face when I told him.
“What? That’s dang near backwards,” he exclaimed among other things. At that point, I felt the blood drain from my face, and I became yet another cattle kid who floundered in Austin, Minn.
I was feeling pretty defeated as I sat next to my teammates waiting for the awards ceremony at the breeding hog show on Tuesday morning. Then the speaker announced, “4th Place in Senior College Reasons from the University of Missouri – Katie Maupin.”
What? Was there a mistake?
I couldn’t believe it as I walked down to the floor. The only thing I could think was, How?
Our coach, Chip, grabbed the results and flipped to the scores to see that the epic set of Yorkshire boar reasons – the same class that I placed nearly backwards – scored a 49. To this day, Chip isn’t sure how I pulled it off. I stand behind the fact that it was indeed a stellar set, and it will always be one of my greatest accomplishments. That plaque sits in my office today.
But more important than that plaque or the placing, I learned a valuable lesson:  in judging and in life, it’s not always about how you place, it’s about your perspective.

Attention National Barrow Show Exhibitors: Updated Health Requirements

Due to the introduction of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus in isolated swine herds in the United States, it has been recommended by our show veterinarian to require the amended statement below on health certificates of animals being exhibited at the National Barrow Show.

“All health certificates must carry the following statements: Farm or origin of the swine has not had pseudorabies or swine dysentery in the last 12 months, has not had any signs or diagnosis of TGE or PEDv in the last 60 days,  feeds no garbage, uses no PRV vaccine, and is not under quarantine for any disease condition; also that vesicular stomatitus has not been diagnosed within 10 miles of the farm of origin within the last 30 days."
 

The statement above is required to be included on health certificates in order to exhibit and sell animals at the National Barrow Show. We look forward to another great event and hope to see you in Austin.

State Fair Success!

Congratulations to all junior exhibitors of purebred barrows and gilts on their success during the Midwest state fair season. Throughout the summer, junior purebred hogs have recieved Grand, Reserve Grand and top five honors at multiple state fairs. In support of these accomplishments, the National Swine Registry, along with each of the four individual breed associations, provides numerous premiums to exhibitors of these winning entries.

The Yorkshire gilt below, shown by Delaney Vickrey, Huntington, IN, is just one of the many succesful purebred gilts exhibited at state fairs this summer. Delaney will recieve $500 courtesy of the American Yorkshire Club.

Reserve Grand Champion Gilt & Champion Yorkshire
2013 Indiana State Fair
She sells Saturday, August 17 at the Indiana State Fair Yorkshire Sale
(ARK2 Final Move 154-8 x TBRO0 Wow 53-4)


As a reminder to all junior exhibitors, be sure to check your state fair premium books to learn how to obtain these awards. In many cases, the United Duroc Swine Registry, Hampshire Swine Registry, American Landrace Association and American Yorkshire Club offer monetary awards for breed champions and overall grand champion honors. The National Swine Registry is proud to support youth who are actively involved in showing purebreds.




Tangrenshen Group representatives tour the NSR office


Representatives from Tangrenshen (TRS) and Whiteshire Hamroc  visited the National Swine Registry (NSR) office in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday, Aug. 9. Scott Lawrence, Whiteshire Hamroc executive vice president; Jason Feng, Beijing Whiteshire joint venture production service manager; Mr. Sun, TRS financial department member; and Mr. Zhou and Mr. Yang, TRS feed sales representatives visited with NSR CEO Mike Paul and Vice President of Global Technical Service Dr. Doug Newcom about the National Swine Registry, America’s Best Genetic and the performance testing behind NSR performance records, EPDs and economically-relevant indexes.



 Tangrenshen is one of China’s most progressive agricultural companies. Throughout the last quarter of a century, the company has become the sixth largest feed processor in China and the eleventh largest meat processor.  TRS market meat through their network of convenience stores and own more than 35 feed mills in 17 different provinces and several meat-processing plants. 


Tangrenshen’s goal is to become a completely integrated pork system from the farm to the consumer.  One of the first steps to reach this goal is to advance swine genetics so the Meishen Whiteshire breeding stock farm in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China, was populated. It has been in production since the fall of 2008.  It was the first foreign swine farm to receive U.S. pedigrees and registrations from NSR, and was recognized as one of China’s top Nucleus Farms in 2011.


Tangrenshen and Whiteshire Hamroc have further strengthened their partnership in the last several months. First, they are adding a second Meishen Whiteshire breeding stock farm. Currently, they are finishing construction in Hebei Province, China, and the site is expected to be populated with elite breeding animals from Whiteshire Hamroc’s U.S. nucleus farms in October 2013. Second, the companies signed a joint venture agreement to build a 1,200 sow technology center in Kimmell, Ind. Construction is set to begin on the Meishen Whiteshire International Swine Breeding Company LLC’s USA technology center in Spring 2014.


Whiteshire Hamroc looks forward to many more years of cooperation with TRS Group to continue to improve swine and agriculture management practices around the world.