Caleb Wickham Graduated May 2008 Currently employed at Missouri Welding Institute and Raises Beef Cattle Caleb feels that showing prepared him for the future at an early age because it taught him how to interact with people and respect the work that his peers also put into their projects. “I had great success during my […]
Stikeleather – First Year acHHiever
By Jackie Lackey, Encore Visions Ty Stikeleather, of Greenville, OH, was the first person chosen to participate in the acHHieve Entrepreneurial Program in 2014. “If you are passionate about raising show pigs and making this a full-time living, the acHHieve program is a once in a lifetime opportunity, says Stikeleather.” One of Stikeleather’s goals was […]
Where Are They Now :: Taylor Bradley
Taylor Bradley Graduated May 2013 Currently attending Texas Tech University Taylor said that showing taught her how to manage her responsibilities and time and really decide what was important and a priority in her life. Her best advice for current and future showmen is. “Really enjoy it while you can. I have missed it ever […]
Where Are They Now :: Ashley Baugh
Ashley Baugh Graduated High School 2009; Graduated University of Missouri 2013 Currently attending vet school at University of Missouri Ashley feels that showing was really one of the most important ways that she has developed her strong work ethic that has driven her to be successful in other areas of her life. Ashley said, “It was […]
Where Are They Now :: Allie Doise
Allie Doise Graduated May 2014 Currently attending Louisiana State University Allie believes that the barn was her biggest “life” classroom up until this point and that one of the most important lessons that she learned was that sometimes you gain more from losing than you do from winning. “I can honestly say that showing has […]
Where are they Now?
In casual conversation, random people often ask me what I do for a living. When I answer with ‘I’m a pig farmer’ I usually get an elbow from my wife or a sharp reminder from my conscience. ‘Pig Farmer’ may be true at times and perhaps ‘Showpig Breeder’ might be more accurate, but on a […]
Tag… You’re It!
To be quite frank, I’ve always hated tags! It didn’t matter if I was tagging a showpig at a pig sale, show barrow at the county fair or even sows at the farm in the distant past…I hated tags! Some were too big, some were too small and some were even noisy and annoying but […]
The Road to Recovery
I’ll never forget the day my son was born. As someone who’s witnessed thousands of births at the pig farm, the actual birth – while fascinating – was not the moment that captivated me. It was instead the arrival of the anesthesiologist and his preparation that followed. Maybe it was because it was my first […]
PED is for Real
For the last couple of months I lived in fear. The threat of PEDv loomed around every corner and every expert I consulted repeatedly said “it’s only a matter of time.” At the farm we used caution at every turn and followed the advice of our vet every chance we had. We disinfected the propane […]
Chosen for a Reason
The past couple of years have been an absolute whirlwind and there are many folks who deserve thanks and credit for where we’ve been and where we’re going. As this business continues to evolve, so does our approach. The decision to sell boars online earlier this year as “The Chosen Few” was met with more […]