"Ryan Watje – HSC Pig Ambassador
Tips on Evaluating Show Pigs
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My Background
When I was seven years old I purchased my first sow. Today I am the owner and operator of a successful 100 sow operation in Modesto, CA. My business has always been very family oriented. My dad is a retired Ag Teacher and now helps me with the daily chores of the farm. Stacey, my wife, manages all the bookwork and website updates. Our newest addition is our son Trent who also works at the farm with me every day. We are really looking forward to the upcoming year when he can join my daughter Lexy and my nephews Kyle and Aaron in the show ring.
Our primary focus at W-D Swine Farm is quality show pigs. We raise and sell pigs for the youth to exhibit at various County, State and National shows. I have also had the opportunity to judge shows such as: National Barrow Show, Fall Classic, Georgia National, Wisconsin State Fair, Wyoming State Fair, North Dakota State Fair and numerous County Fairs and Jackpots.
Evaluating Show Pigs
Any time I am evaluating pigs, whether it is in the ring or out at the farm, I start at the ground and work my way up. Without question, the pig needs to be sound. They need to have flex at their knee, flex at their hind hock, and also the right slope to their shoulder.
A market hog should be wide and square from behind, come at me with a wide chest floor, and carry that width throughout its whole body. I like pigs that reflect a production look, meaning they need to be big ribbed and full in their flank.
When evaluating muscle down their top, they need to open up between their blades and carry that muscle and shape down their top and over their loin edge. From a design standpoint, pigs need to be level from the point of their shoulder blade to their hip. Additionally, I like a pig with a moderate frame, heavy boned and big footed. Overall, a market hog should be fresh and youthful in their appearance. They need to offer production and terminal traits in a flexible and versatile package. In my mind when all of these parts come together, you have a market pig that is balanced, complete and fault free.
I have personally seen the style and look of a market pig change time after time. Currently, the type of the pig the industry is looking for is the same kind that I have been raising for many years. I have confidence in saying that this type of pig will be around for many years to come.
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