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Hampshire breeders adapt to changesBy Jennifer Bremer For the past 35 years, Earl Cain has striven to raise hogs that will fit into purebred and commercial operations and has seen quite a bit of success along the way. Named the 2007 Master Purebred Seedstock Producer by the National Swine Registry, Cain and his wife, Patty, and sons Lee and Dusty have about 350 sows in a farrow-to-finish operation in southern Iowa, near Chariton. The Cains, who have been the No. 1 recorder of Hampshires for the past 18 years with NSR, also raise some Yorkshire and crossbred hogs. Through the years, they have sold many hogs to breeders for breeding stock, as well as club pigs for youth to show across the country. The beginning After Earl graduated with an animal science degree from Iowa State University, he was a hog buyer for Oscar Mayer. He learned a lot in that position, which led to the decision to buy the 360-acre farm just west of Chariton, with the help of a loan from the Farmers Home Administration in 1975. "We purchased our first 10 sows from the McGraw family in Pleasantville, which started our purebred swine herd," he said. Through the years, the hogs have been good to them and they have withstood the challenges of fluctuating markets. Besides raising hogs, they also have 60 head of beef cows and raise corn, soybeans and hay to feed their livestock. While the pork industry has seen many changes in the past 35 years, the Cains have continued to be independent producers. The operation has been good to the family--so good that sons Lee and Dusty both have returned to the farm. Lee returned after graduating from Iowa State in the early 1990s and Dusty returned four years ago after working in the banking industry for several years. "It's good to be able to work together as a family and have our grandchildren close by," said Earl. The operation The Cains have about 350 sows, of which more than half are Hampshires, and the rest consist mostly of Yorkshires and crossbreds. About 15 years ago, they added a boar stud to their operation. Boars are collected two days a week, and fresh semen is sent all across the country. "We have gone from selling many boars in the beginning to now selling a lot of semen to producers all across the country," said Earl. "It has let us sell our genetics more widespread." About 50 boars are housed in their boar stud with September and October being their busy months for selling semen, when most producers are breeding sows and gilts for the club pig market. "We ship semen from Texas to Pennsylvania to California and everywhere in between. The use of fresh semen has grown tremendously in the past 15 years," said Dusty. "Artificial insemination is used in more than three-fourths of the herds today from purebred breeders to commercial breeders to show pig producers." Earl said they generally know when artificially inseminating a sow or gilt, how they will fit into his herd and what he expects from the litter of piglets. Lee is in charge of the breeding decisions, while Dusty's computer skills and background in banking and accounting are a huge asset to the operation. Dusty also manages the marketing and advertising part of the business. Patty is the recordkeeper and keeps the purebred pig records updated with the NSR. Marketing The Cains farrow year-round and will breed for show pigs and purebreds in order to meet the market for each. The market for youth show pigs in the Midwest is for January- and February-born pigs, so they will be market ready in late summer for county and state fairs. They also sell quite a few pigs to youth in the southern states, which have fall shows. "We really have the need for show pigs in about every month of the year," added Lee. Through the years, they have had live sales in Oklahoma and Indiana and have sold breeding stock at several different state fairs and type conferences across the country. In the past two years, they have sold show pigs on Internet sales in June and December. "With the computer age, we can reach a lot bigger audience by having online sales for our show pigs, and those sales have been so successful that we will be having our first bred gilt online sale on June 19," said Earl. Herd management Earl said they are fortunate to have great health in their herd, which he mostly attributes to being in an area of low hog population. Sows, on average, will have five to seven parities, while boars in their stud usually are at their best at three years of age. Females in their herd are selected for high production, longevity and consistent litters. Boars are selected to be rugged, durable and sound. Their herd is PRRS negative and herd health is a high priority. In the early 1990s, they changed the operation to an early-weaning program in order to improve health, and they have seen the benefits from that for the past 20 years. "Pigs are able to excel on their own, with the early-weaning program and the sows breed back like they should, also," said Earl. A big challenge for show pig producers in Iowa has been the pseudorabies law, in which Iowa pigs must be blood-tested for pseudorabies prior to going to shows and then must be quarantined for 30 days before being retested if they want to go to another show. "This has really hurt the youth in Iowa from competing at shows across the country," said Earl. "It is a disadvantage for Iowa's youth. One that kids in other states don't have to deal with. The sad part is that pseudorabies has been eradicated for several years and they still have the law." When introducing new genetics into their herd, the Cains will isolate the animals and perform blood tests for any health problems that could be present. All the boars in their boar stud are DNA tested and DNA banked to ensure and preserve their genetics. Boars are also stress tested, and tests for pork quality are performed also, including testing for the Napole gene, which is related to pH and water-holding capacity in pork, and testing for genes related to intramuscular fat or marbling in the meat. With the recent challenge in pork prices, Earl said he has been interested in the Chinese hog herd, since they are America's biggest competitors globally. "It seems that the Chinese are using purebred hogs to increase meat quality in their commercial herds. We may see this trend in the U.S. as well," he said. He also pointed out that NSR is projected to record more hogs in China this year than in the U.S., a trend that has been seen in just the past three years. "If the use of purebred hogs in the commercial industry is working for China, we may see it work for us in the U.S. as well," he said. Earl said they haven't done anything unusual with feeding through the years, and like to be able to raise the grain required to feed their livestock. They are always willing to help a customer with any health and feeding decisions on a purchase from their herd.
The future Earl said he has been fortunate to be successful at something that he enjoys. The Cain family has been able to survive and make a living in the hog business, due to their ability to adapt and take advantage of new opportunities. Earl and Patty have been generous supporters of youth programs, because it is also a program that has helped them through the years. Their influence and support has also extended to their four grandchildren, who are now starting to show Cain-bred pigs at shows across the country. Their family hopes they receive the same great educational opportunities that so many other youth experience through showing livestock and growing up on a farm. "Showing livestock is so much more than just going in the ring," said Dusty. "It teaches youth about responsibility and work ethic. Something I want my children to be able to experience." While the Cains have been honored with many champions and awards through the years, the highlight of Earl's career in the hog business came in 2008 at the National Barrow Show when his grandson exhibited a purebred Hampshire to the Grand Champion Junior Barrow title. "A lot of people didn't think that a purebred would be able to beat all the crossbreds, but it did, and that was definitely a great win," added Earl. Their accomplishments in the showring and in helping other youth will ensure the Cain family a place in the swine industry for years to come. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120, or by e-mail at jbremer@hpj.com.
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