Dr. Dwight Loveday, Associate Professor

A very successful Tennessee Junior Market Hog Show was recently completed. The show had 280 junior exhibitors from 37 counties that showed 646 hogs. Swine skillathon featured 257 youth participating. New for the 2018 show was the addition of purebred barrow classes and breeding gilt classes. In addition to the individual hog classes, youth competed in showmanship, ultrasound carcass class, swine skillathon, premier exhibitor and swine photography contest.

The judge for the show was Seth Ebert, Boar Stud Manager for A Cut Above in York, Nebraska.

The 2018 Tennessee Junior Market Hog Show was held in conjunction with the Tennessee Pork Producers Association annual meeting. A special thank you to all the Extension staff, specialist, parents, volunteers and sponsor who made this year’s show a success! Award and general sponsorship includes the following:

Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee, UT Department of Animal Science, Farm Credit Mid-America, Tosh Farms, Goolsby Sausage – James Meat Co. , Pig Improvement Company (PIC), Zoetis, Tennessee Farmer’s Cooperative, Hartford Insurance Group, Tennessee Pork Producers Association, Katie Emily, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Livestock Producers, Tennessee 4-H Foundation, Robert Fitzgerald PIC, Jonathan Pierce, Reese Brothers Mule Company, Prater Showpigs, Hart Showpigs, Jenkins Show Pigs, Ky/Tn Crop Ins. Agency, Leath Family Farms, Carr Brothers, Bartholomew Farm, White Family Show Pigs.

Show Result Highlights: Complete show results.

133 hogs were ultrasounded for the carcass class. 36 pigs qualified for the purple award in the Ultra- sound Carcass Class. To be a Purple Award, hogs had a live weight between 250-280 pounds, a 10th rib fat thickness between .50-.80 inch and a loin muscle area between 7.0-9.99 sq. inches. Winning top honors was Aaylah Gibson of Wilson County. A special thank you to Dr. Rob Fitzgerald of PIC for performing the ultrasound measurements.