The Swine Industry: Billings Hogs Inc.

Wilsman 1 Breanna Wilsman Mrs.Dwiggins Computers 1 29 October 2014 Pigs In this interesting essay you will learn a lot about pigs. Such as common and uncommon questions, facts and their lifestyle. Hope you enjoy my essay.

Although there is a lot that goes into showing and raising livestock, specifically show pigs, it is one of the most fun experiences that a person could have! When you think of raising pigs, most people wouldn’t think about all of the time, money, and equipment that are needed for this project, but in the end, all of that will pay off. Before deciding to join the “show pig world”, you should consider picking out that perfect hog, taking proper care of your pig, and showing your pig properly at the county fair or jackpot show!

In the US today cattle are part of everyday culture. With more than 93 million cattle in the dairy and beef industry, and tens of thousands in the rodeo business, cattle are definitely a huge part. Lately, there has been many concerns with the bovine friends along with multiple misconceptions. Rodeos may look tough on animals, and todays society is not educated well enough on the beef and dairy industry. People don’t realize that these animals are happy, healthy, and very well cared for.

The rise of meat consumption in the United States has resulted in many large-scale animal agricultural practices operating all over the country. The hog industry, in particular, is highly concentrated in eastern North Carolina. This industry has proven to be problematic because of hazards to the environment and public health. The negative mental and physical health impacts associated with living near hog farm operations in North Carolina is largely felt by low-income minority groups, who suffer greatly from this environmental injustice.

As the 56th Annual Henderson County Livestock Show [HCLS] rolled around the corner this year, I was not expecting to have the honor of becoming

The term cowboys, or vaqueros, originated as an attempt to raised and rounded up cattle in Texas. By 1860s, this cattle business, copied from the Mexicans, soon flourished with five million heads of cattle roaming freely over Texas greenlands. With the development of railroads into Kansas, Texas cattle industry was finally intertwined with the eastern markets of the nation. It all started with Joseph G. McCoy who built the first stockyard at Abilene, Kansas, to hold cattle bounded for Chicago. McCoy initiated the cattle system when he charged high prices from $30 to $50 per head. Soon, nearby towns and cities would engulf themselves in this profitable business, where they would leap up along the railroads to handle the millions of cattle driven

The local and state health departments apparently do not hold jurisdiction over hog farms, despite its association with “the highly localized health impacts” (Nicole, 2013, p.187). Instead, the state’s environmental or resource agencies are responsible for its regulation (Nicole, 2013, p.187). But often times these agencies have no real priority in protecting the environment and public health (Nicole, 2013, p.187). The lack of responsibility is due to political barriers, which have also made it difficult for community members to seek help when contacting health departments (Nicole, 2013, p.188).

I am a hardworking, motivated student that seeks to learn more about the beef cattle industry. Although I grew up showing horses, I became fascinated with the beef industry during my freshman year of college after competing in the UF Little International Livestock Show. I was tasked with breaking a beef heifer within a month’s time and showing in an intercollegiate show. My experiences in class and networking with various beef industry representatives through my involvement with Gator Collegiate Cattlewomen, has only solidified my desire to work in such a vital industry. I believe interning at the NCBA Convention would allow me to cultivate an increased knowledge of the beef industry, make valuable connections with industry leaders, while also gaining important skills in beef advocacy. As an Agricultural and Natural Resource Law Minor, I am also in a special position to learn more about government regulations affecting the beef industry and the actions needed to improve policy and thus, benefit the beef industry as a whole. Overall, I believe I am qualified prospect and I know I can prove myself to be a valuable asset to NCBA. I am a fast learner with a diverse skill set, well versed in social media, very personable, and an effective problem solver that can handle any task assigned to me.

In recent years, pork production has become a big business in the United States. In the past, the raising of swine was handled by small farming operations. Today, however, pigs are raised in large factories, some of which have the capacity to hold more than 100,000 animals (Lynch 14). This has created problems in terms of handling large amounts of excremental waste. These problems recently became evident in the state of North Carolina. A few years ago, North Carolina became the primary location for large-scale hog-raising operations. In particular, large companies like Coharie Hog Farm and Murphy Family Farms began locating along the eastern side of Interstate 95. This area was found to be suitable for hog farming because it is a coastal plain "where the land is flat, the rivers wide and human habitation scattered" ("The Brown Lagoon" 24). The state of North Carolina was also favorable for large-scale swine operations because there was a lack of laws regulating that type of business. In order to ensure their ability to operate without being heavily regulated, the major swine companies in North Carolina donated huge amounts of money to the leading politicians in the state. Thus, the major swine farmers were able to gain a sense of immunity as a result of their powerful political connections. At the same time, the state's leading politicians tended to encourage such operations because they were providing employment and thus improving the overall economic welfare of

While going through a rough patch in my life, I knew that I need to get back to my roots so I decided to enroll in the agriculture program in high school. After about two weeks I certainly wanted to show an animal, so I asked my mother if I could, at that point she asked me what I wanted to show. I told her I wanted to show a pig. Of course she did not want me to show a pig, which she was afraid she was going to end up having to raise. After begging and pleading, even promising that I would do extra chores, I won. We started looking at different breeds of pigs. My mother, on the other hand thought all pigs were pink. I really wanted a Hereford, but we couldn’t find any breeders that were even close to Oklahoma, so I settled for a Hampshire.

On September 10, 2017 approximately 4:00 P.M 10 piglets were placed on the Northside of Heartland Career Center. They were placed for a body farm project where the students of the criminal justice class could record the process of decomposing body’s. All the piglets used in the body farm were still born meaning they died at birth.

Knowledge is a powerful tool. This seems to be a basic quality, many do not have this. In Animal Farm a selected few, being the pigs, who have a vast amount of knowledge and use that to their benefit. Instead of using this quality for the greater good of the farm, the pigs use it as a way to manipulate the other animals for their own personal gain. Through the uneven distribution of labor, the alteration of the seven commandments, and the persuasion of Snowballs mischief, the pigs show that abuse of knowledge leads to the manipulation of the uneducated.

Livestock production is used in nearly every country worldwide. Among those countries, the United States ranks near the top, but when compare the Livestock system in the US to a less wealthy country such as Haiti many differences exist. Among these differences between the two countries livestock nutrition, livestock housing, and livestock health reign the most contrasting between the two.

In the last two centuries the beef industry has undergone many changes, from the coming of refrigerated train cars to government regulations. As the population of humans on earth has grown, cattlemen have had to change their operations in order to produce more meat on less space in order to feed the world. But as we try to feed more cattle in a smaller area problems arise. Sickness can spread like wildfire if not treated with antibiotics. Concern has grown that waste from cattle in feedlots flows into creeks and rivers, polluting them and killing fish. The government has stepped in and placed regulations on feedlots in order to attempt to fix these problems.

Thanks to the Future Farmers of America there are several reasons to raise a pig during one’s years in high school. However, these motives may be unclear to the naked eye of a visitor. For example, I managed to befriend a foreign exchange student from Denmark this year and the concept of raising a pig simply to slaughter it and present its carcass to a crowd of people who would proceed to bid ridiculous amounts of money with each raise of a card. Though it may seem morbid, this entire process can be quite beneficial to an average high school student.