When Robert Todd hit the age threshold for showing cattle and hogs through FFA, he walked away from the show ring thinking he had closed that chapter of his life for good. But now, after almost a decade, Robert’s back in the ring, but this time it’s all for his kids. “It is basically set up for the kids to learn how a farm operates and learn the work involved. We teach them hands-on everything,” explained Robert Todd. In 2012, Robert and his wife, Heather, decided to buy Spots pigs for their two young sons and their niece and nephew. The Spots breed holds fond memories for Robert, who showed Spots as a teenager. “The thing I like about the Spots is you never know if they are going to be more dominant black or white. They look like Dalmatian puppies when they are born,” said Robert. The Spots breed dates back to the 1900s in Indiana where it was developed from the lines of the Poland China breed. Spots are known for their fast-growing and efficient offspring.
The love for Spots pigs runs rampant on the Todd’s 5-acre farm in Willard, Mo. The Todd’s 6-year-old son, Skyler; 4-year-old son, Joey; 14-year-old nephew, Jared Duncan; and 11-year-old niece, Johnna Duncan, never complain about the endless chores that accompany caring for their show string and sows. D & T Farms hit seven shows in Missouri this summer, nabbing a few championships along the way. “If you don’t do your homework at home, it won’t pay off in the show ring,” explained Robert. He said the winning formula starts with the work the kids put in with their hogs. “When you take care of your animals and they are in good shape and you have them looking good, then you will have success in the show ring,” explained Robert. In addition, the Todds attribute their success to the help of long time Spots breeder, Rick Whitehead of Ash Grove, Mo. “I think part of it is the genetics of the hogs that we bought. They (Rick Whitehead and family) were nice enough to let us get the good genetics. We were able to get good hogs, what people are looking for in the industry,” added Robert.
Currently, D & T Farms owns four Spots sows, one Berkshire sow and nine Spots piglets. They keep replacements out of their show stock. Their sows are AI’d to have litters in the summer months and also in January and February. The AI process gives D & T Farms more flexibility with their hogs. “It lets you extend out and you are not putting all the eggs in one basket with one boar,” said Robert. The Todds recently learned how to AI their hogs. Robert said AI’ing a hog is much easier than AI’ing a cow.
The Todds keep the pigs on concrete until they reach 200 pounds. The Todds explained the key to healthy hogs is clean pens, clean food and clean water. D & T Farms sells some of its gilts and barrows as show pigs, others are sold to people for butcher.
“It doesn’t matter if you want to show pigs or fatten them out to butcher, I always tell people when it comes to feeding the hog it is worth spending the money on a high-protein grain and get them to the weight now,” Robert explained. He says it takes longer to reach the desired weight on the lower-protein grain. Their pigs start with a high protein pig starter grain that contains 22 to 24 percent protein. Once the pigs reach 100 pounds, the Todds switch the feed to one that contains 18 percent protein. The sows receive a 16 percent protein feed to help them maintain their weight. When the sows have piglets, they chow down on 4 to 5 pounds of grain per piglet, per day. “It is a huge circle,” commented Robert. The more feed the sow gets, the more milk she gives and the faster and healthier her piglets grow.
D & T Farms added a Berkshire hog to its herd this year and plan to buy a Hereford gilt for next year’s show season. The family uses the addition of different hogs as a way to teach the kids about other breeds. Though the main purpose of D & T Farms is to teach Joey, Skyler, Johanna and Jared work ethic and money management skills, there is no denying the whole family finds the farm fun. “I love the fact that the kids are in to this,” said Robert with a smile.
