Hometown: Heavener, Okla.
Family: Wife Lacey; and daughters Laney (15), London (13), Leighton (11) and Landi (7)
Town Life: “My wife Lacey and I met at a show in Kansas while we were attending college. She was attending Kansas State while I was attending Panhandle State in Oklahoma. We both are teachers in Heavener, where my parents live. Between teaching college and high school, I have 20 years of experience and agriculture at Heavener High School. I specialize in speech, though I teach animal science and other classes which change yearly as needs change. My wife is an 11-year veteran and a fifth-grade teacher with the same students throughout the day. Our four daughters are active athletically in both softball and basketball. The other part of our town life is we are members of the First Baptist Church in Heavener.”
Country Life: “Lacey and I have 30 acres outside of Heavener where we raise show pigs and a small commercial cow/calf herd. We have 25 sows: purebred Yorks, purebred Durocs and crosses. I like the Yorks because of their maternal qualities and the Durocs for their growth. Sows are bred by AI from semen purchased all over the country. I search the internet to find the right boars and use data on individual boars to select semen for each sow. The goal is to produce piglets with show-quality confirmation, soundness and balance. The largest group of piglets is born in July and August, with a smaller group in March and April. Piglets are sold at 10 weeks, when they weigh 40 to 60 pounds. Each sow has an individualized feeding program based on corn, soybean meal and a rice bran mix. Sows are fed once a day while the piglets are fed three times a day. I vaccinate for Mycoplasma and use other shots as needed. My biggest concern for show pigs is soundness in feet and legs. If piglets are not sound or don’t develop well, I cull them. I also replace any sow whose piglets don’t develop well or whose litter is too small. My cattle herd consists of 15 mostly black commercial females currently bred by a Hereford bull. I keep my bulls for two calving seasons and then change either by selling or trading. Next time I think I’m going to switch to Angus. My life right now couldn’t be much better. I have my wife and girls, and even though Lacey and I are always running to ball games or shows, I couldn’t be happier.”
