Spring Spectacular Club Pig Sale

It's April and that can only mean one thing on our farm. CLAUDE' IS BACK, BABY! Yes, it is pig sale season and that means haircuts for everyone--except Husband who seems to be working on a Luke Duke.

To help promote our upcoming pig sale (details here if you're in the market) Ryan and Justin and their cousins photographed some of the cute little pigs that will be in the sale, oh, I mean long-bodied, muscular, sound-footed  future champions. Take a look:

At the sale later this month it will be all hands on deck. Everyone has a job. Early in our relationship my job at the pig sale was to help brush each pig before it went in the sale ring. Well, I learned the hard way that standing right behind the girl pigs is a good way to get wet. I have since been promoted to sale clerk and all of our kids are now old enough to help too. Here are Morgan, Justin and their cousin busy prepping for last year's sale.

Just so we're clear, a pig sale is not a day to get a discount on pigs, it is an auction. We bring in a professional auctioneer to help us sell the pigs to the highest bidder and as you can see we bring in quite a crowd.

We look forward to sending our little pigs home with 4-H members and their families. I hope you will come by and check out our farm's biggest event of the year. Just remember to wave at the auctioneer until you hear SOLD! We'll explain everything later.

Family (Farm) Planning

In my latest post on Dayton Most Metro I marvel at Husband's ability to plan his pig growth strategy months ahead, while unable to think 20 minutes into the future at home.

Au Revoir

The pig sale is over and Claude' is off on his national pig grooming tour but he was kind enough to leave behind his friendly but much less flamboyant half-cousin, Bob.

Bob is a big hit with the kids and really knows his way around a pig farm.

 

Au revoir, Claude'. Whenever our ears catch the gentle hum of livestock clippers or we set our eyes on a freshly groomed pig--we'll think of you.

The Mysterious Claude'

National pig-clipping man of mystery, Claude', is greatly enjoying the fame and fortune that come from being featured on this blog (maybe not too much fortune, actually).

It will soon be time to say goodbye to our dear friend as he leaves us to impart his swine grooming knowledge elsewhere. Husband would not have made it through the week without the help and guidance of Claude'. We only hope we can book him for next year.

Ladies, I promise I will do my best to capture Claude' in action at our pig sale, however, you need to know that he is happily married to a lovely woman who bakes blue-ribbon winning pineapple upside down cake. You don't stand a chance.

Weekend Plans Cut Short

I haven't been at my current job long enough yet, apparently, because people still make the mistake of asking me what are you doing this weekend? I say that it is a mistake to ask me about my weekend plans because that question is supposed to be followed with an ordinary answer like going to see a movie or yardwork.

But when you ask me about my weekend plans, you're likely to get an answer like this: well, we'll be pretty busy getting ready for our pig auction. Husband has to give haircuts to 100+ pigs.

Yes, you read that right. Pigs get haircuts. Husband is grooming them for the pig auction (we call it a sale) that we are having on Saturday. In the market for a pig? Head over here.

Pigs have short, coarse hair that in days of old was used to make brushes (and maybe still today). Husband and other pig farmers clip the hair of the pigs shorter to make them look more appealing to potential buyers, who in this case are 4-H kids and parents looking for a hog to take to the county or state fairs.

What are the steps in cutting a pig's hair? And do you have photos? I thought you'd never ask.

The first step in any animal grooming project is corralling the animal to be groomed. In this case, Husband uses our farm trailer to transport a litter of pigs (brother and sister pigs) to the barn beauty parlor. Ryan, Justin and Morgan were along for the ride, along with nationally renowned pig clipper, Claude', whose secret identity we must preserve lest he be stolen from us by our swine grooming competiton. (Claude' is not his real name; his credentials may have been exaggerated.)

The pigs are then snared at the nose to keep them from running off and then Husband uses animal grooming clippers to clip all the hair on the pig's body. The pigs, surprisingly, are not keen to have their normal routine of pooping, chewing on the fence, eating, sleeping, and more pooping disturbed. While the haircut does not harm them, they do not like the process and tend to squeal.

Proving again that our children have very different milestones than most kids, today was a big day for Ryan as he clipped his very first pig.

Claude' was kind enough to guide him through the process while Husband entertained some potential buyers from out of state. Justin maintained a supervisory role while Morgan hid in the house to avoid the squealing.

Husband and Claude' clipped about 35 pigs this weekend, only 75 more to go! Fortunately, we have the services of Claude' all week. He and Husband will get all the pigs groomed in time for our sale, I'm sure.

Stay tuned for next weekend's adventures, which include bathing 100+ pigs (Husband and boys) clerking a pig auction with my in-laws (me), and closing down Frisch's in Eaton (all). 

Multi-Media Pig Show Report

Welcome to the only place on the internet where mad communications skilz, almost unbearable maternal pride and swine come together. It's the first ever Multi-Media Pig Show Report®.

Welcome to our report from the National Swine Registry Summer Type Conference. Where else would a Multi-Media Pig Show Report begin but the pig barn at the Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky, where the pigs were very happy. Aren't they cute when they're sleeping.

Oh, and this little one is cute too. Shhh don't tell Grandma S. that she's in your computer--she won't like it!

Back to the report... Todd showed pigs, Ryan showed pigs and Justin won first place with his poster all about pigs. The end.

But wait! I promised you a Multi-Media Pig Show Report and I don't disappoint. We have next our first-ever Bringing Home the Bacon video production, starring Ryan and featuring jerky photography and jumpy editing by yours truly.




Wait! There's more! If you act now, I'll throw in the complete photo montage on Flickr, a $24.99 value--yours FREE!

If for any reason you haven't enjoyed your Multi-Media Pig Show Report, just return it for a full refund. Minus shipping and handling.

Swine Lecture Series - Auctions

Welcome back students. I hope you enjoyed your summer off, but now it is time to get back to our Swine Lecture Series.

When a farmer needs a new pig or wants to expand his herd, the best way to buy is at an auction.
Many hog shows like the Summer Type Conference auction off the exhibited pigs--using the results to determine sale order.

Some farms also host their own pig auctions at the farm to sell boars (males) and gilts (females) to other farmers who want to use them as breeding stock. Here are some pigs ready for a farm auction.

OK, so they're not too excited yet. But in a few hours, they will be heading off to a new farm (we hope) to fulfill their happy pig lives as the mothers and fathers of the next generation of purebred hogs. You may recall that the black and white ones are Hampshires, the all-white ones, Yorkshires.


Now let's review the key elements to a successful pig auction on the farm. Like any event, you need to market the date/time/location with advertising, Web site, and a database of customers for direct mail.

A good auctioneer is critical. Our auctioneer, Dan, has been coming to our farm every fall for 40+ years. Right after this photo was snapped Dan said: wasthatlightening?wasthatlightening?doIneed toswitchswitchswichtobattery?battery?didsomeonesaybattery?

Nothatwasjustmyflash, I responded.


Food is an important part of any successful event. Here, my garage doubles as a 4-H lunch stand. Don't tell the health department. A really classy event includes childcare. Great-Grandma and a swing set will do.


In summary, hosting a pig auction is a lot like any other event a business may put on. You need lighting, sound, stage/podium, marketing, direct mail, parking, childcare, food, and staff. You also need a guy who can talk fast, and guests of honor who intend to poop all over the place.

Life Under the Big Top

To say things are crazy here would be akin to making a vast understatement similar in proportion to saying that pig poo doesn't really smell.

In other words: Our lives this month, like every August, are out of control. A real circus.

See... we even have the tent to prove it.



Yes, that is a county fair-quality tent right behind our house.

Why do we need a tent, you ask? To hold our annual pig auction, of course.
Huh? We are holding what's called a "production sale," selling boars (males) and gilts (females) to other farmers who want to raise pigs.


In addition to hosting a pig sale in the barnyard this week, over the course of the month we made two trips to the Ohio State Fair to show hogs, one trip to the Indiana State Fair, took one kid to flag football, two more to swimming lessons, hosted crafts at Bible school, and won a church softball tournament (husband only).

After the pig sale we will spend a week at the county fair with our six pigs, four dairy calves, scarecrow, decorated cupcakes, and photo entries. Oh, and then we head to my sister's out of town wedding.

I think we may need a bigger tent to hold this circus.

PR Idea of the Week

Every spring my husband makes sure to attend the pig auctions held by other farmers. No, he doesn't plan to buy anything--he has hundreds of his own pigs at home--but he goes to show support for his fellow farmers, knowing full well that the psychology of auctions holds that the bigger the crowd, the higher the prices.

And while there are lots of people there and the farmers are very busy staffing their event, they notice who is there. And they reciprocate. So later in April when we have our own pig auction(selling small pigs to 4-H kids and their parents), these same farmers are also there lending their support.

A similar etiquette exists online. Bloggers read the comments left on their site, then they reciprocate with a visit to your site, coupled with a comment of their own, and so it goes.

But how do you reach a lot of people or how do you reach those influentials who are way beyond noticing your comment on their blog. Enter "egommunication" coined by Rohit Bhargava at Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence.

According to Rohit: Egommunication is a form of communication where you can share a message or piece of content with someone based on their own consistent habit of checking mentions of themselves and their content online.

In other words, play to their vanity if you want their attention. Thanks Rohit. Great blog, Rohit.

The most interesting part of the egommunication discussion online was how many people were implementing the approach, at the same time they were writing about it. As am I.

I think the unwritten psychology of auctions holds true for social networking as well. If you boost the crowd at mine, I'll boost the crowd at yours. Even if it's just one pig farmer standing in the back.