Meet Taw Scaff, our latest addition to Farm Journal’s PORK’s Up & Coming Leaders feature. We are showcasing some of the fresh, new voices of the pork industry who combine innovative thought and work ethic with scientific savvy and a passion to make a difference.
Age: 25
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Oklahoma State University; pursuing Ph.D. at Purdue University
Hometown: Sulphur, Oklahoma
Q. How did you become interested in pursuing a career in the swine industry?
A. I became interested in the swine industry while showing pigs in high school FFA. After high school, I furthered my education at Oklahoma State University where I started to work at the swine research and education center helping graduate students with research projects they were conducting. This experience got me interested in the swine industry because I could see how research can impact the industry.
Q. How have internships provided you with direction?
A. I did a swine industry internship over the summer of 2018 with Pipestone Systems in Minnesota and South Dakota. I gained experience in all areas of the swine industry and made important relationships within the swine industry.
Q. Describe any undergraduate research experiences you’ve had.
A. As an undergraduate I had the opportunity to assist in multiple projects that graduate students were working on – primarily nursery and grow-finish trials.
Q. Describe any other swine-related experiences you’ve had as a young person.
A. I grew up in a small rural town in Oklahoma where I was involved in FFA. I gained experience with pigs and other livestock through the program and developed my passion for animal agriculture.
Q. Tell us about your current research.
A. I am currently researching how nutrition in boars can impact management, semen production and semen characteristics. Boars have been the forgotten section of the swine industry for a while and pushed to the side of research efforts. However, they are vital to the production system and the continual flow of pigs in the industry. This is important to the industry because a lot of research effort is used on sows and gilts, nursery pigs and grow-finish pigs. Without boars, and what boars provide to the industry, a lot of that would not be possible.
Q. What is your generation’s greatest challenge?
A. I think the greatest challenge for my generation will be getting the next generation involved in agriculture. Urban areas are continuing to grow and rural populations are shrinking. As young agriculturists, we need to figure out how to stimulate the general populations’ interest in agriculture and keep them interested by incorporating and teaching them agricultural practices in school and how it impacts their everyday life.
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