Raising pigs is very complicated, but also very rewarding, says Roy Poage, 2021 winner of the Pork Industry Distinguished Service Award.
“There are so many things that you’ve got to have right that can go wrong. There’s not any one thing that you need to do to make it all right. You need to do a lot of things right,” Poage says.
From pig flow to the way you disinfect the buildings to protect the health of your pigs, modern day swine production requires attention to many details.
When he started raising hogs, farmers had to completely start over if their herds got struck by disease. He says there were just some diseases you couldn’t get rid of, so you had to bite the bullet and depopulate.
As technology and understanding of swine health and management grew, more and more people found opportunities to succeed. Poage’s achievements from helping pioneer “all-in/all-out” pig flows and slatted flooring systems to developing training manuals and implementing biosecurity measures before they were fully understood are just a few of the reasons why he’s had such a great influence on modern day pork production and was recently honored with this award from the National Pork Board.
Poage believes raising hogs and being immersed in the pork industry have been a good way of life.
“I never dreamed I’d end up like I did. This is a great country. If you work at it, use your head, you can be successful. To describe it one way, my wife and I have lived the American dream. There’s no two ways about it,” Poage says.
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