Squeal-Worthy Pig Facts to Share on National Pig Day. No Hogwash!
Celebrating a vital piece of our industry—pigs—March 1, 2023, is National Pig Day!
While days may seem to run together on the farm for pork producers, it’s important to remember the endless value pigs bring to lives throughout the world. From pharmaceutical and industrial co-products to the pork on our plates, pigs serve a purpose much larger than themselves.
Here’s a look at some of the value pigs provide every day:
• In 2022, pork was the most widely consumed protein across the globe, totaling 112,538,000 metric tons CWE. The U.S. produces 11% of the world’s pork.
• Hogs are a source of nearly 20 life-supporting and life-saving drugs and pharmaceuticals including:
o Adrenal Glands: Corticosteroids, Cortisone, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine
o Blood: Blood Albumens, Blood Fibrin, Fetal Pig Plasma, Plasmin
o Brain: Cholesterol, Hypothalamus
o Gall Bladder: Chenodeoxycholic Acid
o Heart: Heart Valves
o Intestines: Enterogastrone, Heparin, Secretin
o Liver: Cholic Acid Catalase, Desiccated Liver
o Ovaries: Estrogens, Progesterone, Relaxin
o Pancreas Gland: Kallikrein, Glucagon, Lipase, Pancreatin, Trypsin, Chymotrypsin
o Pineal Gland: Melatonin
o Skin: Porcine Burn Dressings, Gelatin
o Pituitary Gland: ACTH – Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, ADH – Antidiuretic Hormone, Oxytocin, Prolactin, TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
o Spleen: Splenic Fluid
o Stomach: Pepsin, Mucin
o Thyroid Gland: Thyroxin, Calcitonin, Thyrogloblin
• Pigs also provide a wide range of industrial co-products that cannot be duplicated by syntheses through the use of blood, brains, bones, skin, gall stones, hair, meat scraps, fatty acids and glycerine
• Pork provides protein, B-vitamins and thiamin to our diets
While pigs produce incredible food and co-products, they are quite peculiar animals. Here are a few basic, yet interesting pig facts:
• A pig’s squeal can reach 115 decibels, which is similar to the noise level of a concert
• Hogs do not overeat, but simply eat until they are full
• The heaviest hog in history, Big Bill, weighed 2,552 pounds
• Hogs can have a total of 34 to 44 teeth
• Hogs have small eyes and poor eyesight
• Pigs cannot sweat
In history, pigs have also played an important role in life as we know it.
• Raising hogs became an important commercial enterprise during the 1800s as the Midwest was settled, and the Erie Canal system gave farmers a way to get their hogs to the cities back East. Farmers in this era started calling their hogs "mortgage lifters," because the profits from their sales helped pay for their new homesteads.
• Colonists in Pennsylvania developed the practice of “finishing” hogs on corn, which improved the quality of the pork and laid a foundation for the modern pork industry.
• During the War of 1812, a New York pork packer named Uncle Sam Wilson shipped a boatload of several hundred barrels of pork to U.S. troops. Each barrel was stamped "U.S." on the docks, and it was quickly said that the "U.S." stood for "Uncle Sam," whose large shipment seemed to be enough to feed the entire army. This is how "Uncle Sam" came to represent the U.S. government.
• The saying "living high on the hog" started among enlisted men in the U.S. Army who received shoulder and leg cuts of pork, while officers received the top loin cuts. "Living high on the hog" came to mean living well.
• Back when hogs roamed freely on Manhattan Island, N. Y., they rampaged through grain fields until farmers were forced to build a wall to keep them out. The street running along this wall is known as Wall Street.
• The term “hogwash” came from the time where pigs were fed table scraps and had a reputation of eating nearly anything—including what would otherwise be considered garbage.
Without a doubt, pigs have served a purpose in history, providing value to our world today and will continue to be a large part of the future.
Happy National Pig Day from us at Farm Journal’s PORK!
Sources: The Pork Checkoff, Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom
