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Feedback Leads to Opportunity
When it comes to change, Forkner says you must be receptive to it. He built one of the first wean-to-finish buildings in the Midwest and forged ahead with a new production system weaning pigs at 28 days and moving them directly into wean-to-finish facilities.
“You don’t have to be first person, but you’ve got to be one of the leaders,” Forkner explains. “That’s how we have remained in the pig business and stayed profitable.”
Another decision Forkner made was to do his best to create an environment of high health – since 1990, no outside hog has ever come on to his operation besides through boar semen. This decision made in the 1990s allowed him to add one more component to his current breeding program focused on pork quality and eating experience.
“We decided 12 years ago to produce antibiotic-free pork. That was a move that took us some time to figure out,” he says. “But making that move to antibiotic-free production from birth to market has been a strong selling point for us, along with our focus on pork quality. Those are a couple of things that have set us apart from others.”
Being open to his veterinarian’s advice has been instrumental to his success, he notes. They immediately moved to strict all-in, all-out production.
“We built 1000-head finishers with three separate compartments and filled them in sequence as we produced the pigs. We struggled until we decided that one of best solutions was to sample pigs through sacrifice and send them to a laboratory that would build us a specific autogenous vaccine for our herd,” Forkner says.
Every two to three years, they develop a new vaccine for the herd because organisms mutate and change, he says. The autogenous vaccine has been instrumental in helping the Forkners produce antibiotic-free pork. They’ve also decreased their average pig death loss from birth to market.
“If you want to stay in front, you figure out what the outstanding advantage is and you take advantage of it,” he says. “It becomes kind of a trade secret to your operation.”
Forkner has never been afraid to ask the tough questions in order to help move his operation forward.
What’s Trending?
For 15 years, Forkner served in varying roles on the animal science committee for the National Pork Board. He is not afraid to ask hard questions and believes there are many the industry needs to answer in the years ahead.
“What is the next move in breeding animals to help the pork industry move another notch ahead? Is it efficiency of feed? Of numbers born? How long can a sow stay in production averaging over 30 pigs per sow per year? Yeah, you can get there. But can you stay there? And what is the price it will cost?” he asks.
Although he doesn’t know where the limits are, he believes the industry may be approaching some of those limits. Research is important to finding those answers. He believes the collaborative research taking place through the National Pork Board will continue to be key to help the industry.
That scientific savvy will long be what many say sets Forkner apart as a livestock breeder.
“Everett was an early adopter of advanced methods of animal selection, and he has continued this practice by utilizing new genetic evaluation technology as it becomes available,” wrote retired Western Kentucky University professor of animal science Gordon Jones. Jones served as the chairman of the committee that nominated Forkner for the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Award.
“It’s clear that Everett has been at the forefront of changing his own operation as well as being a leader to encourage progressive change in the pork, beef and meat animal industries of the U.S. and globally,” Jones added.
Friends and family gather around the portrait after it was unveiled during the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery reception.
No Regrets
Preparing for his acceptance speech at the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery banquet gave him time to reflect on his career in the livestock industry.
“To be honest, I gave all I had every time I needed to make a decision. I can’t think of very many places where I looked back later and thought, ‘I really screwed that up.’ Somewhere along the line if my thought wasn’t right, I tweaked it before I invested too heavily into a bad decision,” he says.
During his speech, he quoted his dad who always told him, “You’ll never be wrong doing the right thing.” Those words guide Forkner every day whether he’s making a decision in the barn, representing the U.S. pork industry or challenging the 27 family members he’s been blessed to guide in life.
“You get what you plan for – and failing to plan is a plan to fail,” he says. “I’ve been blessed to be a part of a dynamic industry called the pork industry. I’ve been able to be a part of a growing family that went from Ruby and I to 27 people and counting. I think the biggest reward of it all is thinking you helped make a difference somewhere along the way.”
His friend Norm Braksik said he couldn’t be prouder of what Forkner has accomplished – making a difference in the lives of so many. “When his portrait is hung, people will walk by and say, ‘That’s Everett Forkner. He’s a good one, and he is.”
A few of the members of the Forkner family at the 2020 Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery recognition dinner. Everett and his wife, Ruby, (front center) have three sons, Mike, Doug and Steve Forkner; and one daughter, Cindy (Forkner) Wyant. They have 12 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Forkner Family Farms, Inc., is managed by Everett and Ruby Forkner and two of their sons. The operation consists of 2,000 acres of crops, a swine genetics company, a premium pork marketing branch and a purebred cattle operation.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
Everett Forkner: What Does it Mean to Leave a Legacy?
Speechless: The Call That Saved One Hog Producer’s Farm
San Antonio Barrow Show Winner Captures Hearts and Breaks Records
