AJI.
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
NORTH CORNWALL (Leba
non Co.) The overall grand
champion of the 1994 4-H South
eastern Pennsylvania Hog Derby
was also the champion for rate of
gain, and the reserve heavyweight
champion on foot
Shown by Jessica Ward,
daughter of Dan and Karen Ward,
of Elizabethtown, her 254-pound
homebred hog was out of a bred
gilt she bought at the 1993 state
Farm Show from Arnold Hog
Farm, in Lebanon. She had pur
chased the bred gilt to start a 4-H
breeding project
Ward’s champibn first weighed
in at 40 pounds, and averaged a
rate of gain of 2.229 pounds per
day. The carcass weighed 195
pounds and was 33.8 inches long.
The loin eye area (LEA), which
is the large meat portion in a pork
chop, was 6.65 inches and it had a
back fat of .65 inches and was
54.381 percent lean. According to
calculations, it was gaining .968
pounds of lean, per day on test
The recently held, and unusual
hog derby concluded on Saturday
evening with the judging of carcas
ses. Held at Stoltzfiis’s Meats in
Intercourse, Dr. Bill Henning,
Penn State meats specialist, was
carcass judge. He also explained
many of the characteristics that the
industry seeks in meats and how it
Jessica Ward stands behind her reserve champion
heavyweight on-foot market hog.
Brandon Forry shows brother Adam’s champion market
hog on foot of the show portion of the S.E. Pa. 4-H Market
Hog Derby. The hog ranked fifth place overall.
Ward’s Hog Wins
relates to production.
Further, veterinarians were on
hand and displayed real examples
of health problems, the effects on
the quality and value of products or
byproducts, and methods for pre
venting such problems.
The derby was conceived sever
al years ago by a group of exten
sion agents working with 4-H
groups in southeastern part of the
state, the area that produces the
majority of the state’s hogs.
The agents wanted to modernize
the 4-H program by providing an
additional alternative to the histor
ic on-foot-only competition,
which touches only partially on
providing an understanding of the
goals of commercial hog
production.
The result was the hog derby,
based on competitions held by
adult producers. The derby has
created an educational hog-raising
program for youth that emphasizes
real-worid production values, such
as rate of gain, overall conforma
tion and consumer product
demands.
The youth weigh-in their market
hogs early in the summer, take
them back home and raise them,
keeping health records, feeding
records, etc.
The hogs are then brought back
to a central place, reweighed and
shown on foot; taken for slaughter
and evaluated again. Further, the
S.E. Pa. 4-H
animals are also scanned with
ultrasound for the Itrin eye area and
the depth of backfat and those
results are posted along with the
actual findings to see how closely
the measurement of the live animal
compares to the measurements
taken from the carcass.
The entire derby consists of
three areas of competition rate
of gain, the on-foot evaluation, and
the carcass evaluation. The com
bined total score determines the
overall grand champion and is
based on a final index that has been
developed by pork producers
nationally.
The ideal of such a competition
as the derby is that the champion
on foot would be the champion
carcass, and, even more ideally, it
would also lead in rate of gain.
Apparently that ideal is being
neared.
The level of competition and the
results of the 4-H brceding/hog
raising projects after several years
of involvement demonstrate that
die derby program is working.
It is providing youth with a basis
for a solid understanding of mod
em hog-raising techniques and
objectives. And, with the results of
the competitions falling close to
the ideal, the veracity of the hog
raising information being taught
by Penn State extensionists and
4-H leaders is demonstrated.
In fact, seven of the eight
champions finished within the top
10 overall.
The only discrepency between
on-foot judging and final index
results was with the champion
heavyweight and reserve grand
champion on fool being placed
23rd overall, after final calcula
tions. That animal was shown by
Lisa Pfautz, daughter of Rick and
Sue Pfautz, of Lititz.
The reserve champion overall
was shown by Jared Forry, son of
Gary and J. Lynne Forry, of Man
heim, whose 278-pound entry also
was reserve champion for rate of
gain and averaged .932 pounds of
lean gain per day. It’s back fat was
.9 inch, had an LEA of 6.96 inches,
acarcass length of 34.1 inches, and
carcass weight of 220 pounds. It
had a rate of gain of 2.21 pounds
per day.
Jared Seitz showed the third
place animal which also was the
reserve champion mediumweight
on foot His market hog started at
44 pounds and finished at 230
pounds. Seitz’ hog averaged 1.917
pounds per day and with only .6
(Turn to Pago AST)
Dr. Bill Henning, PSU meat* specialist, discusses various aspects of carcass qual»
ity during the educational workshop portion of the S.E. Pa. 4-H Market Hog Derby.
Market Hog Derby
Jessica Ward holds her plaque for showing the grand
champion overall of the S.E. Pennsylvania 4-H Maiiiet Hog
Derby, while Dr. Bill Henning, PSU meets specialist, holds
her plaque tor also having the champion rate of gain.
Jared Forty shows his reserve overall grand champion of
the S.E. Pa. 4-H Market Hog Derby, while Dr. Bill Henning,
PSU meats specialist holds the plaque the hog won for
reserve champion rate of gain. The hog didn’t place among
the champions In the on-foot competitions.