A2Mpncw»r Farming, Saturday, Auguat 26. 1998
Kirst’s Market Hog Overall Champion In Southeast Derby
VERNOrf ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
INTERCOURSE (Lancaster
Co.) A crossbred entry by Rox
anne Kirst of Lebanon recently
won the title of overall champion
of this year’s Southeast Pennsylva
nia 4-H Market Hog Derby.
The S-year-old competition is
unique in that it has been created as
a long-term educational program
in the raising of swine for the com
mercial market
Very simply, the competition
consists of participating youth
entering hogs into the contest early
in the year at a central weigh-in
place. 1
They take the young hogs back
home for several months of feed
ing and caring. The youth are to
keep accurate records of the feed
amounts, expenses, health, etc.
In August, the youth bring then
entries back to a central location
where their hogs are reweighed,
evaluated on foot, and then taken
for slaughter. The carcasses are
then evaluated.
The show was held last Wednes
day at the Manheim Fairgrounds.
ighes stands with brother Andrew and Dr. Ed
Mills and her reserve overall champion of the 1995 S.E. Pa.
4-H Market Hog Derby.
Dr. Ed Mills, Penn State meat specialist, talks to participants and adults at the
Southeast Pa. 4-H Market Hog Derby about cuts of pork and quality factors as related
to pork production.
The carcass evaluation and educa
tional program was held last Fri
day night at Stoltzfus Meats in
Intercourse.
There are three areas of concern
in the contest. The on-foot show
ring results, the carcass conforma
tion and composition evaluation,
and the rate of gain.
Undersized, or oversized hogs,
carcasses with too much backfat,
or too small a loin eye. are
disqualified.
Out of the 35 market hogs
weighed-in, 20 were continued
into the final evaluations. Of those,
four were disqualified for too
much backfat, .while one was dis
qualified for too small a lean eye
area (LEA).
Kirst’s overall champion
weighed in at 56 pounds, finishing
out to 247. The carcass was 33
inches long and weighed 186
pounds with only .75-inch of back
fat and a 7.05 square-inch LEA
(the largest in the competition), for
a final rating of .837 pounds of
lean gain per day. The carcass
came out to 54.723 percent lean.
A final index is calculated based
Dr. Ed Mills, Penn State meat specialist stands with Roxanne Kirst, and her overall
champion market hog which also won the title of champion carcass.
on the same commercial industry
values endorsed by the National
Pork Producers Council for its
members. The Kirst hog received a
final index of .925.
In the show ring, her hog didn’t
fare as well. It had placed third in
its class of four animals.
A crossbred entry by Allison
Hughes, daughter of Lancaster
County Extension Agent Chester
and Marie Hughes, was reserve
overall champion and grand
champion in the show ring.
Her animal weighed in at 65
pounds, finished at 262 pounds
and had a carcass weight of 193
pounds. The 33.2-inch long car
cass was 51.996 percent lean, and
had an average daily gain of 1.989
pounds, with .776 pounds lean
gain.
Backfat on Hughes’s hog was
measured at an inch. The final
index was .864.
Third place overall was an entry
by Jason Shirk, of Lebanon.
Shirk’s entry won champion hon
ors for average daily rate of gain
(ADG) with 2.102 pounds per day,
edging out some close competi
tion. The pounds of lean gain per
day was .775.
Shirk’s crossbred market hog
also placed third in its show ring
class of four that included Brandon
Winebark’s reserve champion on-
foot animal. The entry by Wine- Shirk s hog weighed in at 47
bark, son of Kenneth and Janet pounds, out at 253 pounds, and the
Winebark, Myerstown, finished carcass weighed 185 pounds with a
out 10th in overall index. (Turn to Pag* A 2 3)
Is htr reserve Champion carcass
plaque and stands with Dr. Ed Mills and her entry. Jasienski
also is a recipient of a S.E. Pa. 4-H Market Hog Derby
scholarship.
rosette over the beok of hie animal.
iplon