Merrill Smith is a happy man.

Friday, July 13, 2001

Merrill Smith is a happy man.

The 2001 Berkshire Summer Type Conference is under way at the Mower County Fairgrounds in Austin.

"We’ve got exhibitors here coast to coast," said Smith, the American Berkshire Breed Association secretary. "They’re here from Oregon to New Hampshire. It’s going to be a very good show."

This is the first time the Summer Type Conference has been held in Minnesota. Steve Stassen of Kerkhoven, Minn., is a state and national Berkshire associations’ director.

"We’re very pleased to be hosting the Summer Type Conference in Minnesota," Stassen said. "We’ve been able to attract more exhibitors than we expected."

There are 30 exhibitors. Today, they will put their hogs in the Crane Pavilion ring before judge Dr. Jerry Hawton of the University of Minnesota. The three-day event ends Saturday with auctioneer Dan Baker of Lafayette, Ind., doing his best to get top prices for Berkshire boars and gilts.

Entries started arriving Wednesday and by Thursday they were scanned by Dallas McDermott, a certified scanning technician from Harlan, Iowa, whose ultrasound equipment measures backfat and loin eye.

Educational seminars were held at Holiday Inn of Austin Thursday afternoon with tours for mothers and children and a family fun night at the fairgrounds Thursday night.

In addition to Oregon and New Hampshire, Berkshire producers are here from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Iowa and Missouri.

The conference moves around the nation each year and wherever Berkshires go, they are attracting more and more attention, according to breed secretary Smith.

"That’s because of meat quality," he said. "The texture just makes the meat taste better. It is better at holding water, which makes it juicier and it has a dark red color that is inviting, too."

Japanese will agree with Smith. They consume more Berkshire pork than any other nation and producers earn a premium for the Berkshire hogs shipped to Japan.

Presently, there are four Berkshire packers at Sioux Center, Boyden and Columbus Junction in Iowa and Twin Falls, Idaho.

The latter is where Stan Gourley sells his hogs. Gourley has been farming for 65 years at Albany, Ore. Gourley’s son, Jerry, is following in his father’s footsteps and a daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Mike Quinlan, are preparing to do the same.

"We were really luck to get a foothold in the Japanese market for our hogs. That’s made all the difference in the world," Gourley said.

Breed secretary Smith offers figures to support Gourley’s praise. More than 2,800 Berkshire litters were registered in 1999. By the next year, the number grew to 4,700.

"This year, we expect to pass the 6,000 mark and have over 3,500 registered already in 2001," Smith said, adding, "It’s all because of the Japanese exports and the $10 to $12 premium per hundredweight they pay."

"We have smaller producers, say those with 100 to 200 sows, who are adding Berkshires and everybody else, too, because of this niche market in Japan for our hogs," he said.

Iowa remains the Berkshire capital of the continental United States with more red hogs raised there than any other state.

The Summer Type Conference has attracted the single largest Berkshire breeder, MAB Berkshires Inc., with farms in Iowa and Minnesota and producers with as few as 10 sows.

Jay Nelson of New Hampshire drove all the way to Austin to show a single hog.

Smith had high praise for his hosts.

"The people have been just great," he said. "Everywhere we go they are so friendly. The Mower County Fair Board has been so helpful and the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, too. We’re glad to bring our show to Austin."

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com.