It was the coldest night of the year thus far, with the wind howling and an occasional flurry of snowflakes hitting the restaurant window. Tucked away in a corner of the Butcher Block steakhouse, I was enjoying a delicious 16oz. ribeye while contemplating the topics of discussion for the upcoming conference in the morning. Traveling comes with the job description in my line of work, but winter brings with it an extra bit of travel..........

It’s a long drive from Wisconsin to Duncan, Oklahoma. We look forward to our annual trip to the Fall Classic with great anticipation. More than a year’s worth of planning and hard work goes into this show, from the selection of which females to breed, which boars to use, to breeding, farrowing, selecting and feeding the prospects for both the breeding shows and weanling pig sift. Sometimes all the planning and hard work pays off. Often times it doesn’t. That is the nature of this business, and it’s what makes success that much sweeter when it is achieved.