Today we visited 4K Farms in Redoak, Iowa. This farm is a hog breeding operation. It is the home of the famous boar, Hillbilly Bone. While we were here we were able to watch the process of semen collection from Hilton, the son of Hillbilly Bone. Then we went back to the lab to examine the sperm count on a slide under the microscope. Kirk, the owner, told us that he puts extender in the semen to make the life span last longer and also get more samples out of the total amount. He uses a 1:1 ratio of semen and sperm. Next we went to the gilt pen where he watched the process of artificial insemination. I’ve never been able to experience this process before in a real life situation. It was interesting to see the gilt who was in heat sprint over to the other side of the pen once the boar arrived (in a trailer cage attached the tractor). As soon as she reached the fence, as close as possible to the boar, she was in standing heat. Shortly thereafter Kirk sanitized the vulva and gave her a shot of oxytocin to increase the fertilization chances. After that demonstration we went to the farrowing crates to see the piglets….and hold them of courses! Who doesn’t love a cute little piglet!? After that we went to the nursery where they keep the freshly weened piglets who are getting acclimated to a grain diet. At each stop Kirk was extremely thorough with his explain of each demonstration and the processes for each stage of life on the farm. He was very knowledgable and I enjoyed listening to him.

The last stop of the day was a fun, light-hearted one…we went to the zoo! It was fun to see the exotic animals and have a relaxing afternoon in Omaha.