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Why Pigs? |
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Nancy with Banjo and Aggie (small
potbelly atop big Banjo). |
One Woman’s Fascination with Pigs...
Nancy Shepherd has
been involved with the porcine species for since the mid-1970’s. That’s hard
to believe since Nancy was born and raised in a large metropolitan city, was an
art major in college, and yes...was a Kansas City Chief’s cheerleader! How in
the world did she become so immersed in pigs?
It all happened quite innocently. Her partner, Brian, ran his own small
contracting company, and Nancy was an executive secretary for a construction
firm. She and Brian quit their city jobs. They packed up a few belongings and
moved to Climax Springs, Mo. where they owned 365 acres on the Little Niangua
River with three other couples. This was in the early 1970’s when back-to-the
land endeavors were all the rage and both these city slickers had a real desire
to learn more about our good mother earth. Brian and Nancy were the only
full-time quasi-farmers out of the eight some who owned the property. They
learned from reading books and asking experienced neighbors, usually
salt-of-the-earth, old-time farmers, about the best ways to get certain farm
tasks accomplished. They tried their hand at raising chickens and turkeys,
renting some of their ground for cattle grazing, putting up a hay crop, learning
about farm machinery, gardening, and, of course, raising pigs.
One of Nancy’s favorite stories is about their first garden. After pouring
over the Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, studying all the seed
catalogues, and preparing the ground for planting, a garden was in place. The
only trouble was that when the little seedlings appeared, neither Brian nor
Nancy knew what were the vegetable plants and what were the weeds. They implored
Nancy’s Aunt Leola to come take a look. As a veteran gardener, she patiently
pointed out "weed", "carrot", "weed",
"lettuce", "weed", "pea plant." I guess Nancy came
by some of her ability and desire to work with her hands in the land honestly,
for Aunt Leola was truly a pro.
Pigdom started much by mistake. A neighbor named Emmett had a new litter of
piglets and the runt would not make it without special nurturing. Nancy could
not bear to see the little one "done in" and, upon her suggestion,
Emmett happily turned the day-old pig over to this very green farmer. Nancy grew
up with lots of animals and had even entertained the idea of becoming a vet, so
tending to a piglet was right up her alley. Roto was the apple of her eye, a
totally special porcine pal. The idea was to raise Roto for the pork of it, but
as she became closer and closer to butcher size, it became apparent that this
would be impossible for Nancy to let happen.
So, on to Plan B...breed Roto and raise a litter of piglets. Poor Roto had
been on such an extravagant food regimen (as in all she could eat) that she was
quite portly; so, the exercise program came to be. Nancy would take Roto on long
walks. Over the hills and through the woods to the beautiful Niangua River they
would go. Roto would snurdle around in the leaves and underbrush, collecting
acorns and other delectable tidbits, as Nancy happily looked at the fauna and
flora, always enjoying the surprises and beauty of nature.
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Roto with first litter.
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Success was attained. Roto was fit for a suitor. Roger Ash, a master-farmer
and pig producer, had a manly Hampshire boar that he was willing to haul to the
Climax Springs one-pig farm. And after a majestic porcine interlude, the mating
with Roto was successful. Three months, three weeks, and three days later Roto
delivered the most beautiful litter of eleven piglets, each perfect with their
shiny black bodies and crisp, white belts about their shoulders. A truly
exceptional litter! Nancy and Brian were so proud. Neither of them had every
seen ANY animal born, ever in their whole lives! This was quite the event. Nancy
kept a journal and every detail of the farrowing was recorded.
And that’s how this one woman began her incredible attachment to pigs.
Nancy and Brian lived on their Climax Springs farm for four years and found that
it suited them both to a tee. They decided, however, that they wanted to grow
more than rocks and sought a piece of property with better soil and closer to a
city where they could pursue other interests and enjoy a little more culture
than was available in their little, somewhat isolated corner of the Ozarks.
After many trips and lots of disappointments, they found their farm in
Rocheport, Mo. just seventeen miles from the University of Missouri. Columbia
was a not-too-big town with much to offer. The move was one to remember: trailer
after trailer of "stuff" from farm machinery to critters. One
recollection Nancy has is of the trailer pulling over to gas up in the small
rural town of Tipton. When the truck stopped, the rooster, LeDeaux, crowed, his
red henny friend laid an egg that Nancy promptly handed to the filling station
attendant, and the kitty cats meowed in hopes of being let out of their kennels.
The pigs, yes, Roto and one of her first born daughters, Tulip, seemed
unaffected by the stop and sniffed around thinking the stop meant they might get
a chocolate malt and a hamburger. What a crew. Back then Nancy wore her hair in
two braids that reached nearly to her waist under her burgundy ball cap. Brian,
big, burly and bearded, kept the caravan rolling. What a fun time to recall and
conjure up in the mind’s eye.
In Rocheport, with such an investment, farming in earnest was the order.
Brian busied himself learning more about farm machinery, cropping, soils,
federal programs and on-and-on. Nancy took a job in town as an administrative
secretary at the University of Missouri Hospital and increased her pig herd. By
the time four years passed, the farm was on it’s feet and Nancy was able to
quit her city job and stay home and do what she most loved...farming. She raised
beautiful produce and leaned how to can and freeze it. She increased the sow
herd to twenty-four, kept many varieties of chickens and turkeys, and helped as
much as possible with the cropping, haying, and farm upkeep. That meant learning
to drive tractors, rake hay, buck bales, haul bales, build and mend fence...you
name it, she did it.
When the potbellied pigs came on the scene, Nancy felt this was perfect for
her. She already knew practically all there was to know about pigs and the
little ones would be so much more manageable...they would stay small! So in 1989
Nancy bought her first pair of potbellies, Yoda and Jitterbug. She bought them
when potbellied pigs were still bringing incredible amounts of money and it was
pretty tough to commit a large amount of money to what was considered an
"exotic" animal.
Well, the rest is history. Jitterbug and Yoda raised their first litter of
piglets and Nancy recouped her initial investment and has never looked back. She
loves her role in the potbellied pig world, both tending to her own stock, and
helping others with problems, and just being available to "talk pig"
with other enthusiasts. Her commercial herd is down to four sows now, but she
says she will always have "big" pigs in her life, even if just a few.
Nancy wants to concentrate on making the potbellied pigs her main focus. She
truly has a special connection with them.
Nancy tells one story that says it all. A sales person who supplies her with
several pig products told her once, "When I die, I want to be reincarnated
as a pig and live on YOUR farm."
P.S. I wrote this in the third person because I was being reflective --
looking from the outside in.
  
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"The Pig Person's Perfect
Pet"
