Jan. 23, 2014
Contact:
Tyler Bettin, Producer Education Director
(800) 372-7675, tbettin@iowapork.org
For Immediate Release!
Adair County farmer is state’s top purebred swine producer
(CLIVE, Iowa) — A “new generation” seedstock producer from Orient has been named the winner of
the 2013 Master Seedstock Award by the Iowa Purebred Swine Council.
Matt Rohrig received the award at the 42nd annual Iowa Pork Congress Banquet in Des Moines last
night.
Rohrig is a full-time salesman for Hog Slat, building and servicing swine production units in Iowa and
Nebraska, but he also is in the business of raising show pigs for youth exhibitions and purebred
Yorkshire development. He’s been raising purebred Yorkshires for 12 years and has 60 purebred
Yorkshire and crossbred sows.
Matt’s goal is to produce about 100 litters annually, primarily for show pig markets. His fall pigs are
usually sold to Texas and Oklahoma buyers and his spring hogs are sold in Iowa and other Midwest and
Southern states. Matt also has demand for purebred animals from other breeders and from commercial
operations. The remainder are sold as feeder pigs or fed out to market weight.
The Yorkshire breed has been good to Rohrig as evidenced by recent grand and reserve championship
entries of both gilts and boars at the Iowa State Fair, National Barrow Show and other exhibitions.
Matt has been active in the Iowa Purebred Swine Council, working on the Iowa Swine Jackpot Series
subcommittee and helping to plan and build the Iowa State Fair exhibit – Little Hands on the Farm. He
is involved in state and national Yorkshire Breed Association activities, a role that continues to expand
as he was recently elected to the American Yorkshire Club Board of Directors.
The Iowa Purebred Swine Council has sponsored the Master Seedstock Award since 1958 and has
selected one Master Seedstock Award recipient each year since then. Its purpose is to recognize
significant contributions to the Iowa and national purebred industries and for evidence of genetic
improvements within their selected breeds for the benefit of Iowa, the nation and, in many cases,
internationally.
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