Sumrall MS Swanee Rose GR032

Sumrall MS Swanee Rose GR032, bred by Gary Sumrall

Sold to Cathy R. Payne, Broad River Pastures, November, 2015 to April, 2017
Owned by Jessica Creighton,  Freer Prospects Farm since April, 2017

Above, Sumrall MS Swanee Rose on pasture at age 3 years.

 

Above, Sumrall MS Swanee Rose, age 3 years.

Note sworl cowlick below on Swanee Rose’s backside. About one out of 8 piglets she farrows inherits this trait.

sdddd vidieo shows Sumrall MS Swanee Rose at age 2 years. She is nursing a

litter of piglets sired by Sumrall MS DuBose. Although the litter is just a couple days old, she has them out in open pasture. They are nursing vigorously and show good body structure including broad shoulders and backsides. Teats in males and females have very wide spacing.

The photograph above was taken a few days after I brought Sumrall MS Swanee Rose from the Sumrall Farm in Laurel Mississippi. She is 11 months old.

Bio for Sumrall MS Swanee Rose GR032

Sumrall MS Swanee Rose was born at the Sumrall Family Farm in Laurel, Mississippi and bred by Gary Sumrall. She was sold to me, Cathy R. Payne of Broad River Pastures, on November 18th, 2015. Swanee Rose was and open gilt 11 months old. I chose her because of her small size. At 11 months, she was the only gilt of breeding age that was small enough to fit into the largest crate I could fit in my Prius V wagon. While I was there,  I interviewed Gary Sumrall, who, while bedridden on a sofa, was reportedly having “a good day.” I met his wife, Janis, and his son, Brent, who also goes by Buck.  I brought home Sumrall MS DuBose GR020, the last boar Gary both bred and selected. He was proud of the boar because it looked like those his father had raised.

Swanee Rose is probably the best sow I ever had the pleasure to own. Her teats, when full, hang down like those of a sheep or goat. Even the rear teats between her legs are full, unlike other Guinea hog sows I owned. In addition, her teats are extremely well spaced and placed, giving all the piglets room at the milk bar. Her offspring generally inherit this trait. If they do not, they are culled, because this is a very positive trait in her lineage. Swanee Rose nurses her young every 30 minutes around the clock, from birth until I wean them for her. I’ve never seen a sow who offered herself so freely and so often. The downside is that she requires much feeding to keep in condition, as small as she is. I generally start weaning her offspring younger than most, beginning with the largest in the litter. Swanee Rose was a confident mother beginning with her first litter. She took them out to pasture within 24 hours, nursing them out in the open. She taught them good manners.  Her temperament is first rate, and she allows her care givers to handle piglets from birth for examination, notching, and tagging. Her pedigree includes Hesters (Hale-bred) Mork and Hesters Cracker from the 1990s Hester herd in Indiana. These hogs were on the small side compared to other lines. I suspect that Swanee Rose’s small size is a throw back to that part of her family tree. When she farrows, there is usually a breeding quality gilt with lovely conformation, temperament, and teat placement along with petite size. I chose to keep that one for breeding along with a larger gilt in order to preserve what I believe to be the Hesters trait. Ironically, her piglets are generally the largest ever born on my pastures. They are muscular from day one and grow exponentially fast from her rich milk and frequent nursings.  There are big surprises in this little package! Swanee Rose produced 4 litters and at least one litter of grand offspring by the time she was accepted into the AHGA registry by way of their Genetic Recovery program.  In April, 2018 I transferred ownership to Jessica Creighton, Freer Prospects Farm in Roxbora, North Carolina along with Sumrall MS Dubose and several of their offspring.

It is my hope that Jessica can keep me updated with photographs of Swanee Rose at 4 years and beyond, update us on her personality and mothering abilities, and post pictures of future offspring.

Cathy R. Payne