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Swine
What is it all about?
The 4-H Swine project helps you learn about swine breeds, health care, production, management, showmanship, marketing and careers in the swine industry. Learn principles of animal science and gain life skills, like responsibility, by owning, caring for and keeping records on one or more head of livestock. Gain knowledge of sound breeding, feeding and management practices.
Grow in Your Project
Beginner
- Learn breed names and descriptions
- Identify swine body parts
- Plan a facility to keep swine safe and healthy
- Learn how to feed and water your pig
- Identify how a normal pig looks and acts
- Name and describe pork meat cuts
Intermediate
- Learn differences in preparing pork cuts by cooking and tasting
- Explore normal pig characteristics
- Understand swine management practices
- Analyze and make decisions on how to solve swine issues
- Formulate a swine ration
Advanced
- Learn about swine genetics
- Plan swine breeding
- Explore farrow-to-finish facilities
- Learn how to manage baby pigs
- Balance a swine ration
- Explore international swine markets
Member Resources
Pig Project Curriculum
3 levels (grades 3-12)
At the Interface between Livestock and Predators Curriculum
1 level (grades 3-12)
Free Downloads
Project Leader Resources
Pig Project Helper’s Guide
3 levels (grades 3-12)
PYD Media Collection
Many educational resources, including several skillathons and learning lab kit.
Free Downloads
Statewide Events and Opportunities
4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl & Skillathon
Livestock Bowl is a quiz competition where all the questions are about beef, sheep, swine, and meat goat topics and students use a buzzer in order to answer the questions. Teams compete in a double elimination format by giving oral answers to questions posed by a moderator. Each match has both an individual and toss-up question round. The winning 4-H senior team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl competition.
Audience: Grades 3-13
Area Animal Science Days
Area Animal Science Days is a series of day-long events held around the state in June where youth in the beef, dairy, horse, sheep, and swine projects increase their decision-making skills and knowledge of animals through judging and grading experiences. Events include dairy cattle evaluation; livestock (beef, sheep, swine, & meat goats) evaluation; oral reasons contests for senior members; and dairy showmanship contests . In addition, each site may offer a variety of workshops like poster and photography contests or horse judging activities.
Audience: Grades 3-13
Meats Judging Contest
This contest tests the knowledge of youth in the placement of carcass and retail cut classes, carcass grading, and retail cut identification. Top teams earn the opportunity to compete at regional and national competitions.
Audience: Grades 3-13
State Livestock Judging
Teams that placed well at Area Animal Science Days are invited to the state contest. This contest usually occurs at the end of July and is the contest that selects our State winners for National Competition. The top senior teams have an opportunity to represent WI 4-H and compete at national level 4-H contests.
Audience: Age 14-18
Take Your Project Further!
- Visit a local feed mill and see how feed ingredients are mixed, weighed and blended to make a complete ration
- Compare feed tags from different companies
- Visit a local meat locker or local grocery meat case to observe preparation and packaging
- Learn how to evaluate meat cuts, quality grade, yield grade and how these affect taste and cost
- Ride with a local veterinarian to learn about animal health
- Participate on a livestock judging team and compete in the State Livestock Judging Contest
- Participate on a meat judging team and compete in the States Meats Judging Contest
- Research swine by-products
- Consider showing in your County Fair swine show or the Wisconsin State Fair
Applying Project Skills to Life
Enhance Your Communication Skills
- Design a poster on parts of the animal
- Participate in a judging contest giving oral reasons
- Give a tail docking demonstration
- Research state or national swine organizations
- Interview agencies about environmental issues
Get Involved in Citizenship and Service
- Volunteer to do swine promotion presentations
- Provide pork taste testing at a grocery store to promote local food
- Provide safe pork handling instructional handouts at local grocery stores
- Bring a pig to a petting zoo
Learn about Leadership
- Lead a swine showmanship and grooming session prior to your county fair
- “Adopt” a younger person and help him or her explore the swine project
- Plan and conduct a swine showmanship clinic for younger members
- Arrange questions and hold a swine quiz bowl
Showing What You’ve Learned
- Participate in the 4-H swine show
- Create a Swine Show Kit
- Consider an exhibit, notebook or display showing what you’ve learned in a swine-related topic:
- Nutritive value of pork
- Pork meat cuts and proper preparation
- Feeding rations
- Importance of reading feed labels
- Preventative vaccinations
- Photos of different swine breeds
- Daily routine in caring for animals
- Grooming techniques
- Best care techniques for newborns
- Hog by-products
- Bio-security measures for livestock farmers
- Selection and how to judge a market hog or breeding gilt
- Explain how to read pig ear notches
Adapted with permission from Wyoming State 4-H, Project Information Sheet, Swine. Retrieved from: https://www.uwyo.edu/4-h/projects/animal-science/swine.html.
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