meet your neighbors
Creating Opportunities By Terry Ropp
Brothers Conner and Dalton Palarino want young exhibitors to have the chance to hit the ring Connor Palarino’s father Danny always had a few help expand their Oklahoma market, while perhaps adding other cattle, and Connor was really into sports when he areas. The Palarinos sold all of their show pigs in their first year of business, a much better result than they anticipated. was young, playing both basketball and baseball. Connor believes most people don’t understand the time and care However, Connor’s grandfather, Lonnie Mack Tolbert, had always welded at the fairgrounds and wanted Connor and his brother Dal- needed to raise quality show pigs. Nutrition is an important part of ton to show. One day Connor and his grandfather struck up a deal. that care. The Palarinos have established a good health protocol, If Connor cleaned the lean-to workshop, he would take the boys to with particular attention paid to PRRS virus, a reproductive and Oklahoma to buy their first set of three show pigs. Connor was 9 respiratory illness prevented through vaccination. “The coronavirus hasn’t had as much an impact on us as it has on years old at the time and jumped at the chance. They took the trip and bought two cross gilts, one blue butt and one belted, as well as others,” Connor said. “One show gets canceled, and two or three a purebred Duroc. Dalton wasn’t much interested and didn’t want more pop up. The National Western was canceled, but then the anything to do with the pigs, but in time Dalton did show because, Stockman’s Showcase in Chickasha, Okla., popped up and offered like many brothers, he and Conner did everything together. As another show venue.” Overhead has to be kept in control in these early stages. The brothadults, the brothers recently started a show pig operation. ers sold a large trailer and recently Last year, their first year, the bought a six-pen trailer that, acbrothers had four litters. They cording to Connor, “beats what now have 10 sows. For a few we had in our homemade trailer.” years, Connor attended the UniThe sows currently remain outversity of Arkansas in Fayetteside until the new business can ville. Then he hurt his Achilles afford to build a barn. Connor tendon, forcing him to stay at and Dalton both work off the home. farm, with Connor working at “I just didn’t go back and the Farmers Co-Op in Ozark and now the coronavirus has made Dalton teaching financial literacy returning a bit of a problem,” and coaching basketball at Pea Connor explained. Ridge Junior High. The brothers breed by AI, with Dalton’s distance from the Connor doing all the breeding, a family farm eliminates him skill learned from watching his from helping on daily chores, grandfather and County Extenthough he comes over most sion Agent Cindy Ham, who weekends. In addition, brothers has since moved to a different talk all of the time, planning location. Using AI, a Duroc sow Submitted Photo and making decisions together. has recently been bred to a regTheir father is still raising comistered Duroc boar. The brothers decided to buy pigs from a successful producer and take his advice on mercial calves and has a herd of 20 females bred by an Angus-influenced bull. Connor and Dalton have the beginnings of a cow/calf which boar’s semen to use. “AI makes a lot of sense because Arkansas Youth Expo and Arkan- operation and plan to use Danny’s bull. At his last birthday, Connor sas’ showing season are in the fall, while Oklahoma’s major showing received four 18-month-old open heifers, and Dalton’s father-in-law season is in the spring,” Connor said. “AI allows us to control the gave them five Angus-cross heifers. While their focus currently is on show pigs, both brothers love and enjoy working in agribreeding cycles better. Piglets are born in late February culture and are just getting started. and early March and sold 8 weeks after that, so they will Judsonia, Ark. “Our current goal right now is to give kids an opporbe ready to show in the fall. We’re also planning on havtunity we didn’t have,” Dalton explained. “I learned ing one litter for the Oklahoma market.” through experience and watching others that to be sucThe biggest challenge for the Palarino brothers is decessful, you have to work hard and grind it out. Having veloping a market. Their marketing strategy is geared toshow pigs for those kids will provide them with that kind of ward finding a return customer base. The Palarino brothopportunity and experience.” ers believe broader exposure with online marketing will APRIL 26, 2021
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