Showpig.com Main Logo
Featured image for the article titled How They Work :: Crane Show Pigs

How They Work :: Crane Show Pigs

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Breeder Central

Crane Show Pigs is a 120-head sow operation in Protechett, Colorado, with 80 replacement females and up to 12 boars in stud. It was founded by Steve Crane in 1991 after he realized that college wasn’t for him. He packed it up, after six weeks, and came back home to farm and raise show pigs. Steve and Christi married in 2010, combining households and livestock experience. She is the mother to Katherine (17), Elizabeth (13) and Ryder (10). Christi grew up showing livestock in Texas, and working on her family’s cattle ranch. Showing has always been in her blood, but she never dreamed that pigs would someday become a part of that equation. Marketing and public relations are Christi’s specialty, and her involvement with Crane Show Pigs has helped transform and expand the operation.

One word that best describes how you work: Organized

Current Mobile Device: iPhone 6

Current Computer: MacBook

Current Camera: Nikon D3200

First, tell us what you feel separates your business from other operations in the show pig business?
Having an in-house public relations and consulting firm. When Steve and I married, he was adamant that he didn’t want me working. I didn’t realize (at the time) that what he really meant was he didn’t want me having other clients. LOL. I’m Suzy Homemaker in every sense; but I’m also at his beck and call everyday. We may be great spouses to one another, but Steve and I are even better business partners. I completely understand the crazy hours and the importance of investing back into the operation. And, there are times I’m probably more aggressive about that than he is. Some of our most memorable disagreements have started with me saying, “Why did you quit bidding?” I know many wives aren’t geared like that. But, I trust him and his decisions completely and he trusts mine, and it works very well for us.

What websites, apps or tools can’t you live without? Why?
Social media is a huge player – so I keep up-to-date on all the familiar haunts. Others include Over and the Weather Channel app. We rarely watch television, but when we do it is usually via Netflix.

How do you keep your to-do list?
Handwritten, in my planner. I have daily and monthly to-dos, and that is where I make notes, jot down ideas and sketch out upcoming promotional pieces. We also use dry erase whiteboards in the semen lab, show barns, etc.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without and why?
Does Amazon Prime count? When you live where we do, a trip to town takes all day. Free shipping and no driving for me, is a good thing!

What do you listen to while you work?
Podcasts and Red Dirt music. When hauling, it is everything from Bob Willis and Bob Seger to both CCR’s (Creedence Clearwater Revival and Cross Canadian Ragweed).

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?
Customer relations and multi-tasking. I am so thankful of my time spent as an Intern and later as a Marketing Specialist for The American Quarter Horse Association in Amarillo, Texas. I learned so much there, and those lessons still apply today. Simple things can mean so much, like, always answer the phone with a smile and a warm greeting. People don’t have to call you or come to your farm…so always, always be thankful that they took the time to seek you out. It’s pretty simple: Just serve others with a grateful heart and treat folks the way you wish to be treated. I’m just the tip of the iceberg here, and Steve and Alek (our herdsman) are even better when it comes to being hands-on with customers. Spending time, one-on-one with customers, and listening to what they want is the backbone of Crane Show Pigs.

What are you currently reading?
The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog, Seedstock Edge, Purple Circle, and Steve’s breeding book notes.

How do you recharge?
I bet no one else will duplicate this answer, but here it goes…I knit. I’m one of those people that has to be busy, all the time. I hate to just sit; so to “relax” I usually have a pair of needles and wool yarn in my hands. I often get to test and tech edit knitting patterns for designers so that is a creative and challenging outlet for me. Spending time in the mountains, away from the phone, is another favorite. We are also a die-hard basketball family, and you will find us at nearly every local, high school game. We have started a fun tradition here at Crane Show Pigs, involving basketball. When our local, high school basketball teams make the playoffs, we take them out for a celebratory dinner, at each stage of the playoffs. It’s a neat way for our family to say thank you, and show our appreciation to all the athletes and coaches.

What is your favorite and least-favorite chore?
Favorite: Helping the kids in the show barn. I love getting up super early, grabbing a cup of coffee and heading out to walk pigs. The kids work their pigs, and I work the young boars, and that is our extra special ‘just us’ time before the day gets busy. Plus, it’s a great way to start a summer day!  Least Favorite: Cleaning pens, especially those occupied by those same young, amorous boars.

How long does it take you to picture, sort and write a description for ONLY one pig in an online sale?
For the sake of our marriage, Steve and I no longer work on photos together. That is now a job for Steve and Alek or Alek and I. Steve dictates the descriptions, and I type them. We still sell primary on-the-farm, so I can’t imagine the time and stress of picturing and writing online descriptions for the number of pigs we sell every year.  

Describe your ideal customer.
Repeat customers, of course. But as for new customers, we love those who are willing to listen, willing to learn and willing to work hard at home. And, someone who’s not afraid to take off the training wheels and ride on their own. We all started somewhere, and this industry is a fun trip if you are willing to navigate those blind curves and pedal up those hills. You can’t reach the summit without some dedication and effort on your part!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
There are few things in this world that never, ever go out of style. Kindness, Honesty, Integrity, Morals, Good Manners and Class are timeless. And my Dad’s mantra of, “Always remember where you came from, yet know where you are going”. Another one that Steve and I truly follow is the biblical teaching of “In everything you do, sow good seeds. Plant only what you wish to harvest later on.”