On this week’s edition of The Inside Scoop, we caught up with Josh Brockman, owner and operator of Brockman Farms. Josh gives an inside look at his operation and even shares some fun facts that you may not know! Read his interview below.  

Describe your operation in terms of scope, size, breeds, etc.
Brockman Farms fluctuates between 200-250 females pending the time of year, gilt retention, and sows that make the cut each year. Currently we are sitting right above 200 mature females on the place with the majority of them bred. The main boar barn has 13 pens and is usually sitting at max capacity. We’ve been able to use two other barns as overflow when needed as the boar stud fluctuates in size each year pending the amount of boars we keep to use here and service our customer base and those that we’ve sold to other friends and firms to do the same in their customer base. As far as breeds there are 4 Chester sows of the kids, and the rest are crossbreds.  

What, in your opinion, makes your operation unique?  
Our sow herd is intensely line bred. They almost all tie back to the same few sows and with the boars we’ve been blessed with, we’ve been able to intensify that even further. Not sure that makes us any more unique then the next firm, but there isn’t, at least for the moment, much outcrossed blood running around here.  

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?  
Jesus began His earthly ministry saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17). Also, just before Jesus ascended to the Father, He charged His disciples with the great commission “..that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations…” (Luke 24:47)   Best advice=Repent and turn to Christ Jesus.  

Describe your ideal customer.  
The kind that trusts me to do everything I can for them to be successful, and that I can trust to do the same. It takes everyone on the same page to reach the mountain tops in this industry.  

Share a story of one pig that stands out amongst the rest of the ones you have raised.  
In the spring of 2020, we sold Next Intention to Premium Blend.  A neat fact of that is I told Carrie when I sold him that if he was as good as I thought he was, that he was in the right sows to make another one to replace him. A little into the summer Wither was loaded in the crate bred to Next. Those who know much about our operation know that I don’t spend much time in the farrowing house, but I did go in to see Withers litter and while on the sow I told Carrie “there he is, if he doesn’t die.” That little painted up pig eventually became known as My Intention and he is my favorite pig that’s ever been created here. It's easy to throw rocks at any of them anymore, and I’m not saying he’s perfect. But he's the most exotic, unique, special, crazy looking animal I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’ve never seen another animal of a species like him, and look forward to the day that I do. …I just hope our name is behind him or someone in our crew is showing him that day.  

One thing you can’t live without as a breeder.  
My wife. I often tell Carrie, if something happens to her, they’ll probably be a big sale around here.  

What is one chore that you hate to do but must be done?  
We’ve got one drainage line from one sow barn that is set a little shallow and when it backs up that’s usually not a fun  job.  

If you could raise pigs anywhere in the world BESIDES the state you are in, where would it be and why?  
Is there anyone who wouldn't want to live in Louisiana?  

What’s playing on your radio while working in the barn all day?  
I love a few programs that I listen to just about daily in my AirPods running around the farm. The Unashamed Podcast, American Family Radio. I also listen to a lot of sermons on the Grace To You app, you can find about anything there biblically.  

A thing you can’t live without unrelated to pigs  
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.” (John 3:36) That’s the only answer to the question of what any of us can't live without.  

A fun fact that many people may not know about you.  
When she was a show gilt, I priced Cruel Intention’s mother to two different guys on the same day at the same show. The first one agreed to buy her, but a small complication of timing they could get her ended the agreement, and I am thankful God took care of that for us looking back at it now.  

This or that:

Picturing or Videoing? Come see them in person. Its always better.  
Crossbreds or Purebreds? Crossbreds  
Stay in a hotel or stay in a camper? Hotels, every time. Though campers are getting very nice it seems.  
Stay home or go to a show? I feel like we live on the road 9 months out of the year between Brockman Farms and the kids showing cattle and pigs.  
Frozen semen or fresh? With the boars here we use fresh, but have seen enough to know both work. Frozen gives a great opportunity for timeline and availibilty.