Sep 22, 2026 · 29 min · 13 segments
Episode: Confusing Judging Terms, Part II Episode Summary: In this episode of *To The Front*, Tony Morris and Thomas Gross dive back into some of the confusing judging terms exhibitors hear in the…
The question that we got sent in says, I understand what short-backed means, but why is that a good thing? And maybe I'm going to change this question a little bit to say, is it a good thing, Tony? What say you short-backed?
And from a proportions standpoint, and especially when they're young and growing...
Shorter coupled animals in general, shorter backed, gives them an easier way to be proportional in their length, like of their front third, their middle third being shorter, and their back third being longer.
It makes those three blend together because of all those, the middle tends to get the longest, right? And so I totally understand why...
why people would, why that looks visually appealing, right? And in the show ring where we're trying to get these things really bulked up and ready to go at an early age and keep them that way their whole life, that really is makes those animals that are shorter coupled in general, shorter in their back and then more proportional in their thirds.
To me, those animals just look better from an earlier age and they're easier to get ready, right? There's no doubt about it.
And I remember the very first time I saw the physiological growth curve right back in a college course at Oklahoma State, you know, where it showed long bone growth and how that starts early and you almost have to get that done before, you know, muscle growth begins to peak along with it.
And then the last thing we get is fat or adipose tissue starting to lay on and how those things are affected.
And if you're smaller framed, if you're shorter coupled, then that growth curve changes and it looks more appealing in the show ring.
Is it a good thing? I would tell you if you look at carcass value in the swine in particular, if you compare what like pork cutout is in terms of being paid on your percentages of high value, you know, box retail cuts, no, it's not a good thing.
The highest priced retail cuts of pork really of any animal are up in their back over their rib and then their length of loin.
And so if we shorten them that way, they're simply less pounds of that proportion to the carcass weight to sell.
And that changes their pork cutout value when you really break it down commercially, right? Now, does that make them look good in the show ring if they're long back? No, it doesn't.
But, you know, if we want to get down to the nitty gritty of what really drives carcass value, then no, it's not a good thing.
Does it look good in the show ring? It sure does, and so I understand why people select for it.
I think this is the – we'll state the elephant in the room being this is where we have departed from real-world application in the show ring.
I'm okay with that, and I think we just need to know that going into it, and we need to freely admit that.
I think people that fight and say – Short-backed show pigs are real-world viable.
The question that we got sent in says, I understand what short-backed means, but why is that a good thing? And maybe I'm going to change this question a little bit to say, is it a good thing, Tony? What say you short-backed?
And from a proportions standpoint, and especially when they're young and growing...
Shorter coupled animals in general, shorter backed, gives them an easier way to be proportional in their length, like of their front third, their middle third being shorter, and their back third being longer.
It makes those three blend together because of all those, the middle tends to get the longest, right? And so I totally understand why...
why people would, why that looks visually appealing, right? And in the show ring where we're trying to get these things really bulked up and ready to go at an early age and keep them that way their whole life, that really is makes those animals that are shorter coupled in general, shorter in their back and then more proportional in their thirds.
To me, those animals just look better from an earlier age and they're easier to get ready, right? There's no doubt about it.
And I remember the very first time I saw the physiological growth curve right back in a college course at Oklahoma State, you know, where it showed long bone growth and how that starts early and you almost have to get that done before, you know, muscle growth begins to peak along with it.
And then the last thing we get is fat or adipose tissue starting to lay on and how those things are affected.
And if you're smaller framed, if you're shorter coupled, then that growth curve changes and it looks more appealing in the show ring.
Is it a good thing? I would tell you if you look at carcass value in the swine in particular, if you compare what like pork cutout is in terms of being paid on your percentages of high value, you know, box retail cuts, no, it's not a good thing.
The highest priced retail cuts of pork really of any animal are up in their back over their rib and then their length of loin.
And so if we shorten them that way, they're simply less pounds of that proportion to the carcass weight to sell.
And that changes their pork cutout value when you really break it down commercially, right? Now, does that make them look good in the show ring if they're long back? No, it doesn't.
But, you know, if we want to get down to the nitty gritty of what really drives carcass value, then no, it's not a good thing.
Does it look good in the show ring? It sure does, and so I understand why people select for it.
I think this is the – we'll state the elephant in the room being this is where we have departed from real-world application in the show ring.
I'm okay with that, and I think we just need to know that going into it, and we need to freely admit that.
I think people that fight and say – Short-backed show pigs are real-world viable.
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