In this installment of Showmen Currently in the Field, we sit down with Tim Fort—whose career spans both the commercial pork industry and the show pig world. From buying his first show pig with summer mowing money to designing 10,000-sow “skyscraper” pig farms in China, Tim’s journey shows how the skills gained in the show ring can translate into a lifetime of opportunities in agriculture.

Q: ShowPig

Tim, thanks for joining us! Let’s start with your background. How did you first get involved with pigs?

A: Tim Fort
I actually started as a bit of a city kid. However, when my family moved near my grandparents in White Deer, Texas, I met a friend named Charles Jones, who had pigs and cattle. I loved animals, and when I got to high school, I joined FFA.

I had saved up about $125 from mowing lawns all summer, and I was determined to buy a show pig. At a sale in Paul’s Valley, Oklahoma, I bought my first pig for $140. My ag teacher chipped in the extra $15. That pig was from Harvey Richardson, and I ended up winning my class at the county fair. That experience hooked me, and I was all in on show pigs from then on.

I worked with well-known breeders like Mike Clay, and when I went to South Plains College, I started raising pigs myself. We had a really successful run in the early 1990s—winning several Texas majors and even Oklahoma City. It was a dream start in the industry.

Q: ShowPig

That’s an incredible start! How did you make the transition from the show pig side into the commercial swine industry?

A: Tim Fort
Honestly, it wasn’t planned. Life took some turns—I got married, divorced, and sold the farm. At that point, I needed a job. The one thing I knew well was pigs.

I started with Murphy Family Farms (which later became part of Smithfield) in Missouri, then moved to Seaboard Farms when they were building out rapidly in the 1990s. That gave me a front-row seat to one of the last massive Greenfield swine projects in the U.S. Later, I became a national account manager with Consolidated Nutrition.

In 2009, my career took a global turn. I began consulting and building farms overseas, spending seven years in Russia and later working extensively in China. I’ve now been involved in designing some of the world’s largest pig farms—including a 10,000-sow, four-story farrow-to-finish farm in China.

Q: ShowPig

Those “skyscraper” swine farms in China are fascinating. Can you describe what they’re like?

A: Tim Fort
They’re unlike anything we have in the U.S. The unit I worked on had two 5,000-sow facilities side by side, each with four levels. On each floor, you have a complete farrow-to-finish setup—farrowing, nursery, and finishing. When pigs are market-ready, they move down ramps (like at a sports stadium) or elevators.

Biosecurity is on another level—literally. You go through multiple showers, medical swabs, and hours of testing before you even see a pig. The farms are 100% filtered with positive-pressure ventilation systems, so air is pushed out rather than sucked in. That prevents viruses like ASF (African swine fever) from entering. It’s the highest biosecurity I’ve ever seen.

Q: ShowPig

Speaking of ASF, you’ve seen the disease firsthand. What has your experience taught you about its impact?

A: Tim Fort
I first encountered ASF in Russia, where it spread from Georgia via wild pigs. It eventually reached Europe and China. No country has fully stopped it yet—it’s devastating.

Russia takes a “stamp it out” approach by depopulating entire herds. China takes more of a foot-and-mouth style approach—testing and removing—but the virus persists. With half the world’s pigs in China, it was a massive food security issue.

Here in the U.S., we’ve been lucky so far. But it’s critical that travelers take biosecurity seriously—being honest on customs forms, not bringing pork products back, and respecting signage at airports. ASF lives in meat for weeks, which makes garbage feeding especially dangerous. If it ever reached North America, it would be devastating to both commercial producers and the show pig industry.

Q: ShowPig

You’ve had an extraordinary career in both the show and commercial sides of pigs. What advice would you give to young showmen?

A: Tim Fort
Showing pigs is one of the best preparations for life. I call it “playing life with a safety net.” You’re learning responsibility, hard work, and perseverance in a supported environment.

You lose more than you win in the show ring, and that’s exactly how life works. It teaches you to bounce back, to keep going when things don’t go your way, and to work hard even when others may have more resources. Those lessons build character, grit, and resilience—qualities that serve you far beyond the barn.

From buying his first pig with lawn-mowing money to building global-scale farms, Tim Fort’s story proves that the foundation built in the show pig industry can open doors to opportunities across the globe. His reminder about perseverance, responsibility, and protecting our swine herd through biosecurity is one every exhibitor and producer should take to heart.