Pig Team Promotes Pork At Parades

Pig team promotes pork at parades AG WORLD Ag World 10-4-18 Have you ever seen a team of hogs harnessed like horses and pulling a trailer? That's a question FARM SHOW readers frequently ask. Well, we finally tracked down a now-retired hog team. Edwin Egli, New Salem, N. Dak., hog raiser trained "Fred" and "Barney", a pair of Hampshire-Yorkshire-Duroc crossbreeds, to pull in the local centennial parade. The team worked so well and were so popular that Edwin ended up taking them to many other parades, including the North Dakota State Fair near Minot. Besides being fun, the pork pulling team was a good way to promote pork and Egli's "Bacon Hill Farm". "It took about six weeks to train them. First, when they were about 180 lbs., we separated them from the rest of the group to tame them down. We made halters for them and, once they were used to the halters, connected a 1-ft. chain between the halters so they'd get used to walking together. Then, we started teaching them to lead and finally to pull a trailer. We used pony bits and reins and had the harnesses specially-built," notes Egli. "They could stop and start on command and 'steered' using the reins." As part of the parade procession, Egli built a trailer for the porkers to pull. It carries four people, runs on bicycle tires and is painted with "Eat Pork" and "Egli's Bacon Hill Farm" lettering.

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