EmpowerU Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Right, Wrong or Indifferent... Featuring Troy Sloan
Date: November 1, 2025
Host(s): Weston Hendrix, Luke Domingue
Guest: Troy Sloan, Team Sloan Livestock (Show Pig Specialist)

Episode Overview

This episode of EmpowerU takes a deep dive into the show pig industry, telling the story of Troy Sloan—a respected breeder and operator of Team Sloan Livestock in Missouri. The episode explores Troy's journey from his start in livestock, his experiences with collegiate livestock judging, building up a successful show pig operation, breeding philosophies, marketing strategies, facility innovations, industry insights, and what continues to motivate him. Throughout, Troy provides transparent advice for newcomers, breeders, and anyone interested in livestock leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Troy Sloan’s Background and Early Career

• Family Roots & Upbringing: Grew up in a livestock family in Cameron, Missouri; parents were actively involved in showing and agriculture operations.

  “My parents both kind of grew up showing livestock ... so I kind of was just born into it, I guess, for lack of better terms.” (03:54, Troy)

• Education & Judging Experience: Fort Scott Community College (judging team) → Iowa State University; didn't formally judge in high school but made valuable connections and enjoyed the community.

  “I didn't judge in high school ... Coming into college, I felt like I was pretty much behind, to be honest.” (05:05, Troy)

Entering the Pig Industry: Growth and Philosophy

• Taking Over Team Sloan: After college, took charge of the family’s show pig segment, starting small with just a few sows and steadily expanding.

  “Honestly ... there was no plan. There was no ... nothing necessarily set in stone. It was just like, hey, let's give it a whirl and see where it goes.” (10:34, Troy)

• Key to Growth: Leveraged connections from judging and college to find markets. Admits hard work and lack of outside family obligations let him focus intensely on building his program.

• Scale: Now operates approximately 200-230 sows, with a mix of crossbreds and a handful of purebreds (Chesters, Spots, etc.).

Breeding Decisions and Foundations

• Selecting Keeper Gilts:

  • Main focus on structure: sound, good-footed, long-hipped, and built to last.
  • Early years prioritized consistency and saleability over style “home runs” due to limited resources.
  • Today, with a larger herd, more room for “swinging for the fence” and taking calculated risks in breeding.

  “I've always ... been a big structure guy and we've tried to make our females as good footed, just as good built and good structured as we can make them.” (13:08, Troy)
  “As the years have went on and we've gotten more sows, ... we can probably swing for the fence a little harder ... and make a few more of those wilder kind of looking higher dollar baby pigs.” (14:50, Troy)

• Breeding Philosophy:

  • Use of a diverse array of boars to maintain variety and maximize genetic potential.
  • Emphasis on the importance of broad selection for both phenotype and customer preference, not just “type.”

Marketing Strategies

• Shift to Digital:

  • Early on, photos/videos of pigs were unusual. Now, nearly all online sales feature videos, and social media presence is essential.

  “Now it's ... probably 95% of the pigs that sell online have a video.” (21:19, Troy)

• Team Approach: Emma Matthews does farm photos, while videos are DIY. Consistency, not just event-driven bursts, is crucial for effective outreach.

  “You consistently have to do it day in and day out. I don't think it's one of those things that you can be like, oh, we've got a sale next week, we gotta ... start doing social media.” (21:19, Troy)

Sale Preparation and Post-Sale Care

• Sale Preparation:

  • Focus on health from birth to sale day ("so, so challenging"), as presentation and animal well-being are both vital.
  • Detailed preparation includes skin/hair care, clipping, and behavior conditioning to ensure a quality experience for buyers.

  “First thing’s health ... we spend a lot of time just checking health ... trying to spend an hour a day in there just looking at pigs, seeing if something's off, studying stools, studying eyes, ... their demeanor.” (28:25, Troy)

• Feeding and Management after Sale:

  • Contrasts current practice to earlier, more aggressive “sale prep.” Now, more focused on managing moderate muscle in babies, lower protein feeds, hand-feeding, and gradual transitions to clients to ensure long-term quality.

  “We're probably feeding like lower proteins and probably just chilling these baby pigs out just a little more now than maybe we ever have been.” (25:08, Troy)

Facilities and Innovations

• Team Sloan’s New Sale Barn:

  • Multi-functional: pig pens, wash racks, climate controls, viewing room with kitchen/bar, and even bedrooms for guests.
  • Daily operations, sales, previews, and office tasks all efficiently located in one facility.

  “When we built it, I didn't know if that was a huge deal, but just having an office here right in the show barn and kind of by the sail barn has been ... so much more efficient.” (34:51, Troy) “If I'm ever passing through Missouri, I know where I'm coming to spend the night.” (38:00, Luke)

• Advice for Others:

  • For those building or upgrading barns: prioritize a wash rack, heated water, tanning pen, adequately-sized picture pen, and daily cleaning for best results.

  “You got a wash rack, you got a tanning pen, you got a picture pen ... fresh shavings, fresh air, good air quality and good show feed goes a long ways.” (43:05, Troy)

Industry Insights: Judging, Trends, and Luck

• Show Judge Trends & Challenges:

  • The “judge pool” has thinned, perhaps too much repetition.
  • Modern livestock enthusiasts are “dang critical... looking for that unicorn” (46:11, Troy).
  • Placement success hinges less on predicting judges’ favorites, more on bringing the soundest, most complete animal possible.

  “We have bred for so many parts and pieces, trying to get that unicorn, trying to get that freak, that we've ... ended up with a lot of pigs that are very problematic.” (49:52, Troy)

• Selecting Winning Pigs:

  • Admits a lot of guesswork is still involved, especially at the baby stage. Pedigree, structure, and a bit of intuition all matter, but surprises are constant.

  “If we knew, we'd only sell a few ... Money doesn't always buy your champion, and particularly in this species.” (52:18, Troy)

Motivations and Quotes

• Favorite Quotes/Motivation:
  • "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work." (55:24, Troy)
  • “When opportunity knocks, it’s too late to prepare.” (56:25, Troy)
  • Motivation comes both from customers (families and kids) relying on him and a commitment to his younger self’s dreams and ambitions.

  “If I'm going to expect that out of my customers, I want my customers to expect that out of me too.” (58:19, Troy)

• Biblical Reflection:
  • The episode closes with reflection on 1 Timothy 2:5-6, reinforcing faith and integrity as foundational to their community.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On starting Team Sloan:

  “There was no plan. There was no ... nothing necessarily set in stone. It was just like, hey, let's give it a whirl and see where it goes.” (10:34, Troy)

• On structure and consistency in breeding:

  “Our foundation was definitely built on good built, good structured ones ... Just a little longer hipped, probably a little more elevated and a little more conservative probably in terms of power.” (13:08, Troy)

• On the unpredictability of winning show pigs:

  “If we knew, we'd only sell a few ... Money doesn't always buy your champion, and particularly in this species.” (52:18, Troy)

• On industry evolution:

  “The judge list ... seems like it just keeps shrinking. And for whatever reason that is, I don't think it's necessarily anybody's fault. I just think that's the world that we're in right now.” (46:11, Troy)

• On sticking to the grind:

  “We come to work every day here at Team Sloan, and we just try to outwork them.” (55:24, Troy)

Important Timestamps

• 00:33 – Troy’s introduction
• 03:54 – Early involvement in livestock & family support
• 05:05 – College, judging experience, and making connections
• 10:34 – Returning after college and the start of Team Sloan
• 13:08 – Breeding philosophy and selection of gilts
• 14:50 – Breeding decisions past and present
• 21:19 – Modern marketing tactics, videos, and social media
• 25:08 – Post-sale management and feeding philosophy
• 28:25 – Behind the scenes of running successful sales
• 34:51 – New sale facility details
• 38:37 – Barn design tips and efficiency
• 46:11 – Trends and challenges with show judges
• 52:18 – On unpredictability in selecting winning pigs
• 55:24 – Favorite motivational quote and philosophy
• 58:19 – What empowers Troy to improve daily

Takeaways for Listeners

• The show pig industry, like much of livestock, requires adaptability, connections, and relentless effort—there’s no single formula for success.
• Building a good team, both on the farm and with customers, is vital.
• Modern marketing and leveraging social media can make or break sales.
• There is no guaranteed “look” for a future champion at the baby stage—a lot comes down to providing opportunities and hard work.
• Community, faith, and a commitment to continual improvement drive both individuals and operations forward.

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