We Are Indiana Agriculture: Emiley Gaskill Doing What She Loves

Emiley Gaskill and her husband, Randy, live in Adams County.  They have three sons: Aaron, who works for Helena Chemical Company; Brandon, a service man for Oracle Pork; and Craig, who is a manager over 10,000-head of wean-to-finish hogs. 

Randy and Emiley are also the proud grandparents of 2-year-old Gaven who, Emiley says, “Is the apple of my eye.”  

The Gaskills are proud supporters of 4-H, having all completed 10 years in the organization.  They are also members of the National Junior Swine Association. “Our family raises and shows swine for exhibition.  We show at county, state, and national levels. We currently breed 30 sows to raise piglets to sell to other young people who want to show them. We have had success in and out of the show ring as we have built relationships with other swine exhibitors, and have gained important knowledge and life skills that have made our show pig business what it is today.”

“We follow the advice from our veterinarian on the health and well-being for our pigs and the National Pork Board’s PQA (Pork Quality Assurance) program to ensure that, on our pig farm, the pigs are kept healthy and safe,” Emiley explains.  “We care about the kind of care our pigs receive after they are sold, so we work with families on educating them on proper pig care and handling, nutrition, and want our pigs to do well for them."

Her favorite part of farming is the long nights they spend as a family in the barn when the “mama pigs” are giving birth.  “We want every pig to get off on the right start from the very moment they are born.”

Emiley also serves on the Indiana Pork Producers Association Board of Directors and is the chair for the youth show pig committee, where they hope to engage more young people in pig farming.  She also gives speaking presentations through the National Pork Board’s Operation Main Street speaker’s bureau. Emiley serves as a PQA Advisor to help other pig farmers by educating them on good production practices and getting their farms assessed for certification.

“I feel it’s very important for pig farmers to be advocates for our industry, because no one knows it better than us, and if we aren’t out there sharing how and why we do the things we do, then someone else might tell consumers things that simply are not true. We raise and feed our family the same quality of pork that consumers find in the stores, so we want to make sure it’s the very best.  I love what we do and want to share what I love with everyone!”