‘Girl on Fire’ Sells Pig for $111,000 in Parker County Livestock Auction

Jun 12, 2023

Summer Hardin burst into tears when lot number 22 brought in a shocking $111,000 on Saturday night at the Parker County Stock Show Sale of Champions.

Although one could say the Champion Berkshire Market Hog at the Parker County Stock Show was a great one, the money raised wasn’t about the pig. The money raised was to honor a young woman who wasn’t able to show that pig this year because she’s fighting a battle that no one saw coming.

A group of friends pulled together to buy 16-year-old Paizlee Hardin’s barrow in the premium auction. Since March 15, Hardin’s life turned upside down when this avid pig showman from Brock, Texas, lost her ability to walk and began experiencing “crazy symptoms” as she refers to the intense pain she began to experience that baffled doctors.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.