Big boar was big attraction at State Fair of Texas

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

Debbie and Jim Brennan of Garland listen to information about Boris the Big Boar given by Daryl Real, vice president of ag and livestock for the State Fair of Texas. Boris came to the fair from Iowa and weighs 1,183 pounds. He will make his television debut on Oct. 25 when "The View" is aired live from Dallas. Staff photo by Cope

Oct. 21, 2004 - While there was plenty of unique sights, sounds, and tastes at this year's State Fair of Texas, it was the big pig housed at the swine barn that earned the most exclamations of "Wow!"

Weighing nearly 1,200 pounds, and standing over four-feet tall, Boris is deemed the largest hog in the United States, according to Daryl Real, vice president the State Fair's of Ag and Livestock Department.

Boris the Big Boar is owned by Commercial Edge Genetics' Gene Stoltzfus of North English, Iowa. He is a 4-year-old fullblood Yorkshire.

"He weighed 1,183 pounds, officially, at the Iowa State Fair during the first part of August," Real said. That size allowed Boris to claim the "biggest" title.

Real attended the Iowa State Fair and witnessed the weigh-in. He later contacted Stoltzfus about bringing the humongous hog to the State Fair of Texas.

The phenomenal porcine proved to be a pinnacle of the fair's pageantry.

"He's been a big attraction," said Real, whose responsibilities include all the agricultural-related exhibits and livestock competitions - from donkeys to dairy.

Most of the time during exhibit hours, Boris dozed - his sprawling figure even more evident as it covered the sawdust-covered ground. "That's a lot of bacon," one fair-goer said. Others voiced they were impressed with the set of Boris' anatomy which earned him a job as stud for the genetics company.

Commercial Edge Genetics markets hog semen, and Boris is just one of many owned by the company. Stoltzfus purchased the large-framed hog from Tom Steffensmeir of Fort Madison, Iowa, for the purpose of using him as a stud. Although Boris is now retired, the company continues to offer semen from other boars of various breeds. Stoltzfus said the company sells show pig semen to several breeders in Texas.

Stoltzfus also said a year ago the genetics company claimed the "Big Boar" title at the Iowa State Fair with a Yorkshire-Duroc cross hog.

Although Boris' stint at the State Fair of Texas ended Oct. 17, he will make a special appearance on Oct. 25 in Dallas before heading back to Iowa. "The View" television show will be airing live from Dallas, and Boris is scheduled to make his very big television debut.