Iowa State’s Southwest Swine Farm in Atlantic is being renamed the Lauren Christian Swine Research and Demonstration Farm Sept. 17 in honor of a world-renowned animal science professor.

Lauren Christian, distinguished professor of animal science and director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center, is being honored by the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development, which owns the farm.

Christian earned his bachelor’s degree from ISU before earning a master’s and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

“Lauren came here way back in 1965, and he has always been considered one of the top teachers in the university, not just in the College [of Agriculture],” said David Topel, dean of the College of Agriculture.

Topel said Christian is part of a line of world-class animal geneticists who brought their international reputations to ISU.

“Dr. Lush was considered the father of animal breeding and genetics in the world,” Topel said. “Dr. Hazel followed him, and he was just as famous. Then along came Lauren — he was the third person.”

Topel said Christian has won essentially every award in the field, and the praise is well-deserved.

Mark Honeyman, coordinator of the ISU Research and Demonstration Farms, agreed.

“The reason the swine research and development farm is being named for Lauren Christian is because Dr. Christian has had a long career serving Iowa pork producers and the Iowa pork industry and the world,” Honeyman said. “It’s an attempt to recognize his achievements and his priority of helping people.”

Honeyman said Christian has taught the senior-level swine management class at ISU for 28 years, and has researched in the areas of swine breeding, pork quality and the porcine stress syndrome.

“He has also been very active in youth livestock programs, such as 4-H and FFA,” Honeyman said. “I heard him on the radio today speaking from the swine derby contest at the Iowa State Fair.”

Christian said he and his colleagues began work on the farm about two years ago.

“Our goal is to demonstrate different ways of managing swine,” Christian said.

He said three different systems are being tested at the farm.

The loose housing systems include hoop structures and partially slatted pens, while the confined housing system consists of stalled, crated housing. Each of the systems house about 150 sows.

Christian said the sows are fed in two different ways, either once a day in feeding stalls or by electronic feeder.

“We can control the individual intake of each sow there, in each of the environments,” Christian said.

He said he also is interested in whether different genetics require different environments for optimal performance. Christian said half of the sows have one quarter Hampshire genetics, and the other half are pure white hogs, either Yorkshire or Landrace.

Christian said the farm is overseen by Honeyman and the Iowa Pork Industry Center. The Iowa Pork Industry Center is an ISU center that involves the veterinary medicine, agriculture and business colleges.

“We try to speed the flow of technology to grass roots people in Iowa,” Christian said of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. “We don’t represent either small or large producers, but rather try to give everyone access to the technology to make them better pig producers.”