ODA accuses Parrishes of hog switch; father, son may be kept from shows

SALEM, Ohio – Caprianna Parrish is off the hook, but things don’t look as promising for her father and grandfather.
The northwest Ohio family, including patriarch Howard Parrish, who’s well-known in hog breeding and show circles, seems to be caught up in a bait-and-switch fiasco involving the girl’s grand champion hog from the 2004 Williams County Fair.
What happened. Ohio Department of Agriculture documents say 13-year-old Caprianna Parrish’s gilt was named grand champion market hog and her brother, Cambell, showed a barrow named reserve champion of the county’s junior fair.
The two were named champions Sept. 12, 2004. Both were identified by ear tag and ear notch.
The ODA says at the conclusion of the fair, Howard Parrish – Caprianna and Cambell’s grandfather – instructed the children’s father, Frank, to take the hogs from the fairgrounds to their farm near Edon, Ohio.
The county fair show is terminal, meaning all animals must be slaughtered and cannot be taken back to the farm for breeding.
Deception. Cambell Parrish’s hog was taken to slaughter Sept. 20.
When ODA inspectors and enforcement agents visited the Parrish farm looking for the grand champion hog Sept. 21, they found the animal there instead of at slaughter.
It’s reported Howard Parrish told inspectors the slaughterhouse did not want the grand champion animal delivered Sept. 20, and instead it would be slaughtered later in the day Sept. 21.
No match. Reports say Howard Parrish then delivered to the slaughterhouse a gilt whose ear tag did match, but notches did not match, those for the grand champion animal, falsely representing that the animal was Caprianna’s grand champion.
Ear notches on the animal delivered for slaughter matched those of an animal owned by Frank Parrish and exhibited at the fair by Erik Maugherman.
Taking the livestock to a facility for slaughter and post-mortem examination is required by state law, but Caprianna Parrish’s grand champion hog has never been produced for those purposes, according to the ODA.
Misrepresenting the champion hog at the slaughterhouse is also a violation of state law.
Reaction. “This whole thing has been very upsetting to our family,” said Frank Parrish.
“We were very sympathetic with the Creagers, and we hope people have the same compassion for us,” he said, referring to a situation where the 2002 Ohio State Fair champion hog, shown by Fulton County’s Taylor Creager, was disqualified because it retained testicular tissue.
Frank Parrish would not discuss the chain of events or specifics of the case.
A good reputation. Internet searches show Howard Parrish is a widely known hog breeder and auctioneer, with judging credentials at the Kentucky State Fair, North American International Livestock Exposition and Fort Worth Stock Show.
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