Bradley Wolter, Ph.D., President of The Maschhoffs, sets out to evaluate genes based on real world settings within the hog production system — not ideal laboratory conditions. He finds that the animal's environment plays a significant factor in performance relative to genetics.

Dr. Wolter shares his vision with Ken Maschhoff, co-owner and Chairman of The Maschhoffs. Together, they developed the internal department that would later launch externally as Acuity in order to leverage genetics in service of creating a pig that delivers better overall profitability.

Trials begin at The Maschhoffs research facilities overseen by Randy Bowman, who now serves as the General Manager of the Great Plains Region for the Maschhoffs.

The Maschhoffs genetic program begins the early phases of laying the foundation for full control of the company’s genetic pipeline. It is still several years before the first proprietary genes are purchased, but that followed a period of deep exploration of available germplasm. Rather than immediate profit, the team prioritizes performance — putting more emphasis on sow maintenance, longevity, and feed efficiency to build a better system, not just a better product.

As the genetic program evolves, The Maschhoffs begin to work directly with the National Swine Registry (NSR) to evaluate how their own internal genetics stack up against the competition — a partnership set up by Dr. Wolter and Clint Schwab, Ph.D. acting CEO of NSR at the time. Through this data-driven partnership, The Maschhoffs verified that our program was making improvements year over year.

Inspired by the success of our genetic lines and evaluation methods, Clint Schwab, Ph.D. joins The Maschhoffs as the company’s Director of Genetics. His first goal: recreate the genetic evaluation system internally. In this effort, he spearheaded the development of the proprietary AcuTrak data collection system that remains the heart of Acuity’s brand promise today.

The Maschhoffs launch the Commercial Test Herd (CTH) wherein performance data is tracked all the way from nucleus through the packing plant. This program informs better breeding decisions at the nucleus level, resulting in a 30% increase in annual genetic progress.

Recognizing the positive potential we could bring to all pig farmers, Acuity officially launches as a standalone company to serve the entire pork industry.

Staying true to the core of what we do — developing and providing genetic resources in a way that delivers real value — Acuity joined Fast Genetics as a part of the Sexing Technologies family of businesses.

This opportunity to grow within the ST family opens the door to new value creators and resources that allow us to dig deeper, think bigger and offer more. Our pillars to maintain and grow remain the same:

Genetic focus. Commercial focus. Technology focus.