Farrowing in Hoop Building in January

January 22, 2012

Splitting up farming with my parents means I needed to find a different way to farrow.  We used a combination of crates and pens in a heated farrowing barn on my parents’ farm.  It worked well.  Last year we average 10 piglets born alive and 9 piglets weaned per litter.

I was excited to try farrowing in pens, because it’s a new challenge, and because I don’t like crates.  Crates do save piglets from crushing, however, so the question is, can I raise enough piglets this way to be economically viable?

Pictured above, I built ten farrowing pens in one of my hoop buildings so each sow and litter could farrow in privacy.  I used a combination of round bales of bedding and wire panels.  I used the bedding bales to make the pens larger, and to have dry bedding accessible at all times.

I didn’t think it would work very well to farrow in an unheated barn in January.  But I didn’t have many due to farrow, so I thought I would try it, so I could learn.

The first gilt farrowed two weeks ago when the temperature was in the 20′s.  The air temperature in the hoop building is about ten degrees warmer than outside.  She and the piglets did fine.  She had eleven born alive and one stillborn.  You can see the dead stillborn piglet mixed in with the placenta in the picture below.  The gilt laid on four piglets during the first 48 hours.  The younger the piglets are, the more vulnerable they are to crushing.  The remaining seven piglets are doing well.

The next two gilts farrowed during an extremely cold time.  Temps were around zero F with below zero wind chills.  Those piglets didn’t do well.  18 out of 20 piglets froze or were crushed in the first few days.

Two more gilts farrowed last night.  Temps are in the 30′s.  They are doing well.

Pictured below is a behavioral trait I want to select for genetically.  Instead of just flopping down and crushing piglets, the gilt scoops out a bowl in the straw with her snout, kneels on her front legs, thereby extending her udder all the way down into the straw, then lies down.  Very few piglets will be crushed this way.

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Sow and Calves, Getting Acquainted

December 12, 2011

The steer calves, with one adventurous sow.

You can see the two-strand electric fence.  In the industry we refer to this as a psychological fence.  Hogs and cattle are easily trained to electric fence.  The fence around the other lot is a physical fence, with five-foot high cattle panels and two boards, attached to wooden posts.

While I hate to anthropomorphize and say they’re  friends, I will say they’ve gotten acquainted.

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Sow Housing

December 10, 2011

Wednesday was a big day for my new farm.  We moved 17 sows and 2 boars to my farm.  The sows have always been housed on my parents’ farm, but since we are splitting up our farms, I needed to figure out sow housing on my farm.

I could have used the hoop barns, as I have used them for sows with litters and gestating sows, from time to time when I had room.  But I figured I would need all three hoop barns for growing pigs, so I brainstormed and decided to use the former dairy barn which is the bottom of  my big old red barn.

A carpenter friend helped me shore up the old barn door and build the sliding door you see pictured below.  I came up with that so I could lock the sows in or out securely, and I didn’t want a door which swung, because the bedding could pile up next to the door and make it difficult to operate.

The sows exit the barn into the cattle lot.  This is where the steer calves eat their hay and drink their water.  This lot is fenced securely, but I also built another lot to give the calves more room, which is fenced with a two-strand electric fence.

So the time had come to make the move, but I had no idea how it would work.  The variables I was unsure of included:

1.Would the sows find and go in the barn?

2. Would the cattle and sows get along, or would they scare each other through the fence?

3. Would the sows see the electric fence, get shocked, then back away instead of going through and destroying it?

This is how I managed the situation.  I kept the calves and sows separated during the morning.  I fed some grain in the entrance of the barn to lure sows in.

How did it work?  The sows found the barn and all but one were sleeping in it by night.  I couldn’t get the one to go in, so I left the door open all night.  The calves were scared of the sows, but in a curious way with no stampeding.  A few sows were shocked by the electric fence and retreated without destroying it.

What didn’t work?  The sows enjoyed lounging by the calves’ hay, so the calves wouldn’t eat their hay.  I moved the hay further away so the calves could eat.

An unanticipated problem was the automatic waterer was frozen.  I put in a new Ritchie so the sows could drink, which I’ll post about later. I panicked for a moment, but all I had to do was turn the thermostat up.

The photo above shows a boar I call “Able” breeding.  Standing at the front of the sow is “Bewilder”, my other herd boar I wrote about earlier in the year.

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Commodities, Food, Inflation

November 20, 2011

The office of Lynch Livestock, Iowa.  We sold cull sows last week.  Leroy always treats us well, but I was shocked with our price.  He paid $.61 per pound for the heaviest sows weighing over 600 pounds.  It was about $370 per sow.  I can remember when I was pleased with $200 per sow.

Hog, cattle, corn, and other commodity prices are at or near historic highs.  I’ve been trying to understand why this is happening and if it’s going to continue.  Our direct-market meat used to be priced at a premium, paying us for the extra costs involved with hoop-house pork and grass-finished beef.  But the commodity markets have narrowed that premium, and I’m rethinking it.  Maybe grass-finished beef should be cheaper, since the cattle aren’t being fed high-priced corn?

A buddy turned me on to Chris Martenson.  Chris says there is unprecedented levels of money and debt.  Inflation is just more money chasing after the same amount of resources.  The USA and world carry so much debt, there are only two ways out; default, or print more money.  If more money continues to enter circulation, inflation will ensue.  Inflation erodes wealth, because a dollar today buys less in the future.

Is this what’s happening in agriculture?  We are certainly handling more money.  But the costs of our inputs: fertilizer, corn, soybean meal, metal, wood, machinery, have all risen.  Should we save for a rainy day or buy now?

Toasted Tofu sent me a link about how Goldman Sachs created the food crisis.  It said that these huge hedge funds have been buying commodities, and only buying, and this has driven up the price of commodities.  An error in the article says that corn prices just kept going up.  Actually, in the last few years, corn went up to $7 per bushel, dropped back under $4, and then went back up over $7.  There is definitely more volatility.  My grandfather remembers when corn was $1 per bushel, only moving a few cents up or down for years and years.

As you can probably tell by this disjointed post, I don’t really understand what’s happening, or what’s going to happen.  I guess I’ll continue to use this blog to post what is actually happening to me, and the prices I incur and receive.  History always becomes a clear, concise, obvious story, but the future is always uncertain, with only fools and experts making obvious predictions.

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A Visit to Becker Lane Organic Farm

September 20, 2011

Jude Becker, of Becker Lane Organic Farm.  Jude is an Iowa State graduate, and probably the largest outdoor pig producer in the US.  He supplies fresh, organic pork, year- around, to many discerning customers, including Whole Foods.  Jude even has a quote from Michael Pollan, raving about his pork.

I knew I was close to the right farm when I saw farrowing huts stretching over the horizon.  Jude has three full-time employees.  Production is intensive and extensive.  Each of these huts is individually fenced, with one sow and litter in each pen.  Two sows share a water, and each is fed individually, once a day.  The shelters in the right of the photo are turned on their side, and being disinfected before being used for another litter.

Sow with litter, in farrowing hut.  Jude has tried cheaper huts, but finally settled on the cadillac of farrowing huts, John Booth, imported from the UK.  Huts are insulated, so Jude is able to farrow in the heat of summer, and the cold of winter.

Piglet crushing is still a problem.  Jude is still searching for the best genetics for outdoor pig production.  His current philosophy is to have a super-maternal sow, bred to an excellent meat-quality boar.  Jude uses artificial insemination to breed his sows.

Pig drinking.  One well supplies water to all his pigs.  Most of his equipment has been imported from Europe, as they are years ahead of the US with outdoor pig production.


Good news, bad news.  I’m heartened to see pigs consistently kept in with a two-strand electric fence.  I’m disheartened to see the destruction of Jude’s pastures from the pigs’ incessant rooting.  Jude admits this is a major hurdle for outdoor pig production.

Going to Jude’s farm, I hoped to find a protocol which I could copy.  But, like most things in life, I realize I’m still going to have to find my own way.

Thank you Jude, for being a gracious host, giving me many ideas, and hopefully saving me some troubles.

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Shepherd’s Showpig Project: Conclusion

July 25, 2011

Shepherd, washing his showpigs.  After we washed them, we took them to the fair where they were weighed and ultrasounded for backfat and loin-muscle-area.  These three measurements are used in a formula to determine percent lean, which is how the pigs are ranked in the carcass show, pictured below.

The next day was the show.  Shepherd practiced walking them everyday, and the practice paid off, as the pigs followed his direction.  The judge was less impressed, however, and awarded Shepherd a white and a pink ribbon.   Winning showpigs today are extremely wide-made, with bulging muscles.  All of this muscle can cause structural problems, though, and the result is pigs which don’t handle stress well.

Shepherd’s pigs were very functional and problem-free, which are traits that are difficult to recognize, as the absence of a problem is more conceptual in nature.  Shepherd’s black and white pig was in the top half of the carcass show, though, and received a red ribbon.  This helps me know we have the muscle, it’s just in a more functional package.

Shepherd’s black and white pig weighed 242 lbs. and his white one weighed 283 lbs.  They gained 371 lbs. in 102 days for a rate of gain of  1.8 lbs. each.   They ate 1574 lbs. of feed, for an average of 7.5  lbs. per day for each of them.  They ate 4.2 lbs. of feed for every lb. they gained.

It was a very rewarding experience for Shepherd and the whole family.  I really appreciate all the people who help make the fair.

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Shepherd’s Showpig Project Update

May 17, 2011

In Shepherd’s Showpig Project, I wrote about Shepherd’s two showpigs who weighed 86 and 68 lbs. on April 2nd.  We weighed them Saturday, 42 days later, and I wanted to share their progress.

The big one now weighs 185 lbs and the little one weighs 150 lbs.  They gained 2.4 and 2.0 lbs/day, respectively.

Shepherd kept track of the feed he fed them, and it has added up to 600 lbs. so far.  Dividing 600 lbs. by the 181 lbs. of total gain, gives us their feed conversion, which is 3.3 lbs. of feed per lb. of gain.

I would say they look to be right on target, with wiggle room if the summer gets hot and their gain slows down.  I’ll keep you updated.

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Shepherd’s Showpig Project

April 11, 2011

We weighed and tagged two barrows, (castrated males), for the Lafayette County Fair.  I like Lafayette County’s protocol.  Barrows are identified in early April.  It’s about a 110 day project until the fair.  Records need to be kept, and the pig’s feed and overall cost is posted at the fair.  Pigs need to weigh a minimum of 220 lbs to sell in the auction, so a child who doesn’t take care of his/her pig will feel a loss when it’s not allowed to sell.  Almost all of the pigs make weight, so it’s not exceedingly difficult.

It can be a great project with a financial reward at the end.  Parents can still do all the work of course, but it’s not as bad as when I first started showing.  A Dad bragged about how he purchased what would become the Grand Champion barrow two days before the fair, and his daughter didn’t see the pig until she walked into the showring.

We make Shepherd do his own work, just like we make both boys do their chores twice a day.  It would be easier to do the chores myself, so I understand why busy parents may be tempted to do that.  However, I think it would be better to skip a project than to do the work for the child.

Shepherd is keeping feed records, and we have a beginning weight and we will have an ending weight, so I’m interested to see the feed efficiency.  The pigs weighed 86 and 68 lbs, so to weigh 220 lbs at the fair will require an average daily gain of about a pound and a half per day.  I’ll let you know how everything turns out.

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February 2011 Price of Hog Feed

February 15, 2011

Historically high, and going up!  Karen asked what the price of soybeans is, and that got me to thinking, I haven’t calculated the price of hog feed lately.  I sat down and did some figurin’, and was shocked at the price.

Our basic hog feed mix is corn, soybean meal, and a vitamin/mineral/amino acid premix.  Corn is $7.17 for a 56 lb. bushel.  Soybeans are $14.16 for a 60 lb. bushel.  Dividing the cost by the lbs. gives us the price per lb.  Corn is $.128/lb., and soybeans is $.236/lb.

We buy soybean meal, which is soybeans with the oil removed and sold.  Our last bill for soybean meal was $.20/lb.  Our premix is around $.40/lb.  And we will use the $.128 market price for corn.

What is the breakdown of our hog feed?  80% is corn, 16.5% is soybean meal, and 3.5% is premix.  Let’s figure out what 100 lbs. of feed costs.

80 lbs. of corn multiplied by $.125 equals $10.24.  16.5 lbs. of soybean meal multiplied by $.20 equals $3.30.  3.5 lbs. of premix multiplied by $.40 equals $1.40.  Adding the three together totals $14.94 per 100 lbs.  So that gives us a price of almost $.15 per lb.

Our whole herd feed conversion is 4.  This means that it takes 4 lbs. of hog feed to produce 1 lb. of pork.  So if we multiply 4 lbs. times the $.15/lb gives us the cost of feed to produce 1 lb. of pork, $.60/lb.!!!!! I remember when the whole herd feed cost was $.30/lb., and all costs were $.40/lb.

The commodity hog  market price is around $.60/lb.  We used to think we were making great money at $.60/lb.  Now…?

Don’t cry for Curiousfarmer,  it’s not as bad as it seems.  While we buy the soybean meal and premix, and these are the actual prices we are paying, we grow our own corn, so it costs us whatever it costs us to grow it.  The $7.17 per bushel is  the opportunity cost to feed corn to hogs.  I haven’t figured lately, what it actually costs us to grow corn, but it’s probably less than half of the $7.17 market price.

So why are we still raising hogs, when it’s a break-even business this year?  Consistency.  Pa always said, “farmers who jump in and out of things never catch up.”  We feel it’s better to choose what we do, and work to do it well.  We make major changes based on our needs, and the longer-term fundamentals.

That doesn’t mean we won’t modify our operation.  We are selling all of our less productive sows and our older boars.  We will still have plenty of pork for our direct-market customers, but we won’t have as many hogs to sell on the commodity market.

Longer-term, what are these markets going to do?  How long will it take for the livestock markets to catch up to the grain markets, so  livestock farmers can make some money?  How much will food prices increase?

Thank you Karen, for a great question, which led to more questions.

5 Comments | Curious hogs, Curious livestock costs | Permalink
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Artificial Insemination of Swine II

November 12, 2010

I wrote about how we use Artificial Insemination to bring new genetics into our swineherd in one of my very first posts, “Artificial Insemination of Swine.” Click on the link if you want to read about our AI protocol.

I didn’t use any pictures in the beginning, because I didn’t have access to a camera.  My sister bought us a digital camera, and I’ve loved it.  So easy. When we AI’d some sows in October, I snapped a few photos.

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