Monday, January 30, 2023

6 Tips to Ease Hog Loading Stress

Maneuvering 300 pound hogs is a daunting task, not to mention exhausting, but there are simple things you can do to keep the pigs moving without stressing them—or yourself—out. It’s estimated transport losses cost the industry approximately $46 million a year, which creates not only economic concerns but animal welfare concerns as well. These losses are due to a multitude of factors, such as, aggressive handling, overuse of electric prods, overcrowding, stress and extreme weather conditions. While you can’t do anything about the weather, you can control the level of stress the pigs experience during the loading process. Reduced stress safeguards meat quality, improves transport mortality and increases safety in the barn for both the loading crew and the animals.

Here are six tips to improve hog loading while reducing stress.

1. Presort before loading

Presorting the pigs is a key factor in keeping them calm, along with reducing stress and fatigue. By moving the market-ready hogs to the front pens, they have a shorter walk to the chute and it will get them used to walking in the alleyway. Presorting should be done before loading, and the pigs should also have an adequate resting period before getting on the truck to reduce fatigue.


2. Keep calm

While it may seem silly, pigs react to your mood. If a member of your loading crew is stressed, upset or angry the pigs will mirror this and become more difficult to handle. When you’re dealing with pigs, it’s best to focus on the job at hand and not let personal emotions cloud your mind and influence your actions. This will not only reduce pig stress; it will also keep the handlers from becoming inadvertently aggressive.

3. Have the right size crew

In most barns, three to four people in the barn should be sufficient for loading, depending on barn size and design. The key is to work together to create a human gate utilizing sort boards and sounds (calling, whistling, banging your hand on the board, etc.) to encourage pigs to go down the alley and into the shoot. Having too few people could result in chasing pigs, which is unsafe for all parties involved. Conversely, too many people can create congestion and increase turn attempts, creating confusion and stressing the pigs.


4. Get them use to you

It’s important to have pigs that are used to people being in the pens. This seems like common sense, but it’s an important factor to remember. Regularly walking the pens will allow the pigs to get acquainted with having someone in the pens with them. This will create a more amicable loading experience. Of course, genetics aren’t always your friend. Given, no matter how much you work with some pigs, they are just hardwired to be high-strung. In these situations, you just need to do your best to reduce distractions and create an environment that won’t scare the pigs, to the best of your abilities.

5. Think like a pig

Pigs tend to follow other pigs, with this in mind, it’s sometimes best to point them in the right direction and let them make their own way to the loading shoot. Pigs move best in pairs, so your alley should allow two pigs to move side-by-side until they get to the chute, where it should narrow into single file width. This reduces stress and creates an easier loading environment.

According to "Handling Pigs," a university paper by Temple Grandin, Colorado State University and Collette Schultz-Kaster, Milan, Mo., making a chute too wide is a common mistake suggesting the ramp should be 34 inches wide with no more than a 20-degree angle.


6. Remove distractions

Pigs have a wide range of view and can easily become distracted and frightened. Taking care to remove clothing or other flapping material from the pigs’ line of vision, ensuring the floor is dry, securing all doors or gates that could swing or slam shut and removing shiny objects from the loading area will help keep the pigs calm and reduce turn attempts.

Another way to improve loading is to install solid gates to the front pins and along the loading area. If you don’t already have solid gates, you can create them with plywood and attach them to the front pins. This greatly reduces distractions and keeps the pigs focused on moving forward.

By identifying distractions and common problems along with careful monitoring of the pigs and working closely with your loading crew, you can work to reduce stress and improve loading times all while reducing transport mortality. Pig health is key in pork production and loading is one of the most stressful experiences in a pig’s life. Small steps can make a big difference.


Editor's Note: This article was originally published on Farm Journal's Pork

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Missouri Hog Barns For Sale in Audrain County

Opportunity is knocking in Audrain County, Missouri. Three premium hog sites just went on the market. Prime locations as Aurdrain County is close to feed mills and packing plants. 

All three of these sites are under 10 years old and in outstanding condition.

Learn More About All 3 Sites

Maintenance is a big deal for any pig farmer but you can see by the condition of these barns maintenance was taken very seriously. From the condition of the slats to the grease in every moving part, these barns were maintained to last for decades. 

Great investment opportunity!

Learn more at PorkMatters.com

In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of the hog barns for sale.





Learn More and Download Cin-Way Site 4 Sales Brochure Now!






Learn More and Download Cin-Way Site 5 Sales Brochure Now!







Learn More and Download Cin-Way Site 6 Sales Brochure Now!






Friday, January 27, 2023

Keep It Clean: Biosecurity and Disease Prevention in Finisher Hog Barns



When you have hundreds or even thousands of pigs living together under one roof, biosecurity is a serious matter. Not only are you protecting your livestock, but your investment as well. Every facility is unique but all facilities can benefit from proper maintenance, common sense and adopting a few biosecurity precautionary measures. While it is impossible to completely keep disease out of a hog herd, there are things you can do to reduce the spread of harmful pathogens and protect the health of your pigs.

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign

Biosecurity signs are step one in bringing biosecurity awareness to both employees and the public. These signs should be placed at the end of driveways or in the parking area and at the entrance of all hog barns. Signage is important for two reasons, it deters trespassers and it allows you to control who enters what area, which reduces the risk of outside contamination. Signs stating it is a secure area coupled with directions to an office or some kind of contact information will help keep you in control while still maintaining transparency within your operation.

1 of 3 premium hog sites UNDER 10 years old!! 
4,960 spaces with professional dedicated maintenance
Sites sold as a group or individually
Download sales brochure now! PorkMatters.com

Visitors

Transparency within your operation is more important than ever with growing consumer concern and the many misconceptions surrounding agricultural practices, however, visitors create an increased risk of problems due to outside contaminants. If you do invite visitors into your barns, it is important to know where your visitors have been prior to their visit, what kinds of other animals they have been around and they should always put on fresh cloths and boots before entering a bar

boots

Ideally, you’d want to provide extra coveralls and disposable boot/shoe covers to ensure your visitors aren’t carrying in unwanted pathogens. Additionally, compulsory showering in and out of barns adds to barn biosecurity, increases biosecurity attitudes regarding biosecurity and can deter some visitors, which further reduces risk. Visitors should also sign a visitor’s book and it’s not a bad idea to add a clause stating that by signing the visitor’s book they have not been to any other hog barns, slaughterhouses, or other possibly contaminated facilities within a set number of hours. The waiting period is variable and depends on the type of facility the visitor(s) visited. According to a report released by the University of Nebraska, they suggest anywhere from 12 to 72 hours with the most common duration being 24 to 48 hours.

Pest and weed control

hog_barn_pigs

Pest and weed control is important for the health of the herd and for general maintenance of the barn. Keeping bate boxes around the exterior of the barn along with keeping the exterior properly maintained will reduce rodents and other pests from getting into the barn.

Washing barns

clean_pig_pen

Johnna S. Seaman and Thomas J. Fangman with the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri Extension, describe general biosecurity measures as the following:

  • Clean all rooms thoroughly with a high-pressure washer and disinfect with a broad-spectrum product.
  • Workers must always wear clean clothing and boots to the site. Advise workers not to return to higher health status rooms after being in contact with a lower health status room without proper cleaning and sanitation of clothing and boots.
  • Vehicles should not enter the premises unless they are cleaned and disinfected.
  • Place dead animals outside the premises for removal by rendering trucks.
  • Locate load-out facilities at the perimeter of the premises.
  • Minimize the number of visitors, and require them to wear clean clothing and boots.
  • Install a perimeter fence around the premises to keep out unwanted visits from people, pets and feral animals.

Biosecurity is a vital part of keeping a herd healthy and protecting your investment. A few simple changes and rules can mean the difference between a clean group of healthy market-weight hogs ready for shipment and months of backbreaking work trying to fight some pathogen that snuck its way into your barn. Given, you can’t create a disease-free environment but you can make sure you and your workers are doing everything they can to keep those pigs healthy. After all, those pigs are the core of your operation and healthy pigs are a far better investment than sick ones.

Editor's Note: This article by Jo Windmann was originally published September 8, 2015, on Farm Journal's Pork.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Warning: Ignore Barn Maintenance at Your Own Peril

 An epidemic is plaguing the pork industry. Unfortunately, few people are talking about it and fewer are doing anything about it. A few simple steps, however, can save time, money, increase profitability, improve herd health and stop this issue from spreading. It's proper barn maintenance, and it's more important than you think. Swine facilities are a costly investment and like any investment, you get out of it what you put into it. Just as you regularly service your vehicle (at least I hope you do), it's important to regularly service your hog barns, and it doesn't require a full-time crew to do it.

If It's Broken, Fix It ... and Grease It

That's the simple advice Mike Brumm, owner of Brumm Swine Consultancy Inc., offers producers.

"Don't be blind to building maintenance," he says. Pig care is at the forefront of the industry, but lack of building maintenance makes pig care more difficult. Poor maintenance can damage a producer's reputation and, in some cases, lead to contracts being terminated.

Little fixes now can save big money later. For example, if concrete slats deteriorate, hogs being to develop feet and leg problems. Brumm says using a concrete sealer at major wear points--under drinkers, around feeders/feed saver mats, etc.--after power washing the barn, can save hundreds and protect hogs from injury. For a 2,400-head barn, a $40 fix prolongs the life of several $300+ concrete slats. 

Three premium hog sites for sale in Audrain County.
All UNDER 10 years old!! See details at PorkMatters.com

"Being proactive is so much better than getting stuck with a big bill to fix everything that's been ignored," says Justin Wagster, field manager with JBS. Producers also risk extensive downtime, which ultimately costs them even more money.

"Your biggest concern is anything that's power driven." Wagster says.

Fans, feed motors, curtain machines, controllers and similar elements play a critical role in how a group of pigs performs. It's imperative mechanical equipment remains in working order at all times. Additionally, if it has moving parts, odds are it also has a grease zerk. A grease gun belongs in a hog barn and plays a significant role in maintaining all those moving parts, increasing their longevity.

It's not just the mechanics, Wagster says, producers need to look at the barn as a while. Put eyes on everything, he advises. 

Make it a habit to look at the barn, not just the pigs, and encourage your employees to do the same. Keeping a maintenance record will ultimately save time, improve herd health and reduce downtime by preventing big breakdowns before they happen. 

Vital Ventilation

The environment in a hog barn will determine pig health, and ventilation is the key driver Wagster says. A good environment equates to a healthy herd, and by making maintenance a regular part of your cleanout process, you give every group the best chance possible.

"The better the environment those pigs are presented with, the less issue you will have with them," he says.

Mike Terpstra, service technician with Longhorn Cattle & Swine Confinement, says general ventilation is important not only for air quality but the life of your barn. The pit produces gases that will deteriorate your barn without proper ventilation. Terpstra says he sees too many producers try to save money on LP gas by turning their ventilation down, or their pit fans off during the winter. Those dollars are eating away at their barn in addition to creating an unhealthy environment for the pigs and workers. It impacts the entire electrical system and will deteriorate anything that's not stainless steel. His assessment: Those few bucks aren't worth it.

Create a Maintenance Schedule 

 "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," says Jack Kirk, owner of Longhorn Cattle & Swine Confinement. He notes producers should expect to get at least 10 years use on gates and 20 years on concrete slats. He has seen barns from the 1970s that are still in use and in great condition. Producers can easily turn 15-year barns into 30-year barns with routine maintenance and a few preventative measures. 

Follow these steps to ensure your barn stays viable:

  • Visually inspect the barn
  • Look at feeders and feedlines
  • Check welds that could be working loose
  • Check T-bolt or slat mounts
  • Maintain bait boxes
  • Write it all down

Making maintenance part of a regular routine and having a daily punch list will make the work easier and keep the barn in optimal condition, which will ultimately put money in your pocket. "If you're not taking care of your building," Terstra says, "you're just knocking years off the life of it."

This investment will generate revenue. Keeping your pig barns in good working order means they will continue to pay you long after they're paid off. 

Download a free Maintenance Schedule PDF at PorkMatters.com


This article by Jo Windmann first appeared in the April 2017 issue of Pork Network magazine, now known as Farm Journal's Pork.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Hog Barns For Sale in Audrain County

Audrain County is known for its biofuel, patchwork quilt of corn and soybean fields, cows and PIGS. No doubt, Audrain is an ag-centric county. It's also a great county to expand or start a farming operation. With some of the lowest property taxes compared to other Missouri counties, being conveniently located near biofuel manufacturers, feed mills and packing plants it's ideal for who you might ask ... PIG FARMERS!!! 

Great news, folks! Opportunity is knocking. Can you hear it? 

Three, count them, THREE premium hog sites are for sale right now. Two of the sites were built in 2013 and the third in 2016. With a market filled with 30-year-old sites and the cost to build new astronomical, finding barns under 10 years old is a godsend for anyone looking to break into the pork industry or expand their operation. 

It gets better. Not only are these barns new enough to render decade after decade of value, they are also in pristine condition. Sadly, most hog barns rarely so much as a grease gun in their lifetime. Not these barns. Dedicated maintenance group after group. A grease gun lives in these barns and you can see it. Maintenance equals efficiency and efficiency equates into dollars. 

You need to see these barns. Check out PorkMatters.com for the details and check out the pictures below for a little teaser of what's up for sale. 

Happy farming.

See details on Cin-Way Site 4

Located only five minutes from Highway 54, south of Laddonia






See details on Cin-Way Site 5

Located just off Blacktop KK west of Laddonia






See details on Cin-Way Site 6

Located minutes down County Road 448 north of Rush Hill