Tag Archives: Musings of a Pig Farmer

See “Behind the Scenes” Operations of a Hog Farm

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Musings of a Pig Farmer by Larry Sailer

Last fall I wrote a series of blog posts, following a group of pigs from about 50 pounds to 290 pounds. The first post in the series began September 25, 2012, and ended a post on January 8, 2013.

Today I’ve decided to let my pictures “do the talking.” I’ve included a series of photos that show the “day-to-day” work of modern day hog production from disinfecting buildings to treating sick animals. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

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Before a new group of hogs arrives, we power wash our buildings to disinfect them. Cleanliness is a primary way to prevent disease and to help reduce the amount of medication needed to treat sick animals.

May 3, 2013 – We’re on our way to the hog houses to receive new pigs.

With an indoor temperature of 75 degrees, our pigs are warm and toasty on May 3. They aren’t even aware of the record-breaking snowfall outside the building.

“Who let the hogs out?” My granddaughter Carlie is sporting her pink camo as she counts the number of pigs into each pen.

Inside one of the “hospital pens,” Carlie and Darin are enticing sick pigs to eat their feed.

Darin is climbing over the gates, getting out of the way so as not to scare the next group of pigs coming into the building.

Darin shows the pigs where to find water.

It’s critical to have the right amount of fresh water available for pigs. I’m putting on a new nipple to ensure these little pigs will receive the right amount of water.

While I was adding the new nipple, the pigs were trying to “help” by carrying around spare parts.

Other curious pigs were trying to chomp on my toes as I worked on the nipple.

This feeder must be adjusted so that about 30% of the bottom is covered with feed. That’s the “optimal setting” that provides the pigs with plenty to eat without them wasting any. Otherwise, excess feed falls into the waste pit – and that’s a waste of good feed!

Veterinarians have developed guidelines for properly using and administering medication when needed. We use a can of paint to identify which pigs have already received medicine.

The blue bottle in the center, which hangs upside down next to my waist, is the medicine. The green handle is what I use to administer the shots; the next dose is already in the syringe. The long tube is the exact amount of medication and will automatically refill after each shot. Since I gave about 2,000 shots on Saturday, this tool is a huge time saver!

After the pigs are unloaded from the livestock trailer into our building, Carlie and Darin decided celebrate by going outside and having a snowball fight.

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Lawsuit Could End Transparency at the Farm Gate

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Is farm transparency going to end just as we are starting to roll? Yesterday Radio Iowa reported the Iowa Senate voted 26 to 21 against providing new legal liability protection for landowners. This bill was introduced after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that farm owners who host tours could be held liable for accidents.

Iowa farmers had been protected for more than 40 years under the recreational use and immunity statute. It stated: “farmers are immune from liability of injuries that occur on their property aside from a farmer willfully injuring an individual.” That all changed on February 15 when the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the owners of a Northeast Iowa dairy farm could be sued by a chaperone, who was injured when she fell through a hole in a hayloft during a kindergarten class field trip.

“It is important that farmers reach out to the general public and show them what we are doing on our farms and why. Iowa agriculture has a tremendous story to tell, and it is important we make it easier for farmers to share what they are doing, not more difficult,” said Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey in a FarmWorld article posted Feb. 27. “It will be extremely unfortunate if the Iowa Supreme Court decision discourages farmers from opening up their farms for tours and other educational efforts.”

Secretary Northey said it well. The Supreme Court ruling, without corresponding state legislation to provide immunity, could cause many farmers to shut their doors. The Daily Iowan, on April 11, quoted me as follows: “It’s one of my passions to show people who don’t know a lot about a farm what a farm is.”

Harvest Tour 2012

I’ve been very involved with giving people, who are removed from farming, a porthole to view how modern farms operate. I believe in letting them watch as we go about our business of making food, fuel and fiber! I was – and still am – under the impression that we must do everything possible to protect visitors to our farms. Sometimes, however, things happen that are beyond a farmer’s control.

When I think back to the visit to my farm last fall by a group from Japanese Public TV, I believe there also has to be some personal responsibility. That camera man stood on top of anything he could climb to get the right angle! He stood on top of tractors, climbed into wagons of corn, and crawled all over my combine. I could tell him he wasn’t being safe, but he would choose to get the angle.

That same week, Fox News Network, was in my field as we harvested soybeans. The man with the camera hung on the outside of my combine as my son Corey drove across the field. Personally, I think these camera guys are nuts! If something had happened to one of these people, I would’ve been responsible!

I’ve been involved with the Franklin County Bloggers Harvest Tour. For the past two years, we’ve invited urban bloggers to spend a weekend in rural Franklin County where they tour historic sites and see firsthand how we harvest our crops. These tours have been highly successful because our guests are very active with their followers on Twitter and Facebook. They also post blogs to their vast readerships, spreading what they have witnessed far and wide. They share farming insights with literally thousands of folks across the country, who enjoy learning more about Iowa agriculture.

Consumers, our customers, want to see how their food is raised. I want them to see how their food is raised, too! There are too many misunderstandings being spread through the mainstream media and through social media networks. That’s why there is a need for our harvest blogger tour, on-farm visits and on-farm interviews. Hopefully, these will be able to continue. I encourage you to contact your elected officials if “transparency at the farm gate” is important to you!

Industry NewsCount Your Blessings, One by One

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“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
By Larry Sailer

I am a rich man. No, I’m not talking about being a rich farmer. That I’m not! But, I am rich in the ways that matter most.

The tragic events that unfolded this past week – from Boston to West Texas – caused me to pause for a moment and think about how good life really is here in the Heartland. For example, yesterday was Earth Day. Such a day reminds me of what a wonderful world God has created! I also caused me to reflect upon the change Janice and I are making as we transfer our memberships to the church she attended as child.

Thinking about Janice’s childhood then caused me to reflect upon my own childhood. I was born to farm! From the time I was a toddler, I literally followed in the steps of my great grandfather, my grandpa and my dad. Fifty years later, I’m still proud to call myself a farmer – but it hasn’t always been easy.

In the 70s, I was one of what they called the “Young Tigers.” I reached my goal of farming 1,000 acres, which at that time, was worth $1,000 per acre. I spent all my available hours working on the farm. As a workaholic, I was focused on the wrong goals!

My way of thinking changed a decade later. On my 30th birthday, I married Janice and had an instant family. We joked that “something had to go” to make room for four kids, so I sold my airplane. During the 1980s Farm Crisis, I sold off some farmland. Janice ran the farming operation, including doing hog chores, while I took an off-farm job working construction. We built hog units across the Midwest, so I was gone from home too much of the time. We did what we was required to provide for our growing family at the time, and we were all thankful when I could return to farming full time.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve become very wealthy in a non-material way. Our family has brought us so much joy! The past two weeks have been particularly enjoyable: our grandchildren Jessica and Zach went to prom; and grandson Devin finally was healed enough to play some great football in Iowa State’s spring game!

 

I mentioned in a previous blog post that each of our grandkids has his/her unique talents and interests. Some, like Devin and Jessica, have a passion for sports. Carlie enjoys writing and dancing. Darin enjoys hunting, fishing and gardening. Zach is interested in wood working and mechanics. Hallie, Lindi and Jessica are very artistic. Sydney is an avid reader, while Quinten is a computer guru.

Today I’m showing some of my favorite photos of each. While it’s not exactly a “Wordless Wednesday” post, it’s about as close as this proud grandpa can get!

Hopefully, looking through family photos will help you remember to take time to count your blessings. I can’t think of anything better to do, especially on a gray day!