The Beginning Farmer

Chapter five of Kelly Klober’s book, “Dirt Hog” deals with the ins and outs of pig feed and the feeding of pigs. The chapter is appropriately titled “Feeds and Feeding” and includes a good deal of information on different types of feeds and feeding plans from everything from the lactating sow to the growing pig. One quote that I particularly enjoyed from this chapter went like this, “I would also challenge the argument that farmland is now to valuable to be used for mere livestock production. Poppycock!” This book of course was copywrited in 2007 so it may have been written an bit before our latest commodity price hikes, but despite that I think it is a very valuable quote (although we must remember that commodity prices didn’t stay at those highs.

Mr. Klober goes on to enumerate why he believes that raising livestock on “valuable land” is still a viable practice, but I think I could some it up in just one sentence. The basic idea is that yes you can create a lot of commodity crops on good land and you can grow a lot of pork in a confinement building, but when you add in all of the handling/infrastrucure/input costs you might not come out ahead. I obviously haven’t run the numbers on this and don’t have a clue what those numbers would be like if I did run them, but I do think there is something to be said about having livestock add to the nutrients of the soil on the farm.

But, back to the feeds and feeding parts of this chapter. Here are some tidbits that I really found useful:

• With 15-20 finishing hogs per acre you can save between 800 and 1,000 pounds of grain and 500 pounds of protein by having them on pasture.
• Good pasture access should be considered a plus for lactating sows and they probably should be kept on their regular ration so they maintain the best condition during lactation.
• “About 10% of a growing hog’s nutritional needs can be met by good legume pasturage.”
• Mr. Klober likes to use a 14% to 15% protein ration for growing hogs on pasture no matter their weight.
• One acre of corn that is “hogged down” can support 10-15 hogs to butcher weight assuming that they have enough mineral, protein, and water.

These are just a few things from the chapter that really jumped out at me. I must admit that I am pretty interested in the idea of “hogging down” some corn. Especially if it is open pollinated corn!

Through the Practical Farmers of Iowa ListServ I received an e-mail today that was a press release announcing that Iowa farmers Tom and Irene Frantzen were just named Organic Farmer of the Year by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). Of course this is of interest to me because of the Iowa connection, but it is also interesting because Mr. Frantzen is the one I wrote about a little while ago in regards to the pasture farrowing huts.

Here is a brief description of the Frantzen farm:

The Frantzens manage a diversified farm. They grow crops for animal feed on more than 300 tillable acres, and sell soybeans as a cash crop. Their farrow-to-finish hog operation produces 600 head for market with 40 brood sows. They also keep 50 beef brood cows. All slaughter animals are certified organic and marketed through Organic Prairie Meat Company.

I have had the opportunity to read a couple of things about Mr. Frantzen and his farm and it sounds like he has a pretty neat and unique thing going on (read here or here). But, one of the most exciting things in my mind is that he is doing it in my neck of the woods.

I don’t know if it is too late to sign-up for this, but the Frantzen Farm will be featured in virtual “farm tour” sponsered by various organizations. You can get the informantion by taking this link, and on that .pdf brochure you can find some contact information on how to sign-up. I know that I will be watching!

Here is another article that you can chalk up to the “it depends on how you look at things” card. From the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University we find the article, “Boom for Whom? Family Farmers Saw Lower On-Farm Income Despite High Prices“. This report seems to run contrary to the findings from the USDA about the 2008 crop year and how the high commodity prices effected farmers. As you can guess from the late post today I don’t have a lot of time, but I encourage you to check out the report.

Here are a few quotes I pulled out. I would love to hear your thoughts.

“In 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated net farm income of $89.3 billion, up slightly from the previous year’s record and 50% above the average for the preceding 10 years.”

“2007 was a banner year for major crops, with prices significantly higher than they were in 2003, when we last examined this data. Between the two years, corn prices increased 87%, soybean prices rose 47%, and wheat prices jumped 91% in nominal terms. So how much better off were the higher-sales family farms? Quite a bit, as it turns out, but not from farming. Total household income was up 23%, from $59,623 to $73,260, but the entire increase came from off-farm income, which jumped from $30,375 to $47,245 and accounted for 64% of household income. Still, with total household income reaching $73,260 (in nominal terms), 108% of the U.S. average (well below the 128% that USDA farm sector averages suggest), one would have a hard time characterizing these farmers as well-off.”

“Who did well, then? The largest commercial farmers were the only family farm subgroup in the USDA survey to show a net increase in income from higher prices in 2007. Very large commercial farms (family-owned operations making more than $500,000 in gross sales) saw a 46% jump in net income from farm sales, from $130,263 to nearly $189,547, easily compensating for their $12,196 drop in government payments between the two years. With off-farm income dropping only slightly between the two years, the 21% increase in total household income, from $220,971 to $267,130, came entirely from on-farm income, thanks to high prices.”

There is a bit more in the article, but those are some interesting numbers that they are throwing around. Like I said, I’m sure it just depends on how you look at things … but, who is right?

…My kingdom for a Tractor! Well, maybe not my “kingdom” for a tractor (if I gave up the “kingdom” I would have no need for a tractor). But, there sure are plenty of times that I wish my tractor hadn’t given up on me (probably from user error) and that I had it to help with chores. In fact I was just thinking about the humor in the fact that way back when I wrote, “What is a Farm Without a Tractor”. At the time of writing that we barely had a house plan let alone livestock or fencing work on the farm … now, we’ve got cows (the pigs are all gone) and plenty of work to do!

While the tractor is out of commission the handiest tool on the farm has become the combination of my power and our garden cart. I’ve used it to haul hay to the heifer calves that now have a place of their own, to clean out the indoor pen where I put animals when they need it, haul wood to the door, take trash out to the road, and so much more. Those are all things that I had used the loader for at various times … now it just takes a little more time.

Probably the biggest place that I miss the tractor is when it comes time to move in a new big round bale. I have to wait until the ground is frozen so that I don’t get the truck or the bale stuck (it has happened). As spring comes on in greater force this is going to be a bigger problem, but we will just go to plan “b” which means feeding round bales by hand over the fence into the round bale rings.

I have been working on a tractor solution though. So far my cousin has been able to figure out that he can’t find the exact cause of the engine problem. It is stuck that is certain, but nothing seems out of place or torn up. I guess this could be a good thing, but I’m still looking at plenty of other options.

I have located a few Farmall 450’s that range in price from “doable” to “you’ve got to be kidding me”. One nice thing is my search for another 450 is I think I have found that if I got a completely different tractor I could part mine out for at least a salvageable amount of money. Another thing I’m doing is scouring the classifieds and the online places looking for used tractors. So far I have found a couple candidates in the form of an Oliver 1855 and 1750 along with some smaller John Deere’s. But, we will see what happens.

The biggest problem though is it just isn’t a good time to have to go tractor shopping. There are so many things on the farm that need done and they all cost money! I might just end up seeing how long I can go without a tractor, but then I would have to figure something out for hay…

I had recently heard that the founder of Niman Ranch, Bill Niman, had left the company after some financial troubles (had to sell some ownership to keep afloat) and difference on practices with a new group on board. Until yesterday I didn’t know much about the story (either how Niman Ranch begain or Mr. Niman leaving), but thanks to the Practical Farmers of Iowa Listserv I was able to read this article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

What was most interesting to me was the story behind the beginnings of Niman Ranch. Basically Mr. Niman was a guy not from the farm (I can kinda relate) that ended up deciding that he could raise high quality food. He initially bought 11 acres and started out with a few animals before grabbing a partner and jumping up to 200 acres and cattle. The beef was really the beginning of Niman Ranch, but all I have ever heard about here in Iowa is the pork side of things. You really should check out the story if you want to know the complete background.

Anyways, it sounds like Mr. Niman was an idealistic kind of guy who didn’t believe in hormones, only partially in antibiotics, and hated the ideas of feedlots. His goal was to raise high quality beef that was great tasting and humanely raised. To that end he set up his own special finishing system (I don’t really know much about this) and Niman Ranch beef had to go through that farm to receive the Niman label. The pork system wasn’t like that…

The Niman Ranch model is an interesting story. I have known a few Niman pork producers and even had some Niman Ranch pork (or what would have been Niman Ranch pork) and I think it has been a very good outlet to farmers that are willing to jump on board with their rules. In fact I have heard quite a few farmers change their farm over from a conventional crate farrowing system to a pen farrowing deal and outdoor raising and really love the change.

Here is the most interesting thing that I got out of this article. There are really a lot of different ways to skin a cat … or be sustainable (depending on your definition of the word). Some would call the Niman model not very sustainable because it still included shipping Iowa pork all the way to California, while others would say that it was very sustainable because it allowed some smaller scale pork producers in Iowa to stay in business and raise pigs in a pretty good way.

The farmers that work for Niman Ranch don’t have to worry about the marketing, but they can still raise pigs without building the latest and greatest steel hog facilities. I like what I have seen from some of the Niman producers … some of them have farms like my grandfather had…

Sorry for those of you that are bored with “pig talk”, but I have some catching up to do because while I’m writing a chapter three report I’m actually reading chapter six! Plus, as I make my way through this book there are lots of things flying through my head about how I want to run our farm and why I want to do things the way we are and are going to do them. This book is full of information … some that is helpful … some that is above my head … and some that is great for beginners and more than beginners alike.

Chapter four is really about swine herd maintenance and covers everything from health to breeding and more. One of the first things that this chapter covers is how to keep track of animals and keep their information in order. It was interesting to read his thoughts on this because I had just seen someone’s system that they used. He talked about the pros and cons of ear tags and notching and the importance of having an information card to go with each sow and litter. As we get deeper into the world of pigs this is something that I’m going to have to tackle.

Another section in this chapter that I really liked was the part about outdoor farrowing. It appears that the author farrows out on the “range” in huts spaced about 100 to 150 feet apart. His system is to check on the sows that are close to farrowing first thing in the morning and then once more in the evening. Other than that he says that he just has to rely on the genetic selections that they have made. I love to hear about how people are making outdoor farrowing work because I believe that it is a system that can and does work.

Beyond those two topics it his long chapter is full of tons of information. If you haven’t noticed yet … I like this book quite a bit. I believe it is a good book for a beginner like myself to read. It doesn’t have everything you need to know, but it is full of great information. Plus, it is really getting me excited about range hogs!

Wow, I just realized that I’m reading chapter six in “Dirt Hog”, but I have only written two chapter book reports. I have some catching up to do. But, that is okay because it seems like lately this has become the “Beginning Pig Farmer” blog. Really, that hasn’t become our main focus … rather it is just what I happen to be reading about a lot lately. I will admit though that after going through our first batch of pigs that I am beginning to think that they are the ideal animal for a beginning farmer like myself to start out with. Of course you can always go with chickens because of the low overhead, but if larger livestock is your goal pigs are a great way to start out.

Now, back to the book report … Chapter three deals with selection of your pigs (covering everything from feeder pigs to gilts and sows to boars) and even has some general information about the different breeds out there. I have to admit that this chapter was a little overwhelming because was so much information and I once again realized how much of an art it is to be a very good livestock farmer. But, I did appreciate everything in the chapter even if it will take years for me to learn by trial and error.

As an aside, another thing that has popped into my mind as I’m writing this is that Kelly Klober (the author) seems to have a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to pigs. Much of that knowledge, I’m sure, has come from being around people that know the art of a selecting and raising a high quality swine herd. It is great to be able to have it written down in a book, but I will say that I wish I had a mentor like him around to show me and help me as I muck my way through the pig world!

Mr. Klober goes into great detail on some of the things that you need to look for when selecting pigs, especially pigs destined to become “range hogs”. One area that he talks about being very important are the feet and legs. Those legs are going to be very important for a pig that will be outside and have the need and chance to move around. In a confinement setting it is not as big of an issue, so some breeding has taken away a good leg on each corner of the pig.

He even writes about the type of tail to look for when selecting. Mr. Klober says that large tail with the base well up on the body can be a good indicator of ham size and carcass length. This is the kind of knowledge that I’m talking about!

Let me just say that this has been an amazingly crazy week. One that has seen the sudden death of one of our church friends (who helped finish the house), our pastor end up in the emergency room again (this time with internal bleeding), another church friend had three stints put in on Wednesday, and while doing my first funeral one of the ladies from the church fainted in the basement kitchen (the ambulance came for that one). Needless to say I am worn out, but I still have a sermon to write, an all day class to go to, and of course plenty of chores around the farm.

I said that not as a complaint, but rather as a way of introduction to this post … a kind of excuse for the lameness of this Saturday post!

A2 Milk: I don’t know much about it, but I know now that you can test for the A2 genes through the American Dexter Cattle Association (by way of Texas A&M). You can read all about A2 on the A2 Milk website (it seems that someone has trademarked the whole deal). It would be interesting if any of our cows carried the A2 genetics, but I think I’ll wait to test…

**One last thing. I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the great comments, encouragement, teaching, opinions, and everything else that has been contributed to this blog. We are nearing the 500th post (I have something planned) and I cannot believe how far our family has progressed. One thing is for sure though … I wouldn’t be nearly as far without all of the great help that I receive from all of those that have shared!**

As I was sifting through some threads over on Homesteading Today I came across an interesting thread about the very question I posted in the title of this post. The original poster obviously raises on quite a bit bigger scale than I do and it sounds like he had recently tried some pen farrowing after being used to crate farrowing. The conclusion he comes to is that at his farm he is better off with crates and maybe some turnout pens because he doesn’t like the loss of pigs.

I think there are some valid points brought up on each side of the argument. Here are some of the interesting comments from the thread (of course you should check out the whole thing):

• “Part of my decision to use pens was that the farrowing crates are so upsetting to people and I have so much business traffic through the farm, I’m over that now…. hate me!!!!! I’m not goin to watch pigs die to be green and PC….”
• “I think there needs to be an open discussion on why crates are inhumane but low weaning averages are acceptable… low weaning numbers = high piglet mortality…. 100% surival should be the goal……. 95% should be a reality.”
• “Keeping hogs in a barn has much higher overhead costs than pasturing. You’ve got the barn cost, upkeep and maintenance, labor, etc. I’m willing to accept up to 20% mortality due to my lowered inputs.”
• “These pens are the same pens that have been used in past generations, when litters were just smaller….In the US the number of weaned pigs has gone up by 3 in 10 years….. I just don’t think, the modern genetics of sows can keep up their numbers in pens….”
• “Pig mortality is a trait that can be bred away from. If you have an inattentive sow that lays on pigs, cull her. Keep the sows that don’t lose pigs, and keep their daughters. One mistake that I think the farming industry as a whole has made for years is being production driven instead of profit driven. Higher weaning numbers or higher finished pounds does not automatically equal higher profits. How much did your inputs have to go up in order to gain the higher production? If you can wean fewer pigs and finish fewer pounds with dramatically lower inputs, profits may very well be higher than with the higher production numbers.”

So, what are your thoughts? I just watched an online farm tour of a pasture farrowing farm that runs 15 or 16 sows per acre. They farrow in huts (the huts are moved inside a hoop building in the winter) and he does lose about 2 per litter or so I believe he said. Despite the losses this is the way he has been doing it for a long time and this is the way he wants to continue because it works best for his farm (the pastured pigs are part of his crop rotation). He mentioned that he can make $2,400 per acre with his pasture farrowing operation when he has pigs in the fields.

As I just mentioned, I would love to hear your thoughts on this debate. There were some interesting points made on either side of the issue. I do have some strong opinions, but I just thought I would throw the information out there and see what everyone thinks.