Now that the 2012 election is behind us and government officials are returning to work, new regulations are threatening agriculture.  I’m hearing the Farm Bill will be tied to something, perhaps conservation.  It’s as though farmers will destroy the world if we’re not threatened with something severe enough to make sure that we comply!

Actually, I find it ironic that regulators believe the proverbial stick will be more effective than the carrot when most farmers take great pride in being stewards of the land.  This whole idea of tying any conservation practice to some type of support is not a threat to me – or the great majority of farmers and ranchers.  Conservation is one of our top priorities anyway.  If we don’t take care of our land and soil, it’s not going to produce for very long.

I will admit that “back in the day” I did enjoy plowing the soil in the fall.  Plowing was a task where you could see what was getting done.  Turning the soil black and covering up corn stalks in preparation for next year’s crop was fun.  It was even fun 20 years ago, and the tractors we used then weren’t nearly as warm as those we use today.

As much as I enjoyed farming, I also realized it was a practice that I needed to reconsider.  That’s why I first tried no-till farming in the 1970s.  At that time, the types of equipment and weed control options available didn’t favor no-till farming.  We also didn’t s today’s higher-yielding seed technology, so I kept different types of minimum tillage practices.

I switched to no till about 5 years ago, but this fall I had to do some deep tillage because of effects from the drought and the fact that I use a lot of natural manure.  But even with this tillage pass, the ground is covered by a thick layer of organic matter and is protected from wind and rain.

Bottom line: It doesn’t take a government threat to make farmers do what is right.  Doing what’s right just comes naturally to farmers!

Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer

It’s election day!  Hopefully, you’ve made a list of the issues are most important to you and have studied how each candidate stand on agriculture. The rural vote is extremely important given such a close election.  The Farm Bill, ethanol and estate taxes are just a few of the hot-button issues with farmers.

Because I’m truly concerned about how the outcome of this election could affect my livelihood, I’ve spent quite a bit of time this fall answering questions from members of the media.  Reuters talked to me by phone. Fox News came to my farm during harvest.  I also spent parts of three day during fall harvest with a video crew from the NHK network from Japan, which I understand is comparable to our public TV.

It amazed me how these media found an old hog farmer in North Central Iowa, so I asked.  A producer from New York said he listened to an interview I did with National Public Radio.  Fox Network said my name kept popping up during Google searches.  Oh, the power of the Internet!

NHK collected hours of video for a documentary about our political process.  It seemed to me that these Japanese were more interested in the politics shaping our future than many of my fellow Americans!  They asked me about my concerns and why I believe there is a need for compromise.  Over the course of three days, I answered many of their questions.   They wanted to know how the Farm Bill affected my farming operation and how my crop insurance worked.

The Japanese also wanted to know how I work with my elected officials, so I contacted Rep. Annette Sweeney.  Annette was very gracious and came to my farm, so she could be a part of this interview.  Annette’s farming experience, combined with her position as Iowa House Ag Committee Chair, made for some great discussion.

As you can see in my video, we had a fun time.  This segment aired last Thursday on Japanese TV.  While I haven’t actually timed it, it appears they used about two minutes from the hours and hours of videotape.  So was it worth it? You bet!  It was a great experience talk with people from another part of the world, who had a totally different perspective than mine.  It also reminded me how fortunate American are to have the right to vote.  Remember, exercise your right to vote today!

[youtube]http://youtu.be/L1OjHo2rF1o[/youtube]

For the past few weeks, I had to move my “pork chronicles” to the proverbial back burner while corn and soybean harvest moved to the front burner. My priorities for the past eight weeks have been doing hog chores and combining row crops. I’ve managed to eat meals and conduct a few media interviews before catching a few hours of sleep each night.  Now that our crops are in the bin, I’m making blogging a priority.

More videos will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, I’m posting a few photos to help give you an inside view of my operation. One photo shows the “foil curtains” we put inside our hog barns as insulation. The heater provides keeps the pigs more comfortable when temperatures dip like this week when overnight lows have been below freezing. You’ll also find a photo of the controller, which coordinates all of the fans, heaters, curtains and misters that add to the pigs’ comfort.

The temperature outside was 28° when I did chores this morning, yet our pigs were snug and warm inside. When hail hit last Friday and snow showers fell throughout the northland, our pigs didn’t notice a difference. A consistent temperature allows our pigs to be comfortable regardless of the elements, and comforts such as dry and warm conditions keep them healthy.

The picture of the empty pen is my hospital pen. Although it’s empty right now, the hospital pen allows me to isolate a sick pig to give it special care.  Sometimes healthy animals will try to kill a sick pig; it’s nature’s way of trying to control a disease by eliminating the threat.  “Survival of the fittest” happens whether pigs are inside or not. One of the advantages of my barns is that I can closely observe my livestock and help protect the weak. Modern facilities such as these have made huge improvements in animal welfare.

Feel free to send me any questions you have about  modern pork production.

Related blog posts:

• Part I: Cleanliness is Key to Good Animal Health
• Part II: Farmers Recycled before “Green Efforts” Began