Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer

In my September 11^th column, I promised to give you an insider’s looks at modern hog production. Today I’m kicking off a blog series that will follow a group of pigs from about 50 pounds to 290 pounds. I’ll try to show just what these pigs have for shelter and what it takes for me to take care of them.

We took delivery of our most recent group of pigs on Aug. 29.  Before they were delivered, however, we had a lot of work to do!  We get ready for a group of pigs by power washing the barns until every last speck of organic matter has been removed.  We then disinfect the barns with one of several disinfectants; we rotate the disinfectants to prevent immunity from building.

Clean buildings are key to keeping animals as healthy as possible.  Healthy pigs grow better, reach market weight faster and require fewer vaccinations.  You can think of this process as “bringing pigs into a new world.”  When the first settlers to this country, they brought with them illnesses that were very deadly to the people already living here as they didn’t have any immunity to the new bacteria and viruses.  The same is true with animals:  We don’t want to expose pigs to anything for which they don’t have immunity.  This is why you see signs by livestock barns that read, “STAY OUT.”  Hog producers aren’t unfriendly!  They’re simply watching out for the pigs’ interests.  Limiting access to the barn is a very good way to control the health of those pigs.

The pigs arrive at my site by semi, which is driven by a certified driver.  Truckers Quality Assurance (TQA) is a program developed by the National Pork Board to ensure that driver takes the best care of the pigs he’s delivering. Likewise, I am Pork Quality Assured (PQA) and take training courses to make sure that I understand how to best care for my animals.  There are many different ways to care for pigs, and most any system can do a good job IF there is good management.  Likewise, the very best designed system can fail if not properly managed!

I receive the pigs from a nursery when they weigh about 50 pounds.  They are first farrowed, or born on a farm, where the sows are kept.  When the pigs are about 20 days old and weigh about 14 pounds, they’re taken to the nursery while they still have some natural immunity from the sow’s milk.  As they get older, the sow loses the ability to pass immunity through her milk.  By moving pigs to a disinfected nursery, the goal is to keep them as healthy as possible.  They stay in the nursery about seven weeks and are about 50 pounds when they are then shipped to my finish barns.  I will take care of them for about 120 days and the pigs should gain 240 pounds while I have them.

In future blogs, I will explain about the buildings I use and why. If you have done the math, this group of pigs will be with me for about four months.  I’ll try to get into the different aspects of my operation.  If there are some questions you have, I will address them as we go along.  Please let me know what questions you have.  My goal is to help you understand how and why I do the things I do to take the very best care of these pigs.

Related Posts:

• Take a Walk through Time
• Virtually Walk through Our Genetic Garden
• Genetic Garden Shows How Different Types of Corn React to Drought
• Corn as High as an Elephant’s Eye
• History is growing in Alexander 

AgriBabe… it’s a term I did not create. I’m even questioning whether I should even use it. Since I’m not one to turn tail, I’ll go ahead and explain why this term is even in my vocabulary now.

State Senator Sandy Greiner recently used AgriBabe in reference to an agricultural conference for women. She said, “I think Larry Sailer should come along to meet all the Agri-Babes!” Then she invited me to attend the American Agri-Women Convention in Denver, Nov. 8-10.

I’m seriously thinking about heading West after harvest! But it might be not for the reasons you think. After all, I’m happily married to a great Agri-Babe. [Love you, Babe! :)] The reason this particular conference intrigues me is because I try to learn all that I can to carry on conversations about agriculture with difference audiences. I believe the women at this conference will be able to provide a wealth of information and insight. Let me explain…

While traveling in various social media circles during the past three years, I’ve learned the vast majority of social media users are ladies in their twenties and thirties. I’m not sure why more of us old farmers don’t use social media more, but for one reason or other, Facebook and Twitter appear to be dominated now by women. I’ve become an active social media user because women, mainly urban consumers, are a target I’d like to reach with a pro-agriculture message. I’m trying to gain a better understanding of what’s important to them and how we as farmers can appeal to their emotions.

Emotions and perceptions often cloud common sense. What I think is “just plain common sense” is Greek to someone else. Even though most Americans speak English, it’s often challenging for us to be understood AND to understand what others are telling or asking. Watching online conversations can be intriguing because certain words have different meanings, depending on the region of the country in which a person lives. Sometimes these colloquialisms cause others to take offense, even when they weren’t meant to be offensive. Other times words have different meanings, depending on one’s religion.

I’ve witnessed misunderstandings as a result of miscommunication. It’s easy to see how this can happen online when people “sip” at conservations. Online communications, for the most part, can’t benefit from verbal intonation or facial expression. Emoticons may help, but they can’t replace the real thing. 😉

While I admit that more political correctness could be used in some cases, other times people us “PC” as a crutch. It seems to me a little common sense could go a long way to solving many of today’s problems. But common sense seems to be in very short supply these days, especially when people have an agenda to push or an office to be elected to! That’s why I believe it’s our civic duty as American farmers to engage in conversations that will help educate those running for office and those who are trying to influence public officials about our livelihoods. Agvocate!

Submitted by Tracy Schlater
Marketing Director, Farm Safety For Just Kids

September 16-22 is National Farm Safety and Health Week, which provides a great opportunity to talk with your family members and employees about what should be done if the “unthinkable” happens on your farm.

Every farm needs a “what if” plan that outline expectations and a protocol for people to follow should something go wrong. Here are a few tips to develop such a plan:

• Establish a check-in procedure for workers in remote areas.
• Have an up-to-date layout of your farm, including locations of any potential hazard to serve as a resource for first responders.
• Train your family and employees on CPR and first aid.
• Put address markers at field drives to help first responders find you.
• Include the address of each field and farm site in every driveable piece of machinery, along with emergency phone numbers.

All family members, including children, can play a big role in knowing what to do in a rescue situation. By working together with your local emergency agencies, your neighbors, family members and farm employees, you can assure the best chance of survival and recovery from farm tragedies.

Last week Iowa House Ag Chair Annette Sweeney asked me to meet with her in preparation for meetings she has this week in Washington, D.C.  To our meeting, she brought two coffee table books about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO).  One of these books, simply titled CAFO, has been widely distributed to public officials.  The other book, Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West, is a seven-pound book featuring 346 pages of articles and photographs by so-called expert authors and photographers.

Both books are extremely critical of modern day methods of farming and ranching.  These books are so full of misinformation that I couldn’t even force myself to finish reading them!  I was horrified by all of the misinformation that I was reading, and now I’m worried about the influence these books will have on uninformed individuals.  People removed from the farm might take these books for fact.

One chapter the CAFO book is titled, “Old McDonald Had Diversity.”  This chapter references the “diversified farms” of the 1950s and 1960s – it’s the image people have of farming by reading children’s books and watching movies. Old McDonald’s Farm and Disney productions, however, don’t portray modern farmers.

Unfortunately, people without a direct connection to farming often don’t see just how many improvements have been made.  Most folks only know what they hear and see through the “mainstream media,” which typically doesn’t cover the whole truth.

The truth is I grew up on a diversified farm back in the fifties and sixties.  Farming then wasn’t as “romantic” as some make it out to be.  We raised lots of different animals, most of them outside.  I remember the hardship those animals suffered during harsh Iowa winters, and we farmers worked to keep them from literally freezing to death.  It was a real challenge to keep fresh, unfrozen water and feed for available for them.

Fast forward that 50 to 60 years, and the hogs in my care are warm during the winter and cool during the summer.  The temperatures inside my building do not vary more than five degrees, regardless of the outside temperatures.  My pigs have all the fresh water they can drink and a diet that’s designed to be just what they need for their size.  (Unlike the school lunch program!)  My pigs are very content. When I do chores, they run around and bark.  When I get close to a pen, they come up to greet me.

But, I don’t expect you to take my word for it.  I’ll let you see for yourself!  I’m starting a blog series that will follow a group of pigs from the time I get them, about 50 pounds, to when they are market ready around 290 pounds.  I’lltry to show just what these pigs have for shelter and what it takes for me to take care of them.  I do realize some may think I am doctoring up video to show a good side of farming, but I guess if the animal welfare people can show you what they want you to see, so can I.  The difference is that I’m not sneaking around.  You’re all welcome to come and see for yourself!

Whether you’re preparing to eat lunch in the field – like a corn field – or lunch in the parking lot – adjacent to a football field – preparations are much the same.  With a little planning, you can enjoy a delicious meal in the great outdoors with family members and friends.

This Saturday will be “the main event” for many Iowans, who look forward to the annual matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones.  Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8.  If harvest keeps you away from Saturday’s Cy-Hawk game in Iowa City, you can hear the play-by-play action from a local station or Cyclone Radio Network. Remember to stay tuned following the game coverage for the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show, where analysts, players and coaches share their thoughts after the day’s game.

In a state without a professional sports team, the Cy-Hawk Series is almost as important as the Super Bowl.  It is the Super Bowl of Iowa!

Choosing which team a person will cheer for even divides families.  During last night’s television news coverage, I heard about a household so divided that a couple named its firstborn Kinnick Trice.  I’m guessing the lady of that house doesn’t serve up Cardinal and Gold Cheeseburgers.  🙂

Regardless of whether you’re cheering for the Cardinal & Gold or the Black & Gold, we’d like to help simplify your tailgating plans.  Today we’ve compiled our best tailgating recipes:

• Beef Sundae
• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Cuban Glazed Pork Loin

I’m also including a new recipe for Tailgating Eggs, which I picked up at the Iowa State Fair.  What’s your favorite tailgating fare?  Please send your recipe to shannonl@lathamseeds.com.

More than 100 people donned rain suits and motorcycle boots for Latham’s Fourth Freedom of Independence on Saturday, Aug. 25. Rain began to fall as the first group of riders left for Latham’s atypical field day on wheels, but no one complained after a growing season plagued by drought.

The five-hour tour took riders across 90-miles through North Central Iowa where they visited three Latham® corn and soybean showcase plots. A walk through Latham’s “living museum of corn” demonstrated the differences between corn managed as it was in the 1930s compared to modern-day hybrids.  Tour-goers also had a chance to see kernels of all sizes and colors, plus one ear as big as a Pringle® potato chips!

A highlight of the days was a stop at Hagie Manufacturing in Clarion where riders got a hands-on look at advanced manufacturing in Iowa. Interestingly enough, the Hagie’s family business got its start as a hybrid corn company and made history when Ray Hagie invented the world’s first self-propelled sprayer in 1947.

The ride ended with a complimentary hog roast catered by Wholly Smoke BBQ of Dows, Iowa.  Thanks to all of the “die-hards” who made the 4th Annual Latham Freedom of Independence Ride another roaring success!

Remember to mark your calendars for the last Saturday of August 2013. Help us celebrate Latham’s milestone 5th Annual Freedom of Independence Ride in Loess Hills, voted one of Iowa’s most scenic motorcycle routes.

“Musings of a Pig Farmer” by Larry Sailer

Back in the 1980s, I became an agvocate.  The term “agvocate” had not yet been invented, and I really had no idea what I was getting into at the time.  I joined the Franklin County Pork Producers and the Franklin County Farm Bureau.

It wasn’t long before the Farm Crisis of the 1980s hit, and I knew farmers like me needed to tell our story.  Unfortunately, I had no clue how to go about it!  My first media interview was with farm broadcaster Von Ketelsen, and in hindsight, it’s a good thing it was with someone who is so “farmer friendly.”  Most of my answers were either “yes” or “no.”

Over the past 30+ years, I have attended as many media training sessions as time allows.  I joined the Farm Bureau Speaker Corps and Operation Main Street, a speakers’ corps for the National Pork Board.  During a Farm Bureau training session about four years ago, I was introduced to Social Media.  Our trainer, Zach Bader, explained how Twitter and Facebook could expand the number of people we could reach with our message.

Then I discovered AgChat!  AgChat is a virtual chat room. This is a place where you can “attend” a meeting – unlimited by chair space.  It allows you to connect with people from virtually anywhere and discuss ag issues.  You can ask questions and get everyone’s opinion.  (Take notice: I used the word “opinion” instead of “answers”!)  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last 30 years it’s that there are a lot of opinions and not every question has a right or wrong answer.  That’s why I firmly believe those of us in agriculture must be willing to listen, too.

The founding members of AgChat did what I think was an amazing thing.  They started having seminars to help people like me learn how to use social media to have a conversation with the people, who either are no longer connected to the farm or never have been.

I attended the first agvocacy training session in Chicago in 2010 and was overwhelmed.  Speakers were so passionate about sharing the great message of what we have attained on the farm.  On Aug. 23-24, I attended the third AgChat training session in Kansas City.  It’s amazing how far social media has come!  This time I attended sessions on blogging, making videos (and even met the Petersen brothers) and using Pinterest.  There is really no limit to spreading your message.  Go ahead and give it a try…  our livelihood needs more agvocates!

Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer

Last week in “Musings of a Pig Farmer,” I shared how new school lunch regulations are limiting portions of certain types of food offered through the national school lunch program.  These regulations are a key component of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by First Lady as part of her “Let’s Move” initiative to help end childhood obesity.

One reason given by proponents of the new school lunch rules is the need for children to have a “balanced diet.”  Balanced means that a diet meets your nutritional needs while not providing too much of any one nutrient. To achieve a balanced diet, you must eat a variety of foods from each of the food groups.

Given my experience feeding livestock, I understand the need for “nutritionally balanced rations”:

• A balanced ration is one that has all the nutrients the animal needs in the right proportions and amounts.
• A ration is the amount of feed given to an animal to meet its needs during a 24-hour period.
• Animals need proper nutrition to efficiently produce meat, milk, eggs and wool.

Active kids, like active animals, have different nutritional requirements.  Performance athletes, like show animals, have different feed needs.  That’s why I’m opposed to the federal government’s “one size fits all approach” to school lunches.

Through the years, I’ve learned that you can’t remove everything animals like to eat or they will simply refuse to touch everything in the feeder.  They “go off feed.”  Animals will not eat enough to grow bigger if they do not like the diet you feed them.

This same concept may be applied to human diets.  As a parent and a grandparent, I’ve seen kids simply refuse to eat foods they do not like.  For example, Janice and I had a rule that our kids had to at least try the different types of food served at dinner.  They couldn’t be excused from the dinner table until they tried everything on their plates.  That rule didn’t work for tomatoes – but gagging did!  To this day, we have kids who will not eat tomatoes.

Fact is, it doesn’t matter how good the food is for them (animals or humans) if you can’t get them to eat it!  It doesn’t matter if the federal government requires school-age children in the Midwest to take a serving of black-eye peas or collard greens.  Chances are, most of those foods are going to end up in the garbage disposal.  Lean proteins, however, are appealing to many children.  By setting a maximum allowance for Meat and Meat Substitutes (verses “minimum requirements” as stated under the former regulations), the U.S. government implies that meat isn’t healthy.  There’s also a new limit set for grain servings.  New regs, however, increase the amount of fruits and vegetables served.  Well, too much fruit isn’t good for you either because there is such a thing as consuming too much natural sugar.  Too much of “good thing” is still too much!