Interstate Movements: Regulatory Hurdles

By
Kent Holden
Holden Farm, Inc.
Minnesota

 

 

Why the Midwest?

• Corn availability and price

• Packer Competition

• Environment

Holden Farms, Inc. Hog Production History

• 1963: 75 sows at original farm

• 1965: 1st confinement finishing barn

• 1970: 100 sow farrow-to-finish operation

• 1974: Increased to 300 sows

• 1976: 800 sows total + 3000 hd. finisher

• 1980: 1200 sows total + 1st contract finisher

Today . . .

• Owns and operates 4 breeding/farrowing facilities for 9000 sows

• Contracts facilities for a capacity of 8600 sows

• Has used contract finishing for 14 years

• Joint contract arrangement with hangar Farms in Manitoba which produces 2000 weaner pigs/week

Current Production: 1996

• ~ 55 million lbs. pork (230, 000 hogs)

• ~ 6 million lbs. turkey

• Changing to all 3-site production

• Project > 350, 000 hogs by 1997 from more than 17, 000 sows

Holden Farms Genetic Program

• Haugen Farrowing Contract 600 sows

• Berquist Farm Contract 600 sows

• Hangar Farms Contract 6200 sows

• Swanson Farm Contract 1300 sows

• Isolation barns

• Off-site Nurseries

Damon Knobloch

• Contract Growers

55 with 100 barns

Mark Renneke

• Research Farms

• Packer Contacts

• 500 head Test Barn

Contract nurseries and finishing

• Disease Prevention Management

• Latest technologies

Multi-site production

Segregated Early Weaning (SEW)

All-in/All-out (AIAO)

Benefits to Contract Growers

• Helps producers with capital through shared agreement or alliance

• Improves producers’ net worth by owning quality facilities

• Provides on-farm income with flexible work schedule

• Reduces risk associated with capital investment of facilities and market fluctuation

• Provides management system and training to maximize production efficiencies

Multi-Site Production

• Advantages

One week age spread

Potential depopulation

Specialized labor

Disease control

• Disadvantages

Cost of separate sites

Transportation between sites

Multi-Site Production Improvement per Pig

Improvement Value

Average Gain $1.40

Feed Efficiency $2.20

Death Loss $0.75

TOTAL $4.35

Off-site Nurseries

• SEW program

Locked wean age

20 days maximum

Wean control system

Ear tattoo

Concerns

Nurse sows

Cross fostering

Two digits

Letter for the week

Number for the day of the week

Farm ID (Track pigs from source farm)

2 digits

Farm name

Sow farms

• Minnesota

• North Dakota

• Canada

Contract Nurseries

• Minnesota

Contract Finishers

• Minnesota

• Iowa

Interstate Shipment

• Minnesota to Iowa

• Tattoo system

Record system

• Production records

Sow: Boar Pig CHAMP

Grow: Finish Spreadsheet

• Financial records

Sow farms

Each group close-out

Nursery

Grow-Finish

Animal movement record

• Every stage of movement

• Weaner pig manifest

Date of movement

Show farm source

Nursery destination

Inventory

Weight

Sex and number of each sex

Outside temperature

Loading density

Double checked

Sow farm

Trucker

Nursery farm

Discrepancy (corrected by service people)

• Feeder pig manifest

Date of movement

Nursery farm source

Finishing farm destination

Inventory

Weight

Sex and number of each sex

Outside temperature

Loading density

Double checked

Nursery farm

Trucker

Finishing farm

• Market hog manifest

Date

Herd ID

Destination

Inventory

Sex

Type of sale

Market

Cull

Outside temperature

Stocking density

Double checked

Contract grower

Trucker

Final Inventory

Final Weight

Sales

Market

Resales

Subjects

Dead on arrivals

Faxed back to the office the same day

• Animal Movement Records

Manifest

Carbonless forms

Source farm

Destination

Offices

Truckers carry a copy during all shipments

Auditing system

Each group is closed out and must balance

Sales

Deaths

Periodic Inventories