Biosecurity is an important part of an operation’s success, say Jarrod and Shari Bakker of Dike, Iowa. The Bakkers run a 2,400-head, contract, wean-to-finish barn and have a herd of 50 sows to produce show pigs. They also have three young children, in whom they’re instilling the importance of biosecurity.
The show-pig operation is kept in a different location. The Bakkers have taught their children about the dangers of driving from farm to farm and how easy it is to transfer diseases on truck tires and car mats. From day one, the kids learned to wear different clothing to and from the finishing site, shower immediately after returning from the finishing site and make sure they always wear different shoes/boots.
“Our kids are still young, so we teach them biosecurity in terms of ‘germs.’ We talk about how important it is to limit new germs from being introduced to our pig herds. The kids get to pick out separate chore shoes to keep at the grow-to-finish building, as well as at our show-pig operation, which gives them some ownership in biosecurity practices,” she says.
Learn more about how the Bakkers keep their pigs safe, and why they feel biosecurity isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” mentality. Read the article here.
