Colin Johnson connects with pork producers daily in his role as a swine field specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. These conversations give him a deep understanding of the issues shaping today’s swine industry and economic realities on the farm.
Recently, producers have raised questions about topics such as the National Swine Health Strategy, PRRS management, labor sourcing, and aging facilities. Drawing on more than 20 years of extension experience, Johnson offers his insight on these topics and discusses strategies to help producers make informed decisions for their operations.
How are producers reacting to the National Swine Health Strategy? What results are they hoping to achieve?
Overall reactions are positive and there is general support, particularly for traceability and improved biosecurity. Many farms have already implemented documentation efforts that will contribute to the goals of the National Swine Health Strategy.
Premises ID is a key component of the strategy that impacts every producer across the state, whether you are small, niche, youth, or part of a larger system. Having everyone registered for a premises ID would benefit the whole industry in the event of a disease outbreak or animal health event. From there, we can work on movement records and other biosecurity schemes.
How are pork producers responding to the ongoing challenges posed by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and disease outbreaks?
In terms of current outbreak information and how to best manage that, I typically refer questions to colleagues at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine or Chris Rademacher, our extension swine veterinarian. But from my observation, you’ve got outbreaks (leaks) happening all the time. Obviously, outbreaks in the sow herd are different than the finisher, but there are some sow farms choosing to depopulate and convert their buildings to finishers to reduce costs associated with the PRRS virus.
Other topics of conversation include strain mutation and encouraging producers to collect samples for testing, so they know what strain they are dealing with. They can then work with their veterinarian or integrator to discuss health management and vaccination strategies. Ultimately having a sound vaccination strategy and biosecurity plan are the top factors in PRRS management.
How are producers filling labor needs? What resources are available?
Finding and retaining labor remains a significant concern across the industry. When producers are looking for more than one full-time employee, the discussion is typically about hiring foreign workers through TN visa and H-2A programs. I usually direct them to local community resources or production systems that have some tenure and experience in the field.
More often, what I encourage here in Iowa is to identify local young people who may be seeking part-time employment opportunities and to give them a chance to get involved in the farm. Young people can help with feeding chores or work with load out, wash and vaccination crews to learn about swine production and earn some income. When determining wages, producers can consider paying an hourly rate or paying per pig space but also need to consider the health status of their barns. When animals are sick, it results in additional time needed for treatments and can challenge employee morale, so additional compensation might be necessary.
Geographic distance between farms can add travel time for employees working on multiple sites, which can also add costs for covering that travel time. For full-time employees, including housing as part of compensation packages can help attract and retain workers in rural areas.
Let’s talk facilities. What issues are producers facing? How are producers managing those challenges?
Many producers that are retirement age or looking to pass along facilities to the next generation are operating barns that were built in the 90’s. While evaluating whether to lease out the building, invest in upgrades, sell or transition the facility out of production, they are also looking for the person who will potentially take over their building site.
For producers who have invested financial and sweat equity into their operation for several decades, the discussions of whether to remodel existing buildings or construct new facilities come down to economics and farm sustainability. Producers must consider not only construction costs, but also expenses such as labor, ventilation efficiency, energy use (propane, water, electric, etc.), technology upgrades, manure management and health status of the barn.
For young people looking to take over management of a barn, it is important to consider what requirements the integrator or production system might have. Many integrators prefer specific gating and pen style, alarm systems, ventilation systems, and additional bins on site for feed storage. It can be costly to upgrade facilities to meet these expectations.
Sometime folks with a passion for the industry ultimately must decide to get out of the business for financial reasons, so my role is to help them work through that decision. Right now, we are not in need of additional production space, so I have producers consider if they want to invest in a facility that they eventually may not be operating, when construction costs are as elevated as they are, compared to the value of a new facility down the road.
How do young people find opportunities to enter the industry?
Connections often happen through personal networks and industry relationships. I recently connected with a young person who had been working and choring for a farm but was able to connect with another producer with a small barn who was looking to get out of production.
There are two perspectives to consider when a transition takes place: the first being the farmer that is retiring and owns the barn, the second is the young person entering production, looking to source labor and potentially own the facility in the future.
In this scenario, they both had to discuss if the barn would provide enough value as is or if there would be enough value managing this flow and taking on a new contract considering what the remodel requirements might be.
