Latest News From Hogs Housing - Facilities

We live in a world where there is a disconnect between swine producers and pork consumers. This makes it important to understand how the public might view changes to farming practices before they happen.

As someone who thrives on outdoor adventures, I eagerly anticipate the warmer weather and the lively buzz that comes with spring. But it’s also the time when our barn ventilation systems kick into high gear,

“Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly.” This quote is a reminder that any undertaking that is important cannot wait for ideal circumstances before proceeding. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

Due to tech advancements, ventilation management has become more complex, noting fan stages and more precise inlets for air movement, which may lead to a lack of understanding of how to optimally ventilate a barn.

Precision livestock farming technologies are rapidly being developed and increasingly available in the commercial market. With so many technologies to choose from, it can be challenging to decide which ones to invest in.

We are no longer in the “olden days” when a producer had to drive to the site to see if the barn ventilation was operating correctly because he made a ventilation change the day before based on a snapshot in time.

Ag nuisance cases in Iowa may be down for now, but Eldon McAfee, attorney with Brick Gentry P.C. in West Des Moines, Iowa, warned producers not to let their guard down and to strive to be good neighbors. 

Phil Borgic vividly remembers sitting in his civics class years ago. He thought it was pretty cut and dry that one state can’t tell another how to run their business. But that didn’t apply for Prop 12, he told AgriTalk.

The FFA Swine Facility Management Contest tests the knowledge of youth on issues pertaining to swine production—feed, water, air, facility management and recordkeeping.

The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel rejected challenges from environmental groups, emphasizing that the permit applications were appropriately scrutinized before approval.

Is your small swine farm ready for winter? Here are some critical steps to consider when preparing your small farm for winter.

The U.S. swine industry lost an estimated $299 million per year due to heat stress alone in 2003, says Jay S. Johnson, USDA-ARS researcher. If you adjust that for inflation, that's more like $493 million per year now.

How does manure pumping affect disease onset in wean-to-finish pigs? A team of researchers is trying to identify practices related to manure pumping that can be managed to decrease incidence of disease onset.

For years, livestock producers have been regulated under EPA’s CAFO Rules, which enforce a strict “zero-discharge” standard for managing manure. Adding unnecessary paperwork will provide no water quality benefit.

Hog operations of many sizes and in various locations have successfully implemented anaerobic digesters and are reaping financial renewable energy benefits. Here's a look at three examples.

Why have so few swine operations implemented anaerobic digester systems? Economic challenges and the vertically integrated nature of the industry are two obstacles that prevent adoption of AD systems on farms.

When the workday is over for Wen Murphy, more often than not, he continues to think about his job and what he will leave for his family members and others who will someday walk the path of those who went before him.

Properly functioning ventilation systems are vital to pork production facilities, and following a regular process for maintaining their operation can pay big economic dividends. Now's a good time to get barns ready.

It costs a lot of money. It takes a lot of work. And if you do it perfectly, the result isn’t even visible at first. It’s no wonder it’s hard to convince people to do the right thing and follow biosecurity protocols.

When you consider the number of stressors wean pigs face, it’s no surprise that starting pigs in the nursery can be challenging. So, the question becomes, what can you do to help? Here are eight tips to reduce stress.

JYGA Technologies has launched a new product, GESTAL L-Track, that provides a solution to monitor the level of feed in bins in real time.

A new cooling pad technology for hogs is coming to North America in spring 2024.

As extremely hot weather settles in across much of the country, proper temperature control and ventilation are essential in swine barns to help protect animals from heat stress that can compromise health and performance.

The swine industry’s future was once filled with optimism, expecting a turnaround that would bring back profitable times. However, the first half of 2023 has proven to be the most arduous period in the careers of many.

Phones, iPads, computers, Ring doorbells, all have become a part of our lives and it’s hard to imagine life without them. Iowa State is looking at how cameras can help producers recognize sickness and behavior changes.

Pork processor Triumph and others dispute legality of a Massachusetts law about sow housing regulations.

New Jersey must "adopt rules and regulations concerning the confinement, care and treatment of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal," according to legislation signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday.

Ventilation systems that function at their best are critical for pork operations. IPIC is now offering a seasonal approach to checking the various components in an easy-to-use checklist format to help producers.

A fire broke out on May 23 at Blunier Farms in Forrest, Ill. The fire destroyed one of the farm’s five barns. Nobody was hurt and only 10 pigs were lost in the fire.

A fire broke out at Cedar Ridge Farms, a seedstock swine operation owned and operated by the six sons of the late Fred and Betty Grohmann near Red Bud, Ill., early on April 14. 

Like many, the ag construction industry relies on migrant labor. After surveying construction companies, we discovered most are expecting a 50% to 100% increase in the cost for that labor due to H2A wage changes. 

The global animal disinfectants market is expected to reach $4.6 billion by 2027, according to a Markets and Markets report, up from $3.2 billion in 2022.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources rejected Cumberland LLC's proposal to build a 26,000-hog facility in Burnett County in northern Wisconsin due to incomplete application materials.

There are many complex interactions between the animals, air, water, soil and energy in the swine industry. Because of this, our approach to sustainability is multidimensional, says NC State's Suzanne Leonard.

Particulate matter at high concentrations can affect the health of animals and people. Although the problem is well known, researchers say the exact concentrations within and outside of swine barns is poorly understood.

The creator of the wireless BarnTalk barn alarm, BarnTools, has introduced a new real-time feed monitoring solution to their growing suite of wireless sensors.

Looking at the modest profitability of the pork industry over the past four years, it would typically garner discussion of new projects, says Steve Malakowsky of Compeer Financial. Here's why producers are reluctant.

Nearly 10,000 pigs were killed in a barn fire on Feb. 12 at an Olymel finishing barn in Sturgis, Sask.

EPA is proposing changes to rodenticides that would result in canceling products and uses, adding more requirements to labels, and reclassifying some products to restricted use pesticides. Here's what you need to know.

It’s the same old story. A story that Steve Von Haden, Midwest business manager for Motomco, hears time and time again as he visits barns throughout the country. 

A new 12,000-sow complex is under construction in South Dakota that features the first prefabricated steel swine barns in the U.S.

Creator of a patent-pending, autonomous, biological wastewater treatment system, EnBiorganic Technologies shares recent findings from a swine and row crop farm operational trial near West Liberty, Iowa.

A powerful holiday-week storm will unfold across the central U.S. from Thursday into Friday and unleash heavy snow and strong winds. Is your farm ready for the storm?

Farmers typically focus on biosecurity protocols on the farm, but don't forget some threats come from outside the farm. Animal rights extremists continue to attempt to gain access to farms by any means necessary.

A Friday night fire at a commercial hog farm near Cascade, Iowa, caused more than $500,000 worth of damage and killed around 30 pigs. 

The world’s largest foodservice company, Compass Group USA, has announced its plan to eliminate pork that comes from animals bred using gestation stalls in its U.S. supply chain.

Sioux Falls, S.D., voters chose to keep the pork processing industry within the city going forward, voting 52% in favor of not supporting the ballot initiative trying to prevent construction of a pork processing plant.

Boehringer Ingelheim's proprietary barn monitoring technology, SoundTalks, is now available to help detect and respond to respiratory disease up to five days earlier than conventional methods, the company said.

Justices asked whether Prop 12 could lead other states to impose their moral values beyond their borders.

“If California were to win this Supreme Court case, there’s nothing stopping the state from saying, for example, you can only sell corn in California if it’s harvested with an electric combine,” says Dillard.