What is a VFD?

As I have discussed in previous posts, (here, here, and here) antibiotics are one of the tools that farmers use to keep their animals healthy by treating and preventing disease.  They can be very expensive, but it is worth it to use them, and to have them available in order to care for the animals.
New in January 2017, farmers must follow a new regulation put in place to monitor the use of certain feed antibiotics called the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD).  The VFDs basically act as prescriptions in order to feed certain antibiotics.  The antibiotics affected are those that are medically important in human medicine.  As with any new program, there is confusion on how it will work, and what adjustments need to be made to current programs.

(sows waiting for dinner)

While nobody likes to get new paperwork and regulations, the VFDs are actually a paper record of things we are doing already.  They verify that we are consulting our vet before feeding antibiotics (we are).  They are reviewed/renewed every 6 months to make sure that we are still on track with our herd health (we do this already).  They make us pause to look at our medication program and truly evaluate it (again, already in place).  With the VFD, we are also showing transparency and accountability in a way that is consistent and traceable. At minimum, the vet, the farmer, the feed mill, and the feed distributor are all aware of the program and are checking to make sure the medication program is followed accurately.   All of these things are positive for farmers, the animals, and consumers.

Of course there are many unknowns.  We aren't sure how often we will be audited, or what the exact audit requirements will be.  Feed mills need to figure out if they are part of the farm, or a "feed distributor," which sounds simple, but actually isn't clear.  Being one or the other, the mills fall under a different set of responsibilities when in comes to record keeping and distribution.  There also are questions on whether custom specialty feeds (for example, pellets made for newly weaned pigs) will be allowed to have any antibiotics added to them.  This may not sound like a big deal, but newly weaned piglets are the most susceptible population to bugs of all kinds (similar to toddlers in day-care).  Hopefully there will be answers to these questions in coming months.

Even antibiotics that are not medically important are being reevaluated in production systems. These antibiotics mainly fall under the category of "growth promoters."  This is something that looks and sounds scary, but it is often recommended by vets to help with overall animal health. Growth promoters are fed at a super low level (read less than 30 grams per ton- 2,000 lbs.- of complete feed) to stimulate gut health in the pigs.  A healthy gut helps with nutrient absorption and boosts the immune system.  It's hard to measure but research suggests that they do help keep the herd at a better immune status, which usually means that animals do reach market size faster.  For more information on antibiotics on feed, please please follow any one of the links I provided at the top of this post.

What is replacing antibiotics in feed?  There is research and development going into many things that will support immunity and increase overall health, and that is really exciting!  Yeast is now being used in some feeds to increase gut health, cutting drastically into the use of growth promoters.  Also probiotics and essential oil blends are having some positive therapeutic effects, with the potential to change treatments for many diseases.  These are the same things that you might find in your local health food store to improve your own immunity, and now we will have access to them for our animals.  Animals that get hit hard and have little or no immunity to new diseases will probably still need antibiotics, but diseases that have been present in the herd for awhile may no longer need antibiotics to keep them under control.  It is a good time for innovation in agriculture.  We are adding new tools to our toolbox, and honing the use of old ones to be more productive, socially conscious, and healthy.

Good Production Practice: Using Antibiotics Responsibly

(New Barn Progress- pouring the floor)

In my last post on good production practices, I went into how our farm uses antibiotics to treat pigs when they are sick.  Antibiotics are part of how we take care of our animals.  However, that isn't the only way that we mange our hog health.  There are 5 areas we look at to responsibly manage our antibiotic use.  These steps will change in the coming years, as regulation changes.

First, we do what we can to use less antibiotics.  This means cleaning boots, clothes, and gloves.  We don't want to wear a pair of boots with one group of animals, and then drive over to another group and spread bacteria from the first group.  We also clean and disinfect barns and trucks between groups of pigs.  If I am going to see pigs in the same barn, I start with the youngest ones first, so I don't track bugs from the oldest pigs down to the youngest ones.

Next, when a pig gets sick we treat it.  After it is treated, we look to see if there is any interference that is causing the sickness.  Did the barn get to warm and muggy? Did some of the bird netting at the top of the barn come down, and allow the birds and pigs to have contact?  Did the pigs run out of feed or water for part of a day?  Is something in the barn broken? In a perfect world, none of these things happen, but in reality, little problems occur all of the time.  Once we identify the cause of the sickness, we can be a lot more proactive in preventing it.

When deciding whether or not to use an antibiotic, we have to see if it makes sense.  For example. a virus like PEDv wouldn't respond to an antibiotic treatment.  Trying to treat it with an antibiotic would be throwing money away.  When choosing to use an antibiotic, we have to make sure there is a measurable gain- this can be less pigs die from a disease, or improved performance, at such a rate that it justifies the cost of the drug.

As you probably know, most our pigs are raised from 60 lbs. to market weight in an Amish barn.  If a pig is starting to show signs of getting sick, the Amish barn manager has to make a decision on what to do.  All of the barn managers are trained at the company, state, and industry levels on how to handle antibiotics.  They are provided with information on storage, dosage, length of use, withdrawal times, and on how to keep accurate treatment records for best traceability.

What our barn managers aren't doing is diagnosing illnesses.  We leave that to the universities and veterinarians.  By working with our vets and diagnostic labs, we can make the most informed decisions on how to best care for our animals.  Sometimes a barn will be diagnosed with a disease in a few pigs that never really breaks into the whole barn. The manager will store the antibiotics until they need them for another outbreak, (returning them would violate our cleaning standards) or if we do not need them again and they expire, we will dispose of them per our vet's guidelines.

These five areas help us to manage our herd health responsibly.  In five years, I know that these guidelines will change due to changing consumer preferences on antibiotic use in production agriculture, and that doesn't really bother me.  I try to do the best I can with the tools I have, however, if I ignore alternatives to antibiotics, or consumer preferences, the farm will not make it very far.  Moving forward, we have to look at what opportunities are out there to make pork production better- for the people and the pigs.  


 

Good Production Practices: Working with your Vet

The Pork Board is part of a checkoff program which works with packers, consumers, and hog farmers to figure out the best way to care for the pigs, and provide resources to the growers.  Animal agriculture is in an interesting place because we have to look out for the animals with veterinary supervision, meet the demands of our direct customers- the meat packing companies,- and give the end consumer the products they desire; preferably while generating enough revenue to pay our employees and give us room to grow.  In an ideal world, all of these would align perfectly, and achieving balance would be easy.  Since nothing is every perfect, it's a challenge to find a set of standards that will suit all the different customers.

For this reason, the Pork Board has worked to make a list of 10 "Good Production Practices."  These practices are part of industry wide training, and are part of our auditing processes.  They are written into our Standard Operating Procedures, and are practices fully backed by our vets.  They have input from our buyers, who are influenced by their buyers.  It's a bit clunky, and a bit slow to react, but it is the system we have in place now that draws the line on what's acceptable, and what's not.

The first practice is to have a good relationship with your vet.  This relationship isn't just a once in awhile office visit, but much more hands on.  Almost on a daily basis someone on the farm is contacting one of our vets.  On my farm, we have two.  One lives just minutes from the farm, and he is our local large animal vet.  He visits with us regularly, and makes suggestions on what he sees.  He works closely with our swine vet who travels to see us a few times a year, but makes most of our major protocol changes.  Both vets work together on every decision we make when it comes to animal care.

These vets also update us on information pertaining to medical withdrawals.  They make sure we know if information on the products we use to treat sick pigs changes, so we don't use the products against their recommendations.  They make sure that anything we give to treat or prevent sickness makes sense, and is actually working.  They also make recommendations on how to avoid sickness by implementing better cleaning practices, and proactively improving our herd's immunity.  Any treatment we use is very expensive, so anything we can do to avoid having to treat pigs is worth it.

(Grandpa and I- Founder and 3rd Generation)

Over the years, the way we farm has changed, and so has the way we evaluate things on the farm.  What hasn't changed is our commitment to growing a safe food supply.

New Year, New Office, New Plan

Big and exciting things have happened on the farm this week.... our office addition is ready for move-in!!  In April of last year we decided to expand the office (there were more people than desks) and after all of the delays due to rain on foundation pouring days, harvest, illnesses, hunting season, and all the other things that can go wrong on a construction project, we are finally starting to get settled.  The window trim still needs to go up, and a few other odds and ends, but I now have my own desk to work at, so I am not complaining.

(My new desk, complete with a kitty house... not quite put away yet)

The other big project I personally have been working on is the siting plan for our new inside gestation barn we are hoping to put up this spring.  Friday I was able to send the plan into the state, and it was so relieving to have that project off of my shoulders.  For anyone unfamiliar with the siting requirements in Michigan, livestock farmers have a set of guidelines for building a new livestock facility, or expanding an old one.  We are actually reducing the number of animals on the farm, but the siting plan process is a really thorough way to check for potential problems.  The plan must include all items off of a 4 page checklist (and it's really tiny print!) in order for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) to review the request and approve the site.

(Siting plan complete!)

When making the plan, I have to figure out what the impact of the building will be on the land as far as erosion, soil types, nutrient analysis, and possible crop farming uses.  I then review the impact on the watershed, wetlands, rivers, streams, drains, storm waters, and well records and maps.  Odor and manure management make up about half of the plan requirements, with a wind odor print taken to make sure the barn won't create too much stink for the neighbors ("too much"  is odor that can be smelled more than 5% of the time, or 18 days a year).  In the manure management portion, I look at the amount of farmland we have to utilize the manure as fertilizer, and see if the new facility can work into our system,  This is one of the most important parts of the plan for the farm to use.  I also submit an engineer's blueprint and a outline of current utilities on the property, so MDARD can analyze construction plans and placement decisions.  I work with the local zoning officials in the township to figure out further permitting that I will need.

This isn't just something for hog farms, but any livestock farms.  It isn't optional.  It is a lot of work, but it gives farmers protection and shows that we are following the rules.  It gives us guidelines for working with neighbors. We are doing our homework, checking our lists, and having conversations about conservation and our environment.

6 takeaways from the Great Lakes Crop Summit

(Sign Welcoming Farmers to the Great Lakes Crop Summit in Mt. Pleasant, MI)

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Great Lakes Crop Summit.  It is nice to have such a well run cropping event so close to home.  After listening to a dozen or so speakers over the two days of sessions, I gathered up a few key points.

1. Export markets are there, and they are important.  If grain marketing at most farms in anything like it is on my farm, we just work with our local elevator.  That isn't the worst thing to do, but being aware of the international trade climate, and of the other ways you market grain (at a premium), can really help crop farmers manage their risk.

2. We have to be business smart to farm smart.   Farmers are always proud of the fact that we farm out of love for the land.  We also tend to be slow to change or adapt.  By treating downturn years the same way as high profit years, we are really shooting ourselves in the foot.

3. Soybeans have a lot of unrealized potential.  In Michigan, soybeans are more of a rotational crop, not the main money maker.  The Great Lakes Crop Summit made me realize that we are giving up potential on soybeans just because we don't make them a priority.  Some of the things we can do with soybeans don't even take more time or money, it's just applying effort at the right time instead of whenever its convenient around corn.

4. New to cover crops? Get Help! After listening to multiple sessions on cover crops and vertical tillage, my biggest takeaway is don't go it alone.  Many things in crop farming are trial and error, but investing $25-45/ acre, or thousands in new equipment isn't something you should do without working with someone who has experience.  This will save a lot of trouble down the road.

5. Customer connection is key.  This is true in all parts of business, and not always something we think of first in agriculture.  Traceability is something that is gaining importance everyday with consumers.  Delivering a product tailored to our clients will result in better relationships, and a healthy pocketbook.

6. Manage your risk.  What happens when you have an accident on the farm?   How prepared are you to handle it?  This isn't just about insurance, but also about knowing what you should be doing before the accidents happen to protect yourself.  Working with your lawyer, your accountant, and your insurance agent to best guard yourself against potential harms will leave you feeling confident and prepared to handle any situation.

An Anomaly: the Agriculture Optimist

Happy New Year!  It's finally getting cold around the farm and while we don't have snow right now, we are running into the typical winter problems with housing the sows outside.  Putting straw in the sow huts outside is a weekly activity, and frozen water bowls are something to look out for.  Friday we had a breaker that kept blowing and shutting off the water bowl heater, so Dad and I went over to thaw one it out (Dad did most of the fixing, I was emotional support).  The sows were sure happy to see us!

(The orange juice container had hot water to thaw the frozen heaters. The mud is from the Michigan freeze/thaw winter.)

While we were out fixing heaters, I was really enjoying my day.  I love going around the farm and looking at things.  I love seeing the people and the animals.  I love actually being able to see the difference we make every day.  Most of my friends don't have jobs where they get to see the whole supply chain of their industry.  I get to see the pigs from birth to market (and even into bacon or ham), I see the crops go from seeds to feed, and I get to see how our part time help grows from young high school kids with no plans to responsible adults with a passion for their prospective careers, even if it's not on the farm.  Farms are just a good place for things to grow.  

What I never see on the farm, but always deal with when talking about it is the politics of farming.  Maybe farms have done it to themselves, but I don't see how my life can be such a big political issue.  Some people think I am "brainwashed" by "Big Ag", not able to learn the "real" methods of agriculture.  Others feel that I am "oppressed" by the way things are in the industry, that I don't have choices or channels to make my farm the best it can be.  I like that people are talking about farming.  I love that we have research on what we grow.  I know these things can help us improve, that new methods and technology will develop from these conversations.  I only want the cynicism to subside on both sides, trust to flourish, and real listening to occur.  On both sides.  Farmers need to be open, honest and vulnerable.  Consumers need to be the same.  We aren't going to agree all of the time, but the mutual respect needs to be there.  It's the way we can move forward for the betterment of all.  I am tired of seeing people fighting back an forth about the "right" way.  We aren't listening, just throwing around the ideology that sounds best at the moment.

While I want to talk about the hard questions of agriculture, I want to stay an optimist.  I love what I do, I love the animals, and I see any challenges as an opportunity to do something great.  I have found through my own experiences, that most people are good people. I have faith that we can make ag better, we only have to try.

Dream Big

The pork industry and the larger agriculture industry are approaching a make-or-break moment.  Our customers are changing; information from all sides is more available, yet as a group we are afraid of the knowledge sharing.  We don't want attention from the outside, we don't want to stand out, we don't want to be talked about.

At a conference last week with other producers, I realized many of us saw each other as competition, while not false, our biggest competitors in the future may not be the other farmers around us.  Our collective farmer dream is to somehow grow to be the largest, or produce the "best" pork possible.  These are lofty goals, but may not lend themselves to the changing market. Maybe our goal should be to be the smartest in our industry, or even across industries.  Value creation for our businesses lies in the ability of producers to get food to consumers in a way that lasting connections between seller and buyer are made; relationship creation.  We should dream of being a leader in business, not just a leader in pork.  We can inspire others with our innovation and our ability to shape our collective future.  By making some changes now, and putting ourselves out there for consumers, we can bring back our relevance, and grow our public perception, areas where we are now clearly lacking.

Many of us complain how disconnected our consumers are from production.  Public education on food issues is at the top of our to-do list.  At the same time, we need to see that in the meantime, we have to appease the consumer we have.  The one who doesn't understand what we do, or why we do it.  This consumer still makes the buying decision and we need to respect that.  By continuing to put our heads down and ignore changes, we will only go down the roads of irrelevance and public mistrust at a faster rate.  Moving fast in the wrong direction will only lead to demise.  If we won't make changes to our production systems, someone else who isn't emotionally attached to the way we do business will.  They will see the opportunities we are ignoring and take advantage of them.  In a way, the pork industry is a sitting duck for competition, but we have all the knowledge, experience, and tools to successfully manage a strategic change.  We can't ignore the problem of animal welfare.  We should dream big and strive to be the solution.

Often times as farmers, we try to hide in the woodwork.  We feel being individually noticed and recognized is a negative.  In actuality, putting ourselves out in the public, will probably save us from scrutiny.  If we can be open and honest, people will feel we have nothing to hide.  If have transparency, we are delivering something that consumers will value.  We are creating a place of trust.  

Agbusiness: Are your Employees Managing You?

With July fast approaching, I have begun to look at the evaluation papers that need to be distributed, I have been looking at some ways to improve our evaluation system.  In it's current form, the system is pretty basic, with six questions with answer options and then an explanation box where managers can rate their employees on a monthly basis.  The system isn't bad, but it could be improved a bit, to be more behaviorally based, and give a more balanced picture.

In order to improve upon what we already have, I have turned to some business standbys, because farms are small businesses, too.  In particular, I referred to Patrick Lencioni's Three Signs of a Miserable Job, a "Leadership Fable"  that tells how a manager works out a theory to motivate the people around him to care about their work.  Farmers care dearly for their businesses, but often run into a struggle because they can't lure the most desirable people with high salaries, flexible schedules, or sparkling benefits packages.  Those types of resources aren't very prevalent for our employees.  Upon reading Lencioni's book, I realized that while money is important, culture is a main factor in why successful people work in successful organizations.

When I think of farming business culture in general, I think of an older gentleman who tends to be hard working, stoic, and a bit tight lipped.  As businesspeople, we are not the best communicators.  We don't show appreciation for some of the intangibles that impact the way our businesses operate.  We tend to prepare for the worst, and show little faith in the people we surround ourselves with, except maybe a few family and friends.

What we don't realize is that we have the power to make people enjoy their work, feel challenged by it, and raise the standards of our businesses.  An article from National Hog Farmer, Engaging Your Employees, agrees that the way you handle employees determines how effective they will be in your business.  Many of the things we can do are so simple, and only cost a little extra time on the employer's end.

Get to know your employees.  Those that have a connection to the people they work with are more likely to show commitment to the business.  Know about their hobbies, kids, and family situation.  Let them know their work is relevant.  It may sound silly, but telling someone their work has made an impact on you, coworkers, customers, etc., shows that you notice and care.  It adds an extra connection to the business.  Human capital is a defining factor of business success.  Finally, give your employees tools to get feedback.  It's not just feedback on the balance sheet, or feedback from their boss, but things they can use as measures for success on a daily or weekly basis.  This gives employees control over their own performance, and increases the likelihood of retention.  On the farm we need to remember that creating these types of conversations will pay off, even though they are not on the balance sheet.

The New Farmer

I've been reading a lot lately about the new generation coming into the world of agriculture.  We tend to be more tech savvy, educated,  highly motivated, and low in resources.  Some new farmers have little or no farm background, but want to make a difference in the way we produce food.  We are more open to change, and are optimistic about the adversity we will face.  We realize that we have to work with the older generation and with our opponents, bridging the gap to create a system that we all can live with. 

Many of the older generation see the recent public interest in food production as a nuisance, a sort of snooping.  People want to have an input on things they don't really understand or know about.  They are influencing policy, but are not spending the time to do the research.  There are some farmers who just want to turn their heads the other way and keep working the land, raising the animals the same way they have done for a number of years.

We don't have that option any more, and we don't need it.  As an industry, we are lucky to have direct consumer feedback.  We provide a product, and people are looking for service.  They want to have input towards the process.  Any business manager wants to know that their product is satisfying the consumer needs, finding the areas where they could make improvement. We need to take the feedback and run with it.  Even though many are resistant, we can produce food however people want us to, but they have to realize that their is a cost.  That's why most farmers are afraid to make the jump to meet consumer demands.  For any young farmers willing to make changes, it will take small steps and steady work the ultimate goals of supporting family, while meeting consumer expectations.

Fit to Farm

After my first two posts, I realize I haven't put out there why I am here and what I want to do.  What is my angle?  Do I have a purpose for writing?  Who am I to my audience?

I'll start to answer these questions by looking at the name I have chosen.  Fit to Farm. With my educational and cultural backgrounds, I find myself fit and ready to be part of the new generation in agriculture.  I am more open to change, more open to differing opinions, and less entrenched in traditional agriculture.  Not to knock farming practices, but everyone needs to update now and then. 

I don't just care about the farm now, but the impact I am making on our future.  I had a professor who once said that great leaders take time to develop a plan for the next generation and prepare the people to replace them to lead.  This is one of the goals I have for each endeavor I undertake.  I need to make things not only easy for me, but easier for the people around me.  I need to teach, not instruct.

Agriculture is changing very quickly.  It is an exciting time for me to be a part of the industry, as I may get a hand in shaping the direction we are going.  Being able to talk to other people who are figuring out better and more sustainable, profitable ways of business is inspiring.  It is possible for us to be so innovative when faced with problems.  

I believe that a farmer's life is a fit one.  I love to be active.  I run marathons, canoe race cross country ski, and take kettlebell and yoga classes once a week.  I try to be healthy by being safe in my physical work on the farm, and by eating well when I get to the table.  Through the course of this blog, you will probably hear about all of these endeavors from time to time.  As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I see things as cyclical, thus no one part of my life goes on without affecting another facet.  Each thing I do shapes the person that I am.

Should we be Anti Antibiotic?

Today while at work I read a lot of information about the FDA encouraging drug companies to relabel feed used animal antibiotics so they can not be used as a growth enhancer for animals.  To be honest, I really don't think that is the best use of our antibiotics anyway, even though my farm does feed one antibiotic this way.  We are looking to discontinue use regardless of the advice of the FDA because it doesn't seem to do much for us.  Honestly, each animal we sell eats less than a few pounds of the stuff over their lifetime, and I wonder how much that really adds up to for people, but I really don't know.

The second part of this issue is banning the antibiotics fed to animals as disease prevention if they are similar to ones used in humans.  Would this really lead to the use of less antibiotics while raising happier and healthier animals?  The treatments that vets and farmers come up with for common problems are meant to keep the animals healthy and stress free until they reach market age.  They are not intended to put an unnecessary amount of drug residue into the food supply.

Places that butcher animals also have withdrawal tests for all antibiotics that animals are treated with before they are brought in.  For example, if an animal is given a shot of penicillin, it may not be able to go to market for 20 days, allowing the drug to exit the system.  After so many days withdrawal, the drug can not be traced in the animals.  If a drug trace is found, the farmer doesn't receive his full pay, or the meat is rejected completely.  Neither one of these options pays for the farmer.

What if this mandate goes into full effect?  I believe there are other options we could use that we may want to look into anyway.  What about probiotics in feed?  What about other more natural supplements that we could use?  If there is a better way out there for us to make our product, we need to find it and take advantage of it.  Fighting changes just because they take us out of our comfort zone isn't a good way to go.  We need to be open to innovation, even if it makes us come at an issue from a different angle.  People can do great things when given a challenge. 

If science and the consumer dictate that a change in the way we produce our food is necessary, we can't call for this change to occur in one day, one week, or maybe even in one year.  A transition period is needed for producers to regroup, and new methods to be field researched on how to handle the problems at hand.  

It is the responsibility of all people involved in agriculture to produce the best food that they can.  Each farmer I know believes in full faith that they are sending the best product to the consumer.  They are proud of the time and effort put in two raise the animals and crops.  Each farmer eats the crop he produces and the animal he grows.  We are all in this together.