Meet our Pig Farming Experts

Happy National Ag week!  It's nice to see all of my farmer friends taking the time to talk about how much they love agriculture with their friends.  People really seem to be into it this year, and a lot of stories are being shared.

(Ag story: wait until it's a bit drier to get in the field.)

This week on our farm we had one of our consultant's visit.  His name is Al, and he has spent is whole working life in the pork industry.  He comes through our farm about once a month, often with our other consultant Dale, and they look at all of our pigs, making suggestions on everything from feeding to handling to maintenance.  Al works closely with our vet, and with the people that sell us breeding stock in order to help us make the best decisions for the farm.  Dale really takes interest in pig structure and genetics, and helps us select the right animals for our system.  These two consultants have practical experience and industry connections, helping us to solve any problems we may have.  They also give us valuable outside information.  Sometimes you can look at things every day, but not actually see the problem.  Dale and Al keep us in check.

In addition to our consultants, we work with two vets.  One vet is a local large animal vet, and he visits each of our farrowing farms (where the piglets and mamas are) once a month to do a general health check-up.  He works closely with our other vet, who is a swine vet.  The swine vet doesn't make it out to the farm as often, but he is only a phone call away for any help that we need.  Our local vet takes care of us in emergencies, and helps us with diagnostics on a regular basis.  We are lucky to have two vets that can work so closely together and help our farm.

Besides these visits, our management team meets once a month in order to discuss all of the information that the consultants and vets give us.  This helps hold the whole team accountable on the changes we have decided to make, as well as make sure that we are all on the same page.  We also chat on a daily basis to make sure we are accomplishing the things we intended.  There are still things we miss, but working together makes a difference.

Keeping the communication flowing from top to bottom is one of the harder jobs on the farm.  Even a small change has 10 people working on it, and easily 10 another people having to implement it.  No one person on the farm is an expert on everything, nor should they be.  Farmer's generally don't make changes to their farming practices without talking to an expert.  We don't want to do anything that will harm the animals, the land, or the farm family.  Not every decision is the right one; not every change is positive, but we move forward with the information we have and keep trying to improve.  That is a huge part of any farm story.

Farm Update: Sawdust Day

Winter is (hopefully) coming to a close, but last week we had some nice and cold weather for one of the more fun jobs on the farm.  Twice a year, a big semi trailer pull into the farm full to the brim with bagged wood shavings.  What do we do with the wood shavings on the farm?  We use them to bed our trucks after cleaning for each new group of pigs we transport.  This keeps them warm and dry, plus it makes them smell like a forest (only kidding!).

Anyone that can spare even a few moments come around to help unload the 1150 bags.   It usually takes 1-2 hours to have everything off of the truck and put away.  We unload by assembly line, with 3 people on the truck moving bags forward for 2 guys to stack them on pallets while 2 more guys transport them on carts to where they are stored and 1 more guy helps to stack as needed.  It's nice to do this on a cold day, since you warm up fast from all of the moving.

This may sound like a miserable job, and most of the time I don't look forward to it, but once we get moving it is pretty fun.  It's nice to work side-by-side with friends and family and actually be able to see that we are accomplishing something.  Everyone is happy and working together.  It definitely acts like a team building activity, since most of the people that show up don't actually work together everyday, and may not even know each other that well.

(Chris, myself, and Dylan after filling the barn with saw dust bags)

Sawdust day also brought us a new face on the farm, Dylan.  Dylan is the newest employee on the farm, and sawdust day was his first on farm experience.   He was able to some real on farm experiences within a few hours of filling out his paperwork, plus he met many of the people he could be working with in the future.

Part of the culture on our farm is that nobody is too good for any job.  Some days I make hiring decisions, and some days I power wash and unload sawdust.  We all try to do the best that we can for the pigs, the people, and the community.

Ski Season in Review

For those who don't know, my family has cross country ski raced for years.   I guess we really love to be outside regardless of the weather, and we really like to race.  I spent a lot of weekends in my childhood ski racing, riding in the car, and playing in the giant parking lot snow piles at the various trail heads around Michigan.  This year Mike (my husband) and I raced the whole Michigan Cup ski circuit, which finished up on Sunday.  I had a fantastic year of racing, and I really enjoyed learning from the some of the other women I competed against.

My teammate Kaitlyn is probably one of the toughest competitors I know.  She beat me in nearly every race of the year, finding another gear somewhere at the end of the race and skiing easily away from me.  In the only 50k classic race we did this year I thought I had her beat, but with 8k to go she sailed by me like I was standing still.  I learned from her that you can never get complacent if you are in the lead, and that you can never give up when you are behind.

(Myself, Erica, and Kaitlyn together early in a race- photo credit Frosty Freestyle)

One of my favorite people to ski around is Erica.  She is on a different team and probably the most natural skier I know.  I only was able to beat her in one race all year, so most of the time I just tried to ski behind her for as long as possible and gain as much technique as I could from her.  She makes every part of the race look easy, and it reminds me that my skiing should be that way, too.  Going harder doesn't always make you faster.  Skiing behind Erica is deceptively easy; that is until I realize that all of those little things that make her better than me also make my legs very tired.  At that point I just have to deal with the fatigue and just try to keep her gap from growing too fast.  She has taught me to ski smarter, not harder.

Probably my favorite race of the season was my worst finish, but I skied with a good friend, Mariah.  Mariah is the most fun loving person I know.  This particular race was my first 50k skate race and I was apprehensive about even being able to make it the whole way.  Mariah is usually the next girl behind me in most ski races. She always finishes strong, and I knew that wasn't my normal race pattern.  For the 50k race I decided to ski behind Mariah from the start, hopefully being able to finish strong since I paced it better than usual.  About half way through the race she wiped out on a downhill and I was ready to ski away from her; two minutes later I broke my ski pole and fell in right behind her again.  The whole rest of the way I skied right behind Mariah, even across the finish line.  We both had so much fun, and it made the distance seem like nothing.  I have learned from her to stay positive, keep going, and to love everything that you do.

(Mariah skiing into the finish just ahead of me- photo credit White Pine Stampede)

After getting to spend time with all of these ladies, and enjoying such a wonderful racing season, it is bittersweet to see it end.  Thursday we are headed to Florida for the kick-off of canoe training, and I am excited for that too, but it is hard to say goodbye to my ski friends until next year.

Grandma Marie's Peach Dumplings

I have been thinking for awhile now that you can't have a farm story if you don't include the food, so today is the lucky day for my first recipe!  Anytime I start something new I have to start with a favorite, and this one probably is my top foods to eat, ever: Grandma Marie's Peach Dumplings.  

(Yummy Peach Dumplings)

These peach dumplings are a family heirloom- it's not my grandmother's recipe, but my grandmother's grandmother's recipe.  If it sounds like kind of a weird food it probably is, but my family is Czech, and apparently fruit dumplings are a common Czech food.  The dumplings are commonly made with peach, plum, strawberry or can be left "plain" and served with gravy.   I am the family's chief dumpling maker, so I have become pretty good at making the preferred variety for birthdays, and Christmas. At the grocery store last week (surprisingly, since it's February) there were some nice ripe peaches, so I made them as a special treat to go with the pork chops.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt (you can add more to your taste)

1 egg

1/4-1/2 cup milk
flour to coat your hands

4 peaches

Toppings:
sugar
butter
cottage cheese

Prep:

1. Fill a large pot with water and begin heating to a boil.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium size bowl (you can sift it if you feel like it needs it).

3. Make a "dent" in the center of the dry ingredients, and crack the egg into it.  Then beat the egg into the dry ingredients until it is a a crumbly texture.  This is similar to mixing butter into dry ingredients for a pie crust.

4. Start with a 1/4 cup of milk and stir in until all the dry ingredients are pulled together in a ball.  It should be the consistency of a really dry and sticky biscuit dough. You don't want to add too much milk!

(Perfect Dumpling Dough)

5. Separate the dough into four equal portions.  Take your washed peaches (whole, skin intact) and work one dough portion around each peach.  I usually flatten the dough between my hands and then wrap the peach like it is in a blanket.  You definitely want to flour your hands for this because things can get sticky fast.  Make sure to completely cover each peach in dough, and that all of the seams are pushed together.

6. Stick the dumplings into the now boiling pot of water.  They will sink right to the bottom, but use a spoon to pry them off and let them float at the top.  Keep the water boiling, and flip the dumplings after 10 minutes.  Boil an additional 10 minutes (20 minutes total cook time).

7. Remove dumplings from the pot and let them set for 5 minutes.  Then cut the dumpling in half and open it up to remove the peach pit.

8. Now sprinkle the peach with a little sugar, drizzle with melted butter and top with some cottage cheese.  It might sound weird, but it is a wonderful combination.

5 Things I learned from the Michigan Young Farmer Leaders Conference

Visiting the Traverse City Coast Guard with Michigan Farm Bureau (Photo Credit: Michigan Farm Bureau)

Over the weekend I attended the Michigan Farm Bureau's Young Farmer Leaders Conference.  These types of conferences are pretty general when it comes to farming information; instead the focus is on leadership, business, marketing, and personal development for farmers age 18-35.   Roughly 300 farmers attend the event each year, for a weekend of learning and networking.  Coming away from the conference this year I have five "bits of wisdom" to share, along with one personal story.

5. Farming is a family affair.  I have been to a few professional conferences by now, and I have never been to any conference besides a farming one where husbands, wives, and children are all learning together.  Sitting at a random lunch table, Every person at the table asks about the spouse and children of the person next to them (if they aren't also at the table).  It's not just to be polite, it is genuine interest.  Each year attending the conference I make more connections, talk to more people, and I learn more about the different farm families.  Farms are family businesses, even if one or more people in the family don't work on the farm as their full time job.

4. We want acceptance.  A big topic of any farming conference now is how to talk to people about farming.  Farmers are trusted, but farming as an industry is not.  People are so far removed from what farming is, and they tend to be more than skeptical about many farming practices.  Speaker Michele Payn-Knoper pulled many people out of the audience and asked them if they think communicating directly with consumers is important; all of them answered yes.  When she then asked if they would go home and start talking to people, most of the farmers said they weren't sure.  This isn't something farmers want to do.  It is scary to start a conversation with someone you don't know about your business. It is awful to put yourself out there and have somebody tear you down because they don't like the decisions you have made on your farm, decisions that 100% were made with the best intentions regarding, health, safety, and yes, our personal farm profitability.  Keeping the farm going is what keeps our families going.  We want to share our stories with the world, but we want to find people accepting and willing to listen; the same things we need to be when people do come to us.

3. Size doesn't matter. Farms of all shapes and sizes are important to filling the food demands.  Large farms and small farms have benefits for consumers, and both are needed in order to give people the options they are looking for. Conventional, organic, and local all have a place at the table.  Almost every industry has businesses operating under all different types of models.  Those differences give consumers choices.  It isn't about who is "just in it for the money." I don't know a single farmer who is farming just for a paycheck.  I wouldn't wish it on anyone to have a career or a lifestyle where they can't fully exercise their passion.

2. People are the most important.  Food isn't really about just filling our bodies.  For many of us, the dinner table is a time for connection.  We get together and have large meals with our families.  We care about what we put in because we want to get the best out.  Even though the conversations about food can be uncomfortable, I need to listen and participate.  It isn't about raising corn, wheat, cows, chickens, vegetables, or fruits.  It's about providing for our families and bringing people together.  I feel that the pigs we raise on our farm are the best thing that I can give my own family, and I need consumers to feel the same way.  If it isn't good for both of us, then it's not going to be sustainable.

1. We need to define ourselves by what we can do and don't let what we can't do stop us.  This final point is where things start to get a bit personal, and maybe that is why it is resonating with me more than any other part of the conference.  The keynote speaker, Steve Gilliland, did his talk on how to move through life with purpose, passion, and pride.  He mentioned if we focus on what we can't do, there will be many things that stand in our way- including other people who will try to define who we are.  Steve instead directed us to put effort into developing what we can do, in order to find happiness and success.

Mathieu after finishing his first Au Sable River Canoe Marathon (Photo Credit: Caleb Casey)

Now for the personal part. I don't usually put much on here about what I do outside of farming, so for those of you that don't know, I spend quite a bit of my free time marathon canoe racing.  Like the farming community (although considerably smaller), the paddling community is small and tight knit.  On Friday, Mathieu- French Canadian paddler and a friend was involved in a terrible logging accident (he is a lumberjack).  By the time I was sitting in the conference on Sunday, he had learned that he would probably live the rest of his life unable to walk. This is devastating news for anyone, especially so for someone as young and active as Mathieu.  As I was sitting in the crowd listening to Steve speak, I could only think how Mathieu's life is going to change, and how he will need to focus on the positive things that he can do in order to find happiness.

The paddlers have really rallied around Mathieu and his family in the last few days, and have started a collection in order to help with his expenses on the road to recovery.  While maybe this won't matter to any of my readers, if you feel like helping him out on his journey, visit http://www.gofundme.com/mzf674 and make a donation.  Every little bit helps, and this is something that we all can do.

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.