Farm Life: Winter Edition

Happy New Year!  I hope things are going well for all of you; resolutions still intact, or at least were broken for a worthy cause.  Winter on the farm can be a good time to get things back into shape, especially after a long harvest season, but like with our personal resolutions, a lot of things can get in the way.  Last week we experienced 2-3 feet of snowfall in one afternoon, with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees.  That type of weather gets in the way of doing any maintenance and upkeep- putting the whole farm into survival mode.

So what were we doing out on the farm, when everyone else was snowbound?  First we had to plow; farm driveways, areas around the feed bins, and even the roads.  It took a solid three days for the county plows to hit all of the roads, and the pigs needed to eat before that, so the farm tractors joined in to help.  We also would become a towing service for neighbors in the ditch, and even plowed out some of their driveways.  

Another job is bedding.  Bedding is pretty simple on a usual winter day:  we go out to the outside pig pens, open the gate, drive the straw wagon into the pen, take some bales of straw and put them in the hog houses (little huts that hold about 20 pigs each, for sleeping and to escape from the elements), drive back out of the gate and shut it.  With 3-4 foot snow drifts, even opening the gate becomes a big challenge, but the pigs need the new straw bedding most when the temperatures are so frigid.  

Other winter tasks include running the generator, and fixing heaters.  Two years ago, we decided to buy one of those stand-alone generators that starts with the push of a button- no more trying to hook up the tractor to run the generator!  That's really nice for those of us who aren't very good with a tractor, but we still need to make sure this new one works in the worst of conditions, because honestly, the power never goes out when it's 65 degrees and the sun is shining.  This time the generator fired right up, but everyone held their breath until they heard it fall into a natural rhythm.  If it doesn't work in the cold we have to figure out a way to get it to start, because next time we might not be so lucky.  As far as fixing the heaters go, they always seem to work best when you don't need them, so a lot of time went into fixing those during the last cold spell.

After being on the farm a few years, you begin to realize that there isn't a "busy season" and an "off season."  Livestock still needs to be tended, maintenance is a constant battle, and there is always more work than can be accomplished in a day.  Each time of year is filled with it's own challenges and rewards, but all part of the same bigger picture:  we strive to care for our land and our animals better this year than in year's past.     

The Christmas Ham

Merry Christmas to all, it is such a nice time to spend with family and friends. On the farm we are perpetually busy with with plowing, bedding, and feeding this time of year, but it is always with an uplifted mood, as everyone can feel the holiday spirit.  At Christmas time we send in a custom hog for each employee that is processed by the local meat market, and have our annual Christmas party.

The Christmas party is probably one of the most popular events we have throughout the year, and the 2013 party was our largest ever.  We had about 150 people attend, employees and there families,contract barn owners, and other local business people we work with throughout the year.  Each guest takes home a piece of farm swag, be it a fleece blanket, a soft cooler, or a coffee mug; a full belly, and a happy heart.  We also have some type of entertainment, this year it was a stilt walker with a juggling act.  It might be a little bit cheesy, but the entertainment is always something that gets a laugh out of the crowd, while mesmerizing the kids.  It's a fun way to celebrate with our farm family, plus it puts the farm in the soft spot of the hearts of people in the community.

Community outreach is important at any time of year, but the holiday season is a good time to get out and remind your neighbors that you appreciate them.  They put up with the manure hauling, semis driving by at 5 AM, and on occasion, a pig in their swimming pool (yes, that actually happened).  Plowing an elderly neighbor's driveway, or donating gifts to the toys-for-tots program are small acts of kindness that go a long way.  They do not take much time or money, but they leave a meaningful impact on a neighbor's day.

One of my grandfather's favorite Christmas traditions is the Christmas ham.  Just before Christmas we head out door-knocking to the neighboring houses to give them a ham for Christmas dinner.  It is so nice to express our thanks, although it hardly feel like we are doing the giving, usually walking away with some homemade confection, syrup, or preserve.  As a community we are sharing what we have, what makes us proud, and strengthening the camaraderie that exists between the folks of a small town.  

Moving- It's a Big Job

Just a few weeks ago we had a livestock moving expert from DNL Farms Ltd. come out to the farm to take some video, critique our movements, and give a class to all of us on the farm.  We were lucky to get this opportunity through the Michigan State Extension Office, as we were selected as one site in the state for a visit and taping.

On every farm there are things that are done well, and things that need some work.  On my farm we pride ourselves on being really good at market hog movement.  We have an assigned loading crew that handles are market hogs.  We use pens close to the truck for holding space, and as an area to put any animals that seem to be suffering from stress and need a break.

We struggle more with moving hogs out of farrowing crates, they just never seem to want to budge.  Even trying to get the pigs to stand everyday can be a challenge.  Even moving the weaned pigs can be difficult.  It was really nice to have someone out to make suggestions and correct some of our long held but inaccurate assumptions about hog movement.

During the class, we were able to discuss how trying to rush makes everything harder.  This is obvious in most areas on the farm, but sometimes we forget when moving the animals.  Taking a few steps back and letting animals go at their own pace will actually save us time.  Using a prod to cause animals to move isn't usually the most effective way, since it makes the animal want to know where the prod is at all times, instead of focusing on following the pigs in front of it and being part of the group.   Anytime we cause the animals to pile or turn around, we are wasting time and creating confusion.

Even the most routine parts of our jobs on the farm need to be evaluated for improvement.  Anyone who is working with the pigs is probably going to have to move them.  We need to remember that training on hog moving is vital for all employees, and it will make us more efficient and more humane.  Having a good animal handling protocol is not only good for the bottom line, but also for the animals.  It is something both producers and consumers be happy about.

Acceptance

We have all been in a position where someone has made us feel like our viewpoint isn't valid.  With the current climate towards conventional farming, it is easy to feel like we are backed into a corner by negative attitudes.  When talking to people outside of the industry, it is difficult to feel understood.  The trust just isn't there sometimes. 

Many of us have probably experienced these problems, but I definitely feel it when my two worlds meet.  I spend 8 hours of my days in agriculture, and another 8 hours eating and exercising.  The people from the first area usually aren't found in my kettle bell and yoga classes, nor out on the river canoeing, or an the running/biking trails.  I'm not saying that farmers are in bad physical condition, they just usually don't spend a majority of their free time on this sort of thing.  The athletic community prides themselves on taking care of their bodies, and living healthy lives; healthy lives that have a healthy opinion on food production.

I belong to two different groups that handle the issue of food completely differently.  One is a local gym, another an online fitness community with over a million members.  The local gym advocates heavily for government regulation on anything agriculture, has a healthy distrust of meat products, gluten, and anything without an organic label.  They vehemently oppose GM technology and advertise this viewpoint. Little do they realize that roughly 1/3 of the regular clientele are in agriculture.  Many of the clients are uncomfortable with the views of the gym, but feel uneasy saying anything because there isn't much else for exercise in the surrounding areas.  The gym comes from a very defensive and negative place, often touting superiority when it comes to nutrition.  

The online community has a very different standard.  They are free, and provide many recipes, a nutrition and fitness tracking tool on their website.  They do not push any viewpoints on nutrition, other than everything in moderation.  The online community comes from a very positive place, and members discuss food in a truly interactive way.  This online community probably has much more riding on people living healthy lifestyles and making smart decisions than the gym does, yet it doesn't pressure people into mistrusting their food.  It does not blame GM for weight gain, or laziness, or allergies, nor does it tout organic as the only viable option. Health-wise, it is a welcoming community, acknowledging that some choose to have certain dietary restrictions, but not forcing those choices on the rest of the community.  There is support for all different types of eaters, exercisers, and thinkers.

When comparing these two "spaces," we can see rather obviously which one we would rather join.  More people are drawn to positive places and conversations than to the negative ones.  We want acceptance of where we are at, and what we believe.  When we as farmers go out and talk to the community, we will have more of an impact if we look for friendship instead of fights.  We still hold our beliefs near and dear, but we don't need to defend them like a starving dog does a steak.  Being kind, listening, and creating a dialogue will gain much more support and acceptance.  

Thinking Forward

Over the weekend I sat down for awhile and thought about what my goals are, personal, professionally, and for the farm.  I spent some time really thinking about where I see myself in five years, ten years, and at the end of my career.  What do I want to see accomplished?   What are the things I will be proud of on the farm?  What will be the lasting impact I have on my family and their legacy?

If you ever have been to one of those business conferences, the speakers always talk about how important mission statements, and vision statements are.  Many workshops have you brainstorm different ideas on how to get to where you want to go, and then critique your feeble attempts at the job. I agree that having  a direction, and putting your expectations in writing makes a difference in the way you pursue your dreams.  However, at this point, I haven't come up with an all encompassing statement to define my life.  I do have a set of things I would like to accomplish, and I have written some concise goals to help me accomplish each of those things.  My ultimate vision for the farm is to make it more sustainable and successful than it is now.  I want to leave my mark as making an improvement.  

My first goal, is to become a better pig farmer.  I know all of the goal writing people out there are cringing, as this is neither specific,time-bound, nor something I can measure against in the future.  It can be hard to decide when I have achieved this goal.  I see this as more of a life- long learning project.  To start on my path to achieve this, I want to successfully manage one of our finishing barns for a full turn.  I need to do this to better understand disease issues, feed ordering, euthanasia, and communication with our load out teams.  I will better understand our contract finishers.  It will take me from being someone who is educated about the process of finishing hogs, and give me some hands-on experience.

A much more concrete goal for the farm is to have one alternative marketing strategy in place by 2015.  Now many conventional farmers aren't into things like this, and it probably won't be the way to make most of the revenue for the farm.  However, it is a way to reach into the community, and connect with the people who are more interested in food production than the average consumer.  This may be through local branding and marketing, custom hogs, specialty bacon, or even grass-fed cattle.  By doing this, I increase my farm's brand value, while learning about different production methods to help prepare me for the future of agriculture.  My farm may look completely different in twenty years, and I need to be prepared for that.  In order to create action on this goal, I need to reach out to people who work in alternative agriculture marketing, because I am not the expert.

These aren't the only goals that I have, but they are two things that I can work on right now that will have a positive impact on my future.  As I begin to understand agriculture better, I can move forward and form more goals while honing in on my direction.  There is something scary and exciting about really diving into the business, but I am really at a turning point as to how I view my position in agriculture.

As farmers, we are very good at executing day-to-day tasks, multitasking, and attention to detail.  We like to make our farm as good as we can with the tools we have.  We need to take time out of our days and compare our activities today and our goals for tomorrow, to see if our actions are leading us towards them.  Some of us may need to sit down and honestly realize that we aren't sure what our goals are, besides keeping the business afloat- a daunting task in itself at times- although self-preservation isn't usually the measure of highly successful companies.  We need to think forward and lead.

Action

It's been awhile, and while I don't like to make excuses, I had a valid reason for neglecting my blog- I got married about two weeks ago.  I will readily admit that my online presence was substantially diminished, but that it was not the only thing to suffer.   Now that I am back in the swing of real life I hopefully can become a more consistent writer.

Last weekend I was at Kettle bell class, (for those of you who don't know, a kettle bell is a weight that looks similar to a bowling ball with the handle on the top for swinging)  and I was reading the motivational quotes on the wall.  Most of the time I am not really into that sort of thing, but I needed something to keep my mind off the idea of doing a few hundred squats, so I chose the quote wall as a distraction.  The poster that really resonated with me stated "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

I see things that I don't like about farming, in practice, in portrayal, and in theory. Areas where improvements can be made and opportunity for success is real. Yet day-in and day-out, I don't really make many positive steps towards change.  I write on occasion, and I think about different things I would like to see, and the direction I want my business to grow, but they are just thoughts and dreams.  I could blame my lack of motivation on my support system, my comfort level, my fear of failure or my confusion in the duties of my own job, but really all of these problems stem from me not taking the needed initiative.   I  can see that at my current phase, I am not doing anything to make my farm better, I am just maintaining the same level.  It is difficult to get ourselves to make a change.  It takes weeks to make something a habit, and sometimes years to make it come naturally.

This isn't just a problem I can have on the farm, but also in other areas of life.  We all have probably gone through a "rut,"  where it seems like we are making no progress.  Either we need to change our focus, or figure out what our goals are and take action to attain them.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to make some posts about some of my goals, and what I am doing now to reach them. I want to be accountable.  I want to work through and have success because I provided for it, not because someone else is carrying me.  I think often on the farm, those of the younger generation do allow themselves to be carried, since they did not put in the legwork to get the farm up and running.  I don't want to be part of that trend.

Summer Recap: Busy Building

How the summer has flown by!  I have been running all over the farm, learning new skills, working on new projects, and generally being caught up in the excitement of summer.  Since my last blog post, I have been building my skill set:  I learned how to collect boars and run our AI (artificial insemination) lab.  Now this might not sound like the best job, or the most exciting job, but it actually was a lot of fun. I was able to work closely with the animals, learning their personalities and quirks, as well as with my aunt, who has been running our collection lab for the past 10 years.  On top of that, I have been doing the Tyson animal care training each night with one of our 41 contract growers- 36 of which are Amish.  It has been fun to go out to everyone's barns and connect with growers and their families, and a challenge to set up meetings without the use of phones and answering machines!

My work on the farm probably hasn't even been the most exciting compared to our newest project, building our first inside gestation barn.  It is a very big project for us, although not an expansion. It is a move to streamline our business, while also reducing our environmental impact.  Moving hogs inside a barn is a big step for us.  Many people don't initially see how this is "better"  for the pigs or the land, but do see that it is less expensive for the farmer.  That is true, and it makes smart business sense to do things that cost less money, while also improving the conditions of our farm.  It makes us more sustainable.

How are we improving conditions?  Well, lets start with the pigs.  Our pigs have been housed outside during gestation for the last 50 years.  They have endure hard winters, where their ears tend to get frostbitten and fall off.  They have endured rainy springs, where the mud in the pastures makes it thick and difficult to walk.  They have endured scorching summers, with some dying due to heat stroke.  In the fall they have fought diseases when treatments couldn't administered at the proper time, just because the multiple acres of pasture sometimes lead to a pig getting missed.  They always had food, water, and shelter, as well as 3 or 4 acres of space per 60 pigs. Upon coming inside, these problems no longer exist.  The temperature is a stable 68 degrees, similar to what we prefer in our offices.  There are warm, dry places to sleep, and protection from the elements.  Treatment is faster and more effective, being administered at the right time.  The pigs are still in pens and can roam around inside the building. I can't say that the pigs prefer it that way, but I can say they tend to thrive in it.

What about the land?  Currently, we house our pigs in 3-4 acre lots, about 60 pigs in each space.  They tend to poop in the same areas, eat in others, and sleep in others.  Most of the lots are pasture grass, where the pigs really don't seem to hang out.   This means that in the corner with manure, the nitrogen content in the soil is extremely high, and run off can be a problem, even though the lots are plenty large for the number of pigs in each pasture. Over time, the manure builds up all over the lot, even though we plant alfalfa in the lots, and cut them multiple times per summer.  We don't know how to make it sustainable for the environment.  By moving the pigs inside, we can manage the manure, and put the nitrogen where we need it most.

This summer has been full of trial-and-error, and we have a lot more to learn.  Maybe we will decide that after trying this inside gestation style we might need to do something different.   However, we are trying to improve, not only for our short-term profit, but also for longevity.