post

 Today the replacement for the broken post at the feeding stalls needs to be finished and a call should be placed to the hoops company to make sure they have indeed sent the rollup door that blew off the west end of the sow hoop in the first strong winter blast.  This constant need for attention to repair, added to the list of "tools" needing to be built is typical of small livestock farms.  Big operations tend to use turnkey systems that call for complete regular replacement upon breakdown; smaller farms such as ours cannot afford that approach. 

The need is always for someone on the farm who knows the history of the buildings and the land, who can somewhat feel what will go haywire next and has a good practical understanding of how to make a good repair.  The broken post needing replacement is critical, it holds three gates which are used to control the traffic of five hundred lb sows to and from the feeding area.  It was rusted completely off at the base, thus the decision to build it new.  Getting it right involves lining the base bolt holes up properly with the existing stainless steel studs, getting the post absolutely straight on its base and getting all the gate mounts the right size and in the right place.  A real challenge, in other words!