Just after the fourth of July now we look forward to hosting a tour group of employees of one of our stores in the Twin Cities next week. A main attraction will be the two groups of feeding pigs we have started in the pasture. We are pleased with the results so far and look forward to showing them and talking to the group about pig production.
The first group is on last year's winter cattle feeding area and part of the reason for that is the hope that the hogs will tear apart the left over uneaten hay helping it to move from waste to manure to soil fertility. They are doing well at that and the hope is that we will see widespread green grass throughout the area because of it as the next growing season swings into gear.
A wonderful and partly expected side benefit of this kind of housing/production is the excellent health of the hogs. They are half grown to market weight now and losses have been minimal. Growth seems to be fast as well. They have coped well with the periodic heat this summer, thanks in part to the sprinkling and mud making we have caused. Movement is key here to keep them from making the holes too big to cope with in subsequent seasons. It has so far not been an issue.
The second group Andrew moved out is smaller and also has been started on a regular steamed rolled oats factor in the ration. This is Andrew's nod to the old guy advice he is getting and it seems to be working. So far no losses and the pigs steadily improve in appearance.
The old guy in question is none other than me. I am pretty fixed in the opinion that hogs need a regular small inclusion of oats in the ration when they are little and that the sow herd should be maintained on a ration at least twenty five percent oats by weight. This is how we-meaning I-used to do it and it seems to me to maintain healthy pigs and sows. Minnesota farms formerly produced oats as a major thing. That of course was when we used horses and mules for tractive power. But not feeding a team is no excuse for not growing oats on a hog farm. Farmers talk constantly about a third crop for the rotation. Perhaps growing the oats instead of buying it from Canada is a partial solution.
Getting the pigs out of the pasture and to market is the next hurdle and I will keep you posted on how that goes. We are optimistic.
