A year or so before investing in his first jointly-owned farrowing unit, Dennis Fultz played a key role in changing a Minnesota law that would’ve prevented more than five people from joining together to build such a unit. “Minnesota has a strong tradition of small, independent people working together,” says Dennis, noting that the first…
Day: September 4, 2013
The Truth About HSUS and Pens
Last August, a group of independent pork producers interviewed Rick Berman, who runs a public relations firm based in Washington, D.C., and who is also the Executive Director of the Center for Consumer Freedom. The producers were interested in learning more about an ongoing education campaign called Humane Watch run by the Center to counter…
Opportunities for Profitability
System Grow Finish, a division of Pipestone, offers regular visits by field supervisors, a complete records service and veterinary consultation in a full management package or a la carte. The objective of System Grow Finish is to identify opportunities for greater profitability on the farm of each participating swine producer. “For instance, we’ve been able…
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
First identified in England (in 1971) and more recently in China, Korea, and Japan, PEDV had not been detected in the U.S. until a couple months ago. No one is sure how it entered, but by early August 434 positive cases of PEDV were confirmed in 16 states. There are likely many more cases since…
Grappling With Seasonal PRRS
PRRS season is almost upon us. Across the United States, the months of October, November, and December see the largest increases in cases. We don’t know exactly why, but there is speculation that it may have something to do with weather conditions changing in the fall, allowing the virus to remain in an aerosol form.…