Month: March 2015

The Pipestone Discovery Barn has received a 3rd place Agricultural Award of Excellence from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) headquartered in Springfield, Mo. The Award was received for “Overall Agricultural Program for the Non-agricultural Fair-going Public.” There are a total of 14 Agriculture Award categories, each divided into 5 divisions by attendance,…

By: Casey Neill This past month, Pipestone Grow Finish held a Nutrition conference.  Several nutritionists  including Dr. Joel DeRouchey from Kansas State University, Dr. John Patience from Iowa State Universtiy, Dr. James Usry from Mironutrients, and Dr. Charles Stark from Kansas State University Department of Grain Science  presented.  Grow Finish clients were excited to spend…

For a northwest Iowa pork producer, an investment in the Pipestone Management provided an opportunity for his operation to sustainably grow today, and presents a roadmap for the next generation to get started in livestock production. Mike Ver Steeg is a third generation Iowa farmer, and the second generation to raise crops and pigs on…

By: Hal Schmidt Farming is a business, and part of any business is analyzing when and if you should expand your operation.  This is a question that is constantly circling in the back of farmers minds – to buy that piece of land or not, to expand your herd or wait until markets are better. …

By: Marty Rost The average person won’t think twice about what lies beneath a hog barn, but anyone in agriculture see’s dollar signs.  As we all know, manure is a valuable fertilizer for crops.  In fact, many hog producers got into the business for that very reason – to save money on commercial fertilizers.  Although…