With temperatures fluctuating this time of year, ventilation can be tricky business. Here’s some basic guidelines and checklists to keep your pigs healthy and you stress free. Fudamentals Curtain Barn 1. Spread fans 1 degree per 10 CFM and max of…
Category: Articles
Dr. Cameron Schmitt Receives the 40 Under 40 Award
Cameron Schmitt grew up watching his veterinarian father, David Schmitt, treat cows, cats, horses, dogs and any other patients his clients brought to the clinic. That experience inspired him to pursue a career as a veterinarian, but his practice is far different and more specialized than his father’s. An Iowa native, Schmitt earned his DVM and…
Dr. Scott Dee Recieves Howard Dunne Award
Dr Scott Dee received the American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ 2016 Howard Dunne Memorial Award during the association’s 47th Annual Meeting February 29 in New Orleans, LA. The award recognizes an AASV member who has made important contributions and provided outstanding service to the association and the swine industry. Dr Dee was born in Rochester,…
Swine Nutritionist Joins Pipestone Grow Finish Team
The Pipestone Grow Finish team has added a second nutritionist to provide additional resources, research and nutritional services to Pipestone Management shareholders and individual clients. Jon De Jong joined Pipestone Grow Finish earlier this year and will be working with nutritionist Casey Neill. Jon is a native of Orange City, Iowa, where he grew up…
Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture announces 2016 laureates
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/16/2016) — An internationally renowned bee expert, the former leader of one of Minnesota’s most diversified dairy companies and an innovative leader in pork production are this year’s recipients of the prestigious Siehl Prize in Agriculture. The prize is awarded annually by the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and…
What You Need to Know About the Food Safety Modernization Act
We work in an ever evolving industry. Evolving with technology, and evolving for the consumer demanding transparency and trust in the food they bring home to their families. Food Safety has an increasing influence on consumers. Understandably, they want to trust that their food is safe and was raised responsibly. Enter PQA, the Common Swine…
Career Highlight: Briana Ferguson
Briana Ferguson begins every morning with a big cup of coffee and a whole lot of pigs to care for. Briana starts walking through the barn and making a mental list of what needs to be accomplished for the day. Briana grew up in small town on a hobby farm near Kerkhoven, MN. Growing up…
3 Ways to Better Manage Money on Pig Health
The extreme profitability we saw in 2014 is by now a fond and distant memory to most of us. 2016 is experiencing a moderate start, but by most forecasts, it will likely be a year of tightening belts. Easy to spend money on pigs carrying $30 profit per head…. Harder to spend that money when…
World Pork Expo June 8-10, 2016
World Pork Expo is a 3 day event being held from 8th June to the 10th June 2016 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. This event showcases products like an opportunity to put your company in front of the largest, most influential collection of pork producers anywhere etc. in the Agriculture &…
PQA+ & TQA Training Session Offered
Do you need to update your PQA+ & TQA status? Pipestone is hosting a training session on: February 16, 2016 at 10:00 am PQA+ at 10:00 am followed by TQA training. Please call Jamie Smith for more details or to reserve a spot at 507-215-3799 or email Jamie by February 12, 2016.
Top 6 Swine Product FAQ's Answered!
Pipestone’s swine specialists are truly experts in their field, which is why producers across the Midwest trust them with questions on their swine products. We’ve compiled a list of their Top 7 Frequently Asked Swine Questions Answered! Get all the quick answers below and save yourself a call in the future. Although we’d love to…
Give a Helping Ham
Turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, three options of pie: the holidays are here, and many of us will be sitting at a table with too many options to fit on our plate. Unfortunately, there are many families in our own communities that are food insecure. A startling fact: one out of every five kids in America…
Research Barn Provides Competitive Advantage
A new wean-to-finish barn built near Edgerton, Minnesota, has become an important tool for Pipestone Grow Finish (PGF) in providing information and services to their Nutrition customers. The barn is a 2,400 head wean-to-finish research barn will allow Pipestone to conduct nutrition research with nursery and finisher pigs. It is the fifth research barn built…
2017 Pork Congress Dates
Please make plans to attend the Pork Congress in your state. SD Pork Congress January 11 & 12, 2017 Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls, SD http://www.sdppc.org/events-4/pork-congress/ MN Pork Congress January 17 & 18, 2017 Minneapolis Convention Center https://www.mnporkcongress.com/ Iowa Pork Congress January 25 & 26, 2016 Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, IA http://www.iowaporkcongress.org/ Wisconsin…
Synergize vs. Accel Trial
It’s no secret that trailers can act as a means of virus transport, moving it from one barn to another. With PRRSv virus, and especially when PEDv hit hard in 2013, Pipestone has put enormous focus on our livestock trailer sanitation protocol. Historically Pipestone chose to use Synergize as a disinfectant when washing trailers. The…
Filters and Employee Focus Combine to Fight PRRS Virus
As the weather cools, the pork industry increases its vigilance against PRRSv. Over the past 20 years, PRRS has emerged as the most economically important disease for U.S. pork producers. Dennis Wiebbecke has been on the front line of the fight against PRRS for the past three years. As the Filter Compliance Technician at Pipestone…
Seneca Valley Virus: What Is It and How Does It Affect the Swine Industry?
By: Dr. Scott VanderPoel In the past couple months; there have been 13 confirmed cases of vesicular disease associated with Seneca Valley virus in the swine industry. This disease has been identified in both commercial and show pig operations in Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois and Minnesota. Vesicular disease is a broad term used to cover…
Rib Feed and Our Famous Rib Rub Recipe!
Pipestone Veterinary Services employees gathered Friday afternoon to properly season the ribs for the Rib Feed at the Pipestone County Fair on Saturday, August 8th. It is an event that Pipestone Veterinary Services founded several years ago, and has been happy to continue the tradition ever since. All proceeds raised are donated to a different…
PEDv in Feed Ingredients
So far, 2015 has proven to be a fairly mild year for PEDv infection compared to the devastation that hit in 2014. Nonetheless, it is a concerning virus for pork producers and continued focus for Pipestone Applied Research (PAR). In 2014, PAR proved that contaminated feed could serve as a vehicle for PEDv transmission and…
Discovery Barn Plans New Activities
The Sioux Empire Fair celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014, but it was a new exhibit — and the newborn animals inside it — that caught the attention of thousands of fairgoers. The Pipestone Discovery Barn opened its doors during the 2014 fair to share with visitors the story of animal agriculture and the commitment…
Keep Biosecure This Summer
County fair, and livestock show season is underway. These are great events that celebrate agriculture and our rural communities. We at Pipestone encourage everyone to attend and support these events. The presence of swine at these events poses a biosecurity risk for all of us that work on and visit hog farms. Both PRRSV and…
Pipestone Management FFA Scholarship
Each year, the Pipestone Management awards a scholarship to a graduating high school senior who has been active in FFA and plans to pursue a career in agriculture. This year’s winner plans to bring back the knowledge and experiences he gains from college to help his family’s farm and business continue to grow for generations…
Avian Influenza: Q&A Session with a Leading Expert
There is no doubt that Avian Influenza (AI) has been a devastation to the poultry industry, just as PEDv was to the swine industry eighteen months ago. The mortality rate for AI stands at 100%, and as of May 26th, 2015, 41,034,973 birds have died or been euthanized as a result. Avian Influenza is a…
New Opportunities and Challenges
In her six years at the Pipestone Management, Jenna Hauglid has found not only a challenging and rewarding career, but also a path to future opportunities within the organization. Jenna grew up on her family’s farm northwest of Dell Rapids, South Dakota. They primarily raise cattle and crops and have horses. Over the years, they…
Time Savers in the Hog World
Dr. Cameron Schmitt Cutting corners in any aspect of life/work typically has implications at later points in time. Similarly in pork production, we see “planting disease” in the spring and “harvesting disease” in the fall. As your schedule gets tight this planting season, here are some tips to help you be more time efficient in…
Market Review
By: Brian Stevens, President of Big Stone Marketing We have concluded our first quarter of 2015 and I have to say there wasn’t much to write home about as it relates to our pork markets. Experts predicted that we’d see pork supplies grow 1%, but the reality was our supplies soared and caught everyone off…
The Three T's
When it comes to charity at Pipestone, we believe in giving the “three T’s”; time, talent, and treasure. For a business, writing a check can be easy, but the time and talent are harder to give. This past month, Pipestone employees brought their time and talent to the Banquet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The…
Little Sir Hamalot
Congratulations are in order to Aden Kruse, son of Steve and Dena Kruse, who was awarded Little Sir Hamalot at the Delaware County Pork producer banquet. For years, the Delaware County Pork producers have chosen a boy as “Little Sir Hamalot” and a girl “PigTails” to help get kids involved in pork production and education. …
Pipestone Discovery Barn Recognized Internationally
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,…
Improving Feed Efficiency
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…
A Roadmap for the Next Generation
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…
Time to Expand Your Operation?
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. …
Optimizing Your Manure’s Value
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…
On the Fast Track
Like many students at the end of their college career, Monte Hickman was in search of a good career opportunity. Monte grew up on the outskirts of Orange City, IA on an acreage, and attended South Dakota State University for a major in Animal Science with a production emphasis. Monte discovered Pipestone Management at a…
Make More Money Today
By: Dr. Spencer Wayne I have been practicing swine veterinary medicine at Pipestone Veterinary Services for ten years, and one of the most frequently asked questions from hog producers is this: “What I can do today to improve my barn and make more money?” And you can’t blame them for asking! Here, I’ve written about…
South Dakota Master Pork Award
Congratulations are in order for Jim Olson as he was recognized as one of 2014’s South Dakota Master Pork Award recipients. He was recognized at the South Dakota Pork Producers Banquet held in conjunction with the South Dakota Pork Congress on January 14th in Sioux Falls. After sorting through numerous nominations, on farm visits and…
The Value of Good Record Keeping
It’s the beginning of a new year, and everyone is looking over their 2014 records and planning how to have an even better, more profitable 2015. In today’s world of business, people use record keeping for everything. In fact, we may go as far as combing through our online bank statement looking for that accidental…
2015 Swine Industry Changes
Premises ID Number (PIN) ear tags… In light of new disease that has entered the U.S. in the last 24 months, everyone in the swine industry is more aware of what “disease traceability” means and how new diseases can impact our industry. A new requirement by the packers & processors in the U.S. has…
Pipestone Management Service Awards
Twice a year, Pipestone Management employees gather to review success from the past six months, look at improvements for the upcoming year, and simply enjoy each other’s company. With the business continually growing, it becomes more and more difficult to host all employees in one location – especially when they are spread out…
Preparing for Winter Transport
Heading into the winter months, livestock transportation can quickly become a nightmare. For your pigs, dropping temps can mean decreased immune systems and increased susceptibility to viruses. During the winter, transportation is one of many touch points where proper management practices can make a big difference when it comes time to market. In order…
Preparing Your Barn for PRRSv and PEDv Season
The temperature keeps dropping, and that means PRRSv, and now PEDv, season has arrived. It can be painful to remember how hard PEDv hit the U.S. swine industry last Fall and Winter. I am keeping my fingers crossed that some herd immunity will help lessen the blow this year, but regardless I cannot stress how…
Pipestone Management Internships
As the industry continues to grow so does our need for talent, the Pipestone Management has designed our internship program to be one of many things, first off is informative. Learning more about the industry and what happens within the walls of a sow farm is far more extensive than what the naked eye may…
National Pork Month
October is National Pork Month. Why October? Because it marked the time of year when pigs were traditionally marketed. National Pork Month serves as a reminder for us to thank pork producers for their hard work and dedication to providing our families with safe and nutritious meals. Celebrate National Pork Month with one of these…
Pipestone Employee Receives Pig Caregiver Award
On September 3rd, 2014, family, friends, and co-workers of Erin McCoy, a member of the Pipestone Grow Finish team, gathered to celebrate her most recent accomplishment – although she didn’t know it yet. She walked into what seemed like another lunch at the Pipestone clinic to be greeted by a loud “Surprise!” In May, Zoetis…
Pork Ambassadors
At Pipestone, we are committed to the pork industry in all aspects, and that commitment doesn’t get left at the office. We take our passion for promoting the pork industry to our homes, friends, and communities. In 2014, Pipestone County was represented by three young individuals that are sons or daughters of Pipestone Management employees…
Mixer Efficiency Test
Performing a mixer efficiency test should always be on the radar screen; however, it can be easily overlooked. Properly mixing the ingredients is a must do to provide the proper nutrition in every mouth full of feed. Kansas State University performed a nursery trial evaluating different mixing time. As you can see below, diets that…
Pipestone Discovery Barn
This summer, the Sioux Empire Fair in Sioux Falls, SD celebrated their 75th year, “Diamond Jubilee”, of providing summer fun to the community. And what better way to celebrate this landmark year than the grand opening of a building dedicated to educating the Sioux Empire area on modern crop and livestock production. “The Pipestone Discovery…
Growing with the Future in Mind
Sustainability has become a popular term in recent years to define everything from protecting the environment to ensuring the viability of family farms over multiple generations to many other facets of modern agriculture. For the Braun family of LeSueur, Minnesota, sustainability isn’t a new concept. They’ve been growing and managing their farm with the future…
Investing In Every Pig
It is no secret to anyone in the pork industry that the combination of high domestic and international demand, a shortage of pig inventory due to the PED virus outbreak, and lower feed costs are presenting strong profit opportunities for pork producers. These opportunities are driving many producers to also take their management practices to…
Growing in the System
Pipestone Management is a business full of opportunity and growth, and there is no better example of this than Oscar Larios. Oscar was recently hired as Pipestone’s Training Manager in Human Resources, but he started with Pipestone Management back in 2009. Oscar Larios grew up in Denver, Colorado, and he and his family moved to…
Pipestone Discovery Barn
A new center to educate children, families and other visitors has been a huge success at this years Sioux Empire Fair. The “Pipestone Discovery Barn” gave visitors a chance to bottle-feed a calf, watch baby chickens hatch and a sow give birth. For more information on the Pipestone Discovery Barn, please visit the Tri State…
Summer is here!
Cooking tonight? There are some great recipes available on the National Pork Board’s www.porkbeinspired.com website. Enjoy dinner with family and friends serving pork.
Pipestone Adds New Vet to Team
Pipestone Veterinary Services has historically proven its commitment to providing its clients with the best services and products available, and the future will prove no differently. Pipestone Veterinary Services (PVS) is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Scott VanderPoel to their team of professional and experienced veterinarians. Dr. VanderPoel grew up just south of…
Veterinary Medicine: The Perfect Combination
Pipestone Veterinary Services of Independence is excited to be adding a new veterinarian to their team. Dr. Cara Haden grew up on swine farm in Holland, Michigan and was very involved in her family’s operation from a young age. “Growing up in the swine industry, I knew I wanted to remain involved as I furthered…
Maximize Profitability: Tips from Big Stone Marketing
With the cash hog market run up, volatility in the futures market, and the unknown marketing hole created from PEDv, it definitely makes for interesting times. The key for hog producers to take advantage of the situation and to maximize profitability is to focus on margin over feed cost. Right now, with the current hog…
A Consistent Supply of Healthy Pigs
“A consistent supply of healthy pigs.” For Iowa pork producer Ben Reck and his family, that was the driving factor in becoming partners in the Pipestone Management. And, for 10 years, it has been a successful partnership that has allowed the Recks to focus investments and upgrades to other parts of their operation. Ben and…
PRRS Success
As the PRRS’ year is coming to an end, Pipestone’s Dr. Joel Nerem is crossing his fingers. “We’ve experienced what I consider to be a very successful year in minimizing PRRS outbreaks.” With everyone’s attention drawn to the latest PEDv epidemic, PRRS has been out of the spotlight. Regardless, PRRS can be a catastrophe for…
Feed in Battle Against PEDv
In the year since Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) was confirmed in the United States, pork producers, veterinarians, researchers and many others have been working diligently to find ways to prevent the virus from entering herds, especially sow herds. While PEDv has been reported in other countries over the years, there had never been a…
Sow Barn a Good Way to Diversify
Joel Overskei and his family own and operate two finishing barns near Nunda, SD, which is about 20 miles southwest of Brookings. From these barns, they send around 15,000 head of hogs to market annually. The Overskeis get all of their pigs from the Fox Run sow barn near Parker, which was completed and began…
The Very Latest on PED Virus
When I wrote an article for Swine Line late last fall, we had just finished testing our transportation protocols at South Dakota State University (SDSU), and these protocols proved to be effective against PED virus. We were also in the process of testing our 3M filters to see if they would be successful in stopping…
Preparing Your Barns for Spring
Dr. Adam Schelkopf Spring is usually a very positive time in the swine industry—a time when Midwestern producers dewinterize and thaw out their barns after being in a deep freeze for several months. It’s also an important time to verify that a few key components of our barns function properly in order to provide the…
Manure Pumping Safety
By Marty Rost Many of our system and shareholder barns pump their manure pits in the spring, but pumping safety is not always top of mind. That’s because spring is a busy time, and we have lots of other things to think about. But, the welfare of our employees and our animals may be jeopardized…
Rebuh Feeders: "Don't Forget Your Roots"
Located at Kalona, IA, Claude Greiner not only owns shares in barns managed by the Ottumwa Veterinary Clinic—he built them. Raised on a farm near Keota, IA, Claude met Dr. Steve Menke when the veterinarian (then practicing in Richland, IA) visited the farm and diagnosed his first case of PGE. Claude was 16 at the…
Congratulations Sylvia Wolters
Sylvia was recently recognized for her dedication in the pork industry, naming her the 2014 Minnesota Pork Industry’s Pork Promoter of the Year. Congratulations Sylvia! To read more about this award check out the following link at Minnesota Pork.
2015 Pork Congress to be Held
Mark Your Calendars! Iowa Pork Congress January 28 and 29, 2015, Iowa Events Center Des Moines, Iowa. Please visit www.iowaporkcongress.org for a schedule of events. Minnesota Pork Congress January 21 and 22, 2015, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN. For more details please visit www.mnpork.com Missouri Pork Expo February 10 and 11, 2015, Holiday Inn Executive…
Effectiveness of Biosecurity Against PEDV
Almost a decade ago, the Pipestone Management validated its transportation sanitation protocols against the PRRS virus. This fall, we conducted similar trials at South Dakota State University to determine if the protocols we have in place are effective against PEDV, which has been detected just this year in the U.S. and is spreading rapidly. These…
Dr. Minion Finalist in the 40 Under 40
Dr. Luke Minion is a finalist in the Vance Publishing Corporation 40 Under 40 in Agriculture Awards. These individuals were selected for the leadership and commitment in advancing the cause to double food production by 2050. More details
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.…
Next Gen Advice: Be Open to Opportunity
Dave Hamm’s long-term goal, after farming for 37 years, is to pass the opportunity to a new generation. But at one point in Dave’s life, it looked like his own opportunity to farm had disappeared. Dave and his wife Brenda took over his father’s farm near Leota, MN, in 1977 and decided in 1981 to…
Growth Fuels Demand for System Leaders
“If a person is willing to relocate to an area of need, there is always opportunity,” says Nicole Paulsen, senior human resources supervisor for the Pipestone Management. That is because the System is growing rapidly, and trained individuals necessary to staff that growth are in demand. Nicole points to several 5,000-sow farms being built in…
MyPipestone to Improve Our People & Farms
The Pipestone Management has officially launched a Web-based teaching tool called MyPipestone that offers consistent on-demand education for employees. The courses and educational materials on My Pipestone will provide basic knowledge for new hires as well as continuing education and career advancement to seasoned employees. Content of this on-demand educational tool will consist of proprietary…
Kerkaert Speaks on Our Behalf
Last fall we reported that Dr. Barry Kerkaert had been given the opportunity to work with the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) in their Swine Veterinarian Public Policy Advocacy Program. At that point, he had finished the first of a three-stage study of public policy—after which he agreed to act as a swine industry spokesperson.…
Animal Welfare Update
Animal welfare continues to be a priority at Pipestone Management sow farms. In the past year and a half since we began our Animal Care Program, major packers like Tyson, Hormel, and Swift have rolled out their own programs with specific welfare requirements. These programs come in response to consumers requesting a better understanding of…
Core Values Award to Troy Woelber
Troy Woelber has been recognized as the David Neuberger II Core Values Award winner for 2013. The award seeks to extend the legacy of David Neuberger II and is given annually to an individual who best exhibits the core values of Pipestone Management (Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork) in all aspects of work, family,…
Read More About the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
Read more about the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea with information from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.
PRRS Intervention: What We're Doing
Dr. Joel Nerem PRRS control is critical to the overall health of the pig and to the financial success of pig producers. As a management company and a veterinary clinic, we’re focused on the control of PRRS for our shareholders and customers. We must control PRRS at Pipestone Management sow farms to provide a PRRS-negative…
What's In Your Ownership Agreement?
Sean Simpson General Counsel – Pipestone Management Some Pipestone Management sow units have operated for a number of years, and the original owners want to transition their interests to the next generation. You may be wondering, “How do I do that?”, “Can I do that” or “How do I value my shares?” In addition to…
Shareholders Recognized in Three States
Pork industry organizations in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota honored the following Pipestone Management shareholders in January at separate events. The Iowa Pork Producers Association gave the title of “Master Pork Producer” to Craig and Karen Wulfekuhle of Earlville, IA at the 41st annual Iowa Pork Congress Banquet in Des Moines. Ceremonies included a brief…
She Changed Her Mind About Pigs
Hannah, Caden, and Logan Hannah Walkes helps provide system shareholders with a very economical source of animal health products and the knowledge of how to use these products efficiently and effectively. Hannah loves her job, but she wasn’t always excited about pursuing a career in the swine field. “I grew up on a corn and…
Vet to Advocate for Swine Industry
Dr. Barry R. Kerkaert This past fall, Dr. Barry R. Kerkaert had the opportunity to work with the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) in their Swine Veterinarian Public Policy Advocacy Program. A well-respected swine veterinarian and production consultant throughout the upper Midwest, Dr. Kerkaert was invited by NPPC to Washington, D.C. to study public policy…
A Minute on My Soapbox
Hal Schmidt By Hal Schmidt, Great Plains Family Farms, Inc. In pork production, like the rest of life, we can control certain things and there are certain things we can’t control. As we wrap up the year and look toward the start of another, let’s resolve to spend more time on the things we can…
Collecting Data for Science-Driven Decisions
In November of 2011, the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic hired Dr. Scott Dee as its director of research. Dr. Dee made his reputation as a national and international expert in applied disease-control research, with an emphasis on PRRS virus control and elimination. After practicing veterinary medicine for 12 years in Morris, Minn, Dr. Dee then joined…
System Offers Career Opportunities
Northeast Iowa was home to Dan Rodas when he was growing up. The family dairy farm provided learning experiences, challenges and satisfaction of seeing a job completed from start to finish. The hard work and commitment continues today as Dan is supervisor over six Pipestone Management farms. This farm boy started riding around on the…
Working Towards PRRS Control and Elimination
Pipestone Veterinary Clinic recently held a series of meetings to bring clients and system shareholders the latest information on control and elimination of the PRRS virus. Held in Mitchell, SD, Pipestone, MN, and Independence, IA, the meetings discussed data the clinic’s research program has collected on the PRRS virus and how that data could be…
Oink Outing Leads to Lots of Good Questions
Tuesday afternoon, August 14, ten people—including Pipestone Vet Clinic’s Carissa Odland, DVM, and Pipestone Management’s Terry Wolters—crowded around the manager of Pheasant Run sow farm near Cleveland, Minnesota to hear a description of the farrowing process. Five of the 10 were mothers that are active in their communities of Minneapolis and St. Paul who had…
What Good Can You Do With $50?
Random Acts of Kindness 2012 is a formal opportunity for Pipestone Management employees to give back to their communities. This third annual event ran from February 13 to April 16. Here’s what a few of our locations did with the $50 in seed money from Pipestone Management. Eagle Ridge (Aurora, Iowa) put their $50 together…
Grill Master Pushes Pork and Public Policy
Terry Wolters As a Pipestone Management shareholder you may be familiar with Terry Wolters as a man who has worn many hats within the System. A native of Washington state and an animal science graduate of Washington State University at Pullman, Terry spent many years with PIC in Kentucky, eastern Iowa, and South Dakota before…
System Aids Ownership Transfer
Bringing their sons into the family business. That’s the near- and long-term objective of Greg and Paula Boerboom of Marshall, MN. Part of their strategy for reaching this objective involves a new feed mill (currently under construction) and access to more baby pigs. The Pipestone Management has been and will continue to be an important…
The Housing Debate
By David Preisler, Executive Director, Minnesota Pork Producers Association What’s the best housing for sows—group pens or individual gestation stalls? Fanned into flame by animal rights organizations, the answer to this question is a burning topic of discussion in state capitols, Washington, D.C., and multi-national food corporation boardrooms. This debate, however, has taken place…
Oink Outings Tell Your Story
By David Preisler, Executive Director, Minnesota Pork Producers Association We are entering our second season of Oink Outings, an exciting initiative that communicates your story and your long-term perspective to consumers whose preferences drive retail and food service companies’ pork purchasing and distribution decisions. The Minnesota Pork Board (MPB) staff worked with a public relations…
U.S. Well-Positioned for Export Growth
David Preisler, Executive Director, Minnesota Pork Producers Association Exports have driven demand for U.S. pork in recent months. “Foreign buyers look to the U.S. for a combination of food safety, food quality, and price,” says David Preisler, executive director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association (MPPA). “Right now, we’re the best country in the world…
MIT Gives Managers Staying Power
Pipestone Management’s Management in Training (MIT) course prepares aspiring leaders for all aspects of barn management, according to human resources director Donna Hazelton. “It gets them ready for everything they will face on a day-to-day basis, from recognizing illness in the pigs to effectively training their staff,” she states. The MIT course, taught by System…
Family Farms for the Future
“One generation makes. The next generation uses. The third generation loses.” Chris Veldhuizen heard this warning countless times from his grandfather Christiaan, who came to America from the Netherlands and moved his family to the farm north of Edgerton, MN, in 1936. Chris Veldhuizen, born to Christiaan’s son Elmer and daughter-in-law Marie in 1949, spent…