Modern Hog Production Part 1 A Family Affair.mp4

[TheFerosso]

hahaha

[kimieann1975]

Where's the pasture for the pigs to root around in. Please check out Polyface as an example of farming. You don't have to do this big Ag. style of farming to make money. Thank God there is a huge rise in people going back to real farming pasture based letting the land take care of the animals. Sorry but this is not farming this is a factory and thats all. Very sad indeed.



[paulpellicci]

...what happens with the poop? is it washed down the slots and into a tank?

[aaron7816]

@paulpellicci Great question. The poop goes down the slats and it stays in a concrete pit below the building. Then, we use it as a natural fertilizer in our fields. You can watch Manure Management to see this process in action. Thank you for the question.

[oscarortega2000]

@paulpellicci yes my dad works there

[daveseavy1]

Family farms do all they can to raise livestock humanely and keep the animals safe and healthy. I know several pork producers and they are as concerned about their livestock as they are their children. We want affordable food, so we have to deal with the realities of today's production.

[aaron7816]

@daveseavy1 Thank you for the post. We do our very best to keep the pigs safe and healthy.

[rainingblood001]

Nice!  Very clean environment for livestock protected from predators and from weather extremes. Keep up the good work of feeding the world!

[aaron7816]

@rainingblood001 Thank you!

[be74st]

hmm ...was it about family or about pigs? Why dint'd they show how they castrate the male piglets and cut them the tales without anesthesia. Or how they put the sow into a small cage for weeks. I think the farmers forgot how a pig should liv. They just make what the big supermarkets want. without thinking...

[aaron7816]

@be74st It was about both family & pigs. We didn't show castration, tail cutting or sows b/c we have finisher barns. We don't have sows or piglets. Also, the castration is necessary or the meat is no good to eat b/c testosterone ruins meat. Also, tail cutting keeps them from biting tails which causes infection & possibly death. Sows are kept in sow crates but they don't spend their entire lives there; only when piglets are nursing to keep the momma from rolling on piglets crushing them. Then

[aaron7816]

@be74st they are put back in general population. No anesthesia is used b/c 1) animals pain censor is way different then humans so you can't put human thoughts, feelings, etc. into the equation 2) it is no different then circumcision on human boys and is done while they are piglets for the same reason it is done to babies. We make a product that is healthy, safe, and I am proud to be a pork producing family.

[be74st]

@aaron7816 Not castrated male pigs have a rate from max 10 percent who smell bad. If you treat them right. Pork producers in Switzerland made clinical tests about it. I'm every day for more than three hours out in the grassland with my pigs and I know that they feel exactly the same pain like humans. In Switzerland it's forbidden to castrate them without anesthesia. If they bite tales, it's because they are bored about having nothing to do or to less space. Our pigs never make it.

[be74st]

@aaron7816 Pigs are highly intelligent. More than a dog. They get crazy when they don't have anything to do. Give them something to play and you don't need to cut the tales anymore. Our sows never lay on they'r piglets. It never happens because they are trained from beeing outdoors in the grassland working in the earth. They can control how they lay down. If one of the piglets cries, they stand up again and nothing happens. Can you imagine how hard it is for a sow for some week in a small cage..

[be74st]

@aaron7816..where they just can lay or stand.They never can take contact to they'r piglets.If you ever saw how it would be if you would let them..it breaks your heart..thats a family too..I know you say that it needs to make it because it's too expensive in the way we make it.Think that we get about 8$ each pound when we sell them alive or 45$ if sell the meat.It makes no sense trying to make money producing cheap meat.Make premium quality and feel better.I'm sure that you can sell it also in US

[bexler53]

Wow thanks for sharing this this should be the standard and example for all pig farming try to get on the major networks your work is very appreciated.

[angelazul416]

to put kids running in a picture is a good strategy....