job and help support three · swine production. 'In the 1980s, Swedish farmers developed a deep- bedded swine nursing and weaning system to comply with restrictive animal welfare

"The biggest challenge for me has been finding a source of bedding that's plentiful and as , cheap as possible," said Weis, who received a 1996 SARE producer grant to investigate a hoop system. "You need material close to your farm, and it's very important to get it baled."

Most producers report using nearly 200 pounds of bedding per pig marketed. Weis has used corn stalks, millet, soybean straw and even paper to bed his swine.

Deep bedding not only provides an attractive environ- ment for hogs, but also a source ,

of heat in the winter - bedding temperature in hoops is at least 80" F and air temperatures are 5" to 10" F warmer than outside temperatures.

More labor may be needed to manage bedding, but Weis said his manure management takes no more time than in a confinement facility, even with a 2 to 3 foot bedding pack'in the winter months.

"You have a lot more alternatives with composted bedding than with liquid manure. You can spread the compost, and the odor is not nearly as bad," Weis said.

In feeding his hoop hogs, Weis found that his Average

Daily Gain (ADG) is comparable to confinement production; however, feed efficiency (FE) of hoop-raised swine has been poorer. ISU reported up to 10 percent lower FE in cold seasons. But Weis said that back fat and yield of his hoop hogs were the same as confinement hogs with higher feed intake.

"Hoop owners do things differently. There's no right way to do it, and innovation is key," Weis said. For example, he has placed laying hens around his hoop structure for fly control.

Mark Honeyman, who received a 1995 SARE grant to investigate alternative hog production, added, "We've only known about hoops for five years, so studies are still being done. But I am fascinated with these tents that came out of Canada and blew apart our paradigm of confinement swine production."

A System from Sweden In an old, remodeled hog building, piglets chase each other through mounds of straw. Some opt for a nap in a soft nest while their mothers calmly sleep and feed in-between communally nursing their litters. This is the serene scene at an ISU farm demonstrating Swedish-style swine production.

'In the 1980s, Swedish farmers developed a deep- bedded swine nursing and weaning system to comply with restrictive animal welfare laws and a ban on sub'therapeutic antibiotics. Called Vhtgotmodellen, for the Swedish area in which it was developed, this system relies on straw, pigs' natural behavior, group housing and keen animal husbandry.

Recently, Swedish techniques have been transported to the U.S.

Looking for an income- generating practice that would allow him to quit his off-farm

job and help support three families, Nolan Jungclaus estab- lished a Swedish-style system on his Minnesota farm in 1995: With Honeyman and other researchers gnd farmers, he traveled to Sweden to look at the systems firstharid.

He found that Swedish farmers fit the system to the animal rather than the animal to the system. In doing so, hog producers must have excellent stockmanship skills, an appreciation of pig behavior, attention to detail and a desire to work with pigs in a more natural environment.

The two versions of Vastgotmodellen are Ljungstrom, farrowing in individual pens in a farrowing koom and transferring sows and litters to a groupnursery when pigs are 14 to 20 days old; and Thorstensson, farrowing in temporary wooden boxes in a group room with removal of boxes when pigs are seven to 10 days old.

Nolan and Susan Jungclaus received a 1994 SAR,E producer grant to remodel an existing 36-by- 60 foot machinery pole shed to accommodate four phases of Thorstensson swine production: breeding/gestation, farrowing, nursery, and growing.

After their first year of production, the Jungclauses decided that their set-up would eventudy be a profitable,.environ- mentally safe, and family friendly way to raise hogs.

Gilts start litters in temporary, but roomy "nesting boxes," which are removed after about one week, when sows and piglets are free to ,

roam the large room'together. In a typical Swedish system, sows should farrow within five days for optimum group lactation. At weaning, the piglets stay in the -

building and sows are moved. The Jungclaus hogs are

blessed with ventilation from intake and exhaust fans, plenty of space (the equivalent of about 80 square feet per sow and litter), and quiet surroundings - where they

continued, paga 3

Sustainable Agriculture

Research and Education ~ e w s and Announcements from the USDASARE Program in the North Central Region, FalllWinter 1998/99 ,

Educators: D o you have experience and knowledge in teaching ~ U ~ ~ ~ I I Y ~ V L C ~ L ~ I L U I L U ~ ~ ? Are you -

Time to Apply for Grants interested in creating innovative training programs or educational projects? If so, we invite you to investigate our most recent grant opportunity.

NCR SARE's Professional Development Program (PDP) will have nearly $500,000 for educational projects that share sustainable agriculture information with Extension Service and NaturalResources Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel.

Competitive grants will be given to develop and deliver sustainable agriculture in-service training programs. Projects with amulti-state scopeinvolving a diverse group of teachers, especially farmers and nonprofit groups, are encouraged.

Past projects haveincluded: a program for educators and bankers on the benefits of Manage- ment-Intensive Grazing in Wisconsin; training in soil quality and whole-farm planning in Ohio; sustainable agriculture distance learning in the Dakotas; video trainingwith decision case studies in Minnesota; and a legal guide for farm marketers in Iowa.

Applications are available Dec. 4,1998, and proposals are due Feb. 12,1999. Call 402-472-7081 or send email to [email protected] to receive the proposal form. The PDP Call for Proposals will also be available atwww.sare.org/ncrsare/grants..

Producer Liaison y,u O ~ W a green Ford pick-up with Nebraska plates iri your area this summer and early fall, it

Tours Regional Projects 1 could have been our coordinator for field operations. Beginning in early July, Ken Schneider goes on the road to visit as many active Producer Grant

Program projects as he can until mid-November. I<en has logged nearly 70,000 miles in the past five summers.

Modest about his vast agricultural knowledge from 30 years on a western Nebraska farm/ranch, he said, "The interesting thing for me has been to visit and exchange ideas with producers. It's really been a learning experience, and I've also had the opportunity to pass on some information I've gained."

Ken's travels this season have taken him to a variety of SARE producer projects. In South Dakota, he visited Ann I h s h on the Rosebud Indiana Reservation. I h s h directs a

producer grant to educate young Native Americans and their families about gardening. Southeastern Kansas rancher Diana Endicott gave Ken a grand tour of her marketingventure.

Endicott grows and sells "natural beef' to a retail grocery chain in Kansas City, Mo. Customers can get coupons for her fresh beef by f f ing out an in-store computer survey, which Endicott tabulates to gauge consumer opinions about her product.

A stop in rural Minnesota took I<en into cyberspace, where several farmers partnered with SARE to put their products online (see www.prairiefare.com).

A SARE grant and Kentucky bluegrass seed production helped farmer Dan Laursen diversify his wheat and edible dry bean operatio,n. Ken visited Laursen's western Nebraska farm this summer.

Producer grant project visits not only help us analyze and share results of SARE research and demonstration, but also allow us to feel the pulse of our rural areas through Ken's insights.

Thanks to many of you who have participated in these grants. For more information about funded producer grants or applying to the Producer Grant Program, contact Ken at 402-472-0809 or send email to sare00'[email protected].

SARE Resources Help Support Winter Meetings

he end of harvest season allows some farmers t h e to reap information from winter meetings. Whether the gathering is sponsored by local Extension offices or regional agricultural

,;ganizations,.knowledge abounds from farmers, researchers, educators and others ready tp share results of summer trials and demonstrations.

If you are in charge of hosting a meeting, you may be interested in reserving the NCR SARE display or tapping into our Speakers Bureau funding.

We can ship the display -- frke of charge -- to any location in the North Central region. With

lvlc;cL yvdr NCR SARt Representatives

photos, informational text panels and a graphic depicting "sustainability," the display can offer a colorful addition to your ineeting. Publications and brochures are included.

We can also help sponsor out-of-town speakers for half the cost, up to $500 per speaker. For more information on the display, Speakers Bureau or other NCR SARE resources for winter meetings, call 402-472-0265 or send email to sare003@unlvm.~nl.edu. Happy information gathering! '

making, which helps us meet local needs. Administrative Council members, supported by expertise from a Technical Committee, set NCR SARE policy and recommend projects for funding.

The NCR SARE program Council members represent all North Central states: Illinois: Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant (Cooperative Extension - CE); Indiana: vacant; Iowa: Dan Specht (farmer); Kansas: Alan Schlegel (Land Grant Research-LGR); Michjgan: BenBartlett (CE); ~ inneso t ' a : Bill Wilcke (LGR); Missouri: Ron Macher (farmer); Nebraska: David Baltensperger (LGR);North Dakota: Patrick Carr (LGR); Ohio: Peter Bierman (CE); South Dakota: Doug Zalesky (CE); Wisconsin: James Goodman (farmer).

NCR Council members also represent regional agencies and institutions: CE: Daryl Buchholz; National SARE Professional Development Program (PDP): Jerry Dewitt; Agricultural Research Service: ~d'rianna Hewings; State Department of Agriculture: Christine Lietzau; Natural Resources Conservation Service: Jeffrey Vonk, Envikonmental Protection Agency: Harry Wells; Agribusiness: John Hirzel; Non-Profit Organization: Renee Hunt; Geological Survey: Fred Madison. I

The Council includes past chair David Swaim, Technical Committee co-chairs David Macarus and Helene Murray and Jill Auburn, SARE's national director.

For moreinformation on your representative, contact the NCR SARE office..

New Project and Product from National SARE

and SAN

~r Washington, D:C. office is abuzz with activity ... . ,000 Waj, .- S~stainable Farmit, -I (J project that seeks to explore and refiie the definition of sustainable agriculture by p r o f i g successful sustainable farmers and ranchers. In addition to describing farming practices, the case studies will detail the effects of practices on farm profitability, quality of life, rural communities, and the environment.

Craig Cramer, former editor of The New F a m magazine and Webmaster of the Sustainable Farming Connection Website, is the project coordinator. Cramer works under the direction of John Ikerd, agricultural economist and coordinator of the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

For more information about the project, including how to nominate a farmer for a case study, see 1000ways.baka.com or send email to [email protected]. '

Join the ranks of farmers and ranchers who have broadened their scope'of crops and livestock for higher profits and productivity. A new 12-page bulletin from SARE's Sustainable Agriculture Netwbrk (SAN) -- SARE's outreach arm -- offers practical information about how to diversify.

Divers@ing the Agrittllttrallandscape features methods of choosing and growing alternative oilseeds, legumes, cereal grains and other specialty crops. This free publication also details agroforestryprachces such as alley-cropping, windbreaks and buffer strips. A section on cover cmps rounds out the bulletin.

Contact the NCRSARE office for your copy. ' The USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program supports and promotes economically viable, environmentally sound, socially responsible agricultural systems. We offer competitive grants and educational endeavors for farmers and ranchers, researchers, educators, institutions, nonprofit organizations and others. A national program, SARE has four regional offices. Contact North Central Region SARE at: 13A Activities Bldg., University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE 68583-0840, 402-472-7081, 402-472-0280 (fax), [email protected], www.sare.orglncrsare. Program Notes shares news from NCR SARE. Editor: Lisa Bauer, NCR SARE communications specialist.

can exhibit natural desires to nest and live in family units.

This environment produces a happy, healthy pig, free of antibiot- ics, and provides the Jungclauses with a clean, healthy working environment. Nolan ;aid the systep allows him to farm with his children, who are often found romping with piglets. '

With the Swedish system requiring about 2 tons of straw per sow per year, manure handling can be time-consuming. Bedding is cleaned out in 3-month intervals and can reach a depth of up to 4 feet. High straw to manure ratio is crucial to induce composting, which reduces disease problems, im- proves hygiene and puts the Jungclauses on good terms with neighbors who would rather not smell liquid manure.

Pig mortality can be problem, but a watchfukeye from the farmer and culling bad mothers can help alleviate the lay-on? A "farmer's eye" is also necessary in battling infection and disease without the use of antibiotics.

In general, the Swedish system requires more management, observation and planning than a conventional system, but labor averages only about 18 hours per sow per year. And repairs, cleaning, moving, medicating and assistance at farrowing is lower in the Swedish system.

"It's a higher management system thana confinement system," Nolan said. "But I don't think that's bad."

Pigs on Pasture

In 1937, Tom Frantzen's father bought 80 acres and started pasture farrowing hogs. More than sixty years later, Frantzen, a northeastern Iowa farmer, continues a contem-

porary version of his dad's system. Frantzen farrows smaller groups of more sows on strip crops.

"Underground watering systems and electric fencing have redy changed pasture farrowing in the past 50 years," Frantzen said. "But farrowing hogs on pasture has always provided a healthier, cleaner place to work and raise pigs with limited labor. There's no manure to haul, and it's naturally disinfected."

Frantzen, who has received several SA& producer grants, has 335 acres of diversified crops, a stock cow herd, and a farrow to finish hog operation, which provides the bulk of economic return in his integrated system.

Pasture farrowing requires simple, portable housing (huts), a watering system, portable ' eIectric fencing and feeders. Structures are dispersed over several acres. Pigs and huts can be moved with a tractor, loader, hydraulic cart, or all-terrain vehicle.

"Alternative systems are pig friendly, people friendly,

community friendly and environmentally

friendly."

Investigations by ISU founa that pasture farrowing provides lower initial and annual costs for capital improvements, lower energy costs, fewer manure handlinglstorage problems,

slightly poorer weight gain and FE, added bedding costs, and minimally higher labor costs.

However, Frantzen's project proved that his pasture farrow- ing system is productive with less labor than ISU estimates.

"One of the things I want to dispel is that pasture farrow- ing is labor intensive," he said. ' "There's no manure to haul. As we rotatesows, nature cleans up with less labor."

ISU found that overall, fured costs of outdoor pasture operations were 30 to 40 percent lower than confinement systems. Total costs were about 5 to 10 percent lower on pasture. Frantzen has estimated that it

'

costs him only $15 to produce a 40 pound pig.

"You aren't going to see high produ~tion per pig per year when you're pasturing hogs, but profit per acre is very high," ~rantzen said. "That's what we should be looking at anyway."

After rotating gestating sows on pasture, Frantzen stocks nearly 100 farrowing sows on about 14 acres. He farrows half his sows on strip crops and'the other half in hoop ,house huts, finishing them all in hoops.

"If you have 10 or 12 sows or more in a group, you get too much exposed soil. When going to a half dozen hogs you maintain ground cover," Frantzen said. "And it's a lot easier to manage a half dozen than a larger group."

A variety of farrowing huts are available; Frantzen uses a modified A-frame design. Primary considerations for huts include ability to moderate temperature extremes, keep pigs dry and draft free 2nd minimiw

TO-~arket, To Market

As consumers look for safe, high-quality, healthy food products raised in humane systems, farmers can reap rewards of selling sustainably raised pigs. "Ideally, direct market- ing of hogs is best. There's a real market opening up for natural meat," said farmer Steve Weis. Animal Scientist Mark Honeyman added, "There may even be contracts to buy 'family farm' hogs, or the like." Tom Frantzen has sold some of his pasture- and hoop-raised hogs to a free-range pork market making smoked pork products and shipping fresh products to restaurants on both. coasts. He was paid about' 15 cents per .

pound premium on one group. In the future, he plans on transitioning his whole operation to organic production and working with the Coulee Region Organic Producer Pool (CROPP). CROPP is developing a pork pool that will sell fresh meat in the domestic marketplace and also ship overseas to Japan.

The USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program supports and promotes economically viable, environmentally sound, socially responsible agricultural systems. We offer competitive grants and educational endeavors for farmers and ranchers, researchers, educators, institutions, nonprofit organizations and others. A national program, SARE has four regional offices. Contact North Central Region SARE at: 13A Activities Bldg., University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE 68583-0840, 402-472-7081, 402-472-0280 (fax), [email protected], www.sare.org/ ncrsare. Field Notes shares practical results of NCR SARE projects. Editor: Lisa Bauer, NCR SARE communications specialist. Consultants: Ken Schneider, NCR SARE producer liaison, and project coordinators.

pig crushing. Frantzen stresses that huts should be odor problems, flexibility to expand or downsize, low at least 50 square feet and not oblong to minimize overhead and production costs, healthier pigs, and lay-ons. outdoor working conditions, some producers may

Bedding in huts could include low-quality grass opt to turn their pigs out to pasture. hay, whole or

For More Information

NCR SARE: Fu! project reports. Address, page 3.

Iowa State University: Mark Honeyman, 20 Curtiss - Hall, ISU, Ames, IA 5001 1, 515-294-3849,

[email protected] AND Leopola Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 209 Curtiss Hall, Ames, IA

5001 1-1 050, 51 5-294-371 1, [email protected].

ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas): . . PO Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702, 800-

346-9140, askattra@ncatfyv,uark.edu.

Center for Rural Affairs: 101 S. Tallman St., PO Box 406, Walthill, NE 68067, 402-846-5428,

[email protected].

ground corn cobs, baled corn stalks, shredded paper, or straw.

Pastire- farrowed hogs can feed on row-crops or on pasture. Frantzen's rotation includes underseeding oats with clover then

. pasture farrowing there after combin-

e ing the oats and .baling the straw He then plants corn the following year. In

Sustainable Farming Connection Website: the fall, his sows and sunsite.unc.edulfarming-connection1

Go to "Livestock. gdts graze corn and soybean stubble.

Land Stewardship project: 2200 4th St., White Bear Frantzen has

Lake, MN 551 10, 612-653-061 8. been happy with pig health, and it has

Irganic ValleyICROPP Cooperative: Pork marketing beend~~umented group. 507 W. Main St., PO Box 159, La Farge, W that pasture

54639, 608-625-2602. farrowers have lower swine health expenses than

producers using confinement systems. However, outdoor herds need a rigorous parasite control '

program. Disadvantages of pastured pigs include adverse

weather conditions and predators. However, when taking into account lack of handling manure, less

Do Something Different "Alternative systems are pig friendly, people friendly, community friendly and environmentally friendly,'' said Honeyman, who has been exploring alternative hog production systems for a decade.

He suggests that mid-sized family farmers and risk-averse, part-time or beginning farmers would fare well in alternative swine production.

In his work, he has fo,und that alternative systems can be cost competitive with hog confinement systems under the right circumstances. A hog producer must take a self-inventory and make sure he or she enjoys workingwith animals, has access to high-quality bedding, is located in a proper climate and wants to integrate hogs into his or her farm system.

Producers must also be willing to relinquish some control to nature. In his travels through Europe, Honeyman found a different attitude towards farming systems.

"Americans have a mindset of wanting to control nature, and we are capitalists. We often solve problems with capital, automation and technology while some Europeans tend to work with nature and solve problems with management," Honeyman said.

Honeyman is beginning to gather more research data on alternative swine production, as he explores coupling various systems.

eoneyman added, "Alternatives have lower futed costs and higher variable costs, but the latter are usually things that farmers can raise; most producers are short on capital. If we want an agriculture that is family-based, entrepreneurial, and moderate-sized, we have to have it structured to be flexible with less permanence and investment."

-NavernLwf 1998

This material is based on worksupported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under a variety of Cooperative Agreements. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of author(s) and do not necessarily reflecttheview of the U.S. Department of Aqriculture. it is the policvofthe SARE oroaram and the University of Neoraska not tooiscriminate on the basis of gender, age. dlsab ~ly, race, color, religion, manta statas, veteran's statuk national or ethn corigin orsexuaionentation. Mention oitraoe names.'co~orations, organizat.o& or other ent't:es is not an endorsement of them bv the SARE Droaram. This Dublication IS minted on recvc ea oaoer

North Central Region SARE University of -Nebraska 13A Activities Bldg. Lincoln, NE 68583-0840