December 2025 Newsletter
- Claire Christensen
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Calendar Announcement:
Season's Greetings! This month, we will have adjusted store hours due to the holidays!
Christmas Eve—7 am–12 pm
Christmas Day—Closed all day
New Year's Eve—7 am-3 pm
New Year's Day—Closed all day
National Hog Farmer Article by Chris Hostetler, National Pork Board
Radio Frequency Identification Device tags for sows are in widespread use for farms that group house sows and employ electronic sow feeding stations. One example of how they can be used is in sow feeding in group housing facilities. The RFID tag is integrated with the computerized feed delivery system so that individual sows within group pens can be fed to meet their individual needs when they enter an electronic sow feeding station.
Certainly, integrating RFID tags with electronic sow feeding stations has revolutionized feed delivery for sows but there are other applications for the technology in the barn as well. The data contained on the chip can be used to monitor animal health and welfare. Managers can review data to determine which sows have eaten their daily allotment of feed. Barn workers are directed to the correct pen where the animal is housed to quickly find the animal for assessment. By incorporating a sorting gate or a marking system in a feeding station exit chute, sows can be separated out from the group for management practices such as pregnancy diagnosis, vaccinations, and culling, saving time and labor.
Additionally, in group housing situations, RFID tags can be used to monitor animal behavior. For example, many farms house boars in pens with solid walls inside sow pens. Portholes in the solid walls of the boar’s pen are equipped with RFID scanners to monitor how often sows visit and how much time they spend near the boar. Sows in estrus spend significantly more time socializing with the boar and managers can decide to either rebreed or cull the sow depending on her history and breeding the target.
Spencer Ag’s RFID Application in Grow/Finish:
Spencer Ag Center has personal experience with RFID tags as a form of confirming management decisions. We have used LeeO tags, a high-frequency ear tagging data collection system, to conduct multiple real-time growth curve trials with our grow/finish customers. While current tagging systems consider each individual ID as a separate identification, cumulative data from several groups across several barns can create strong correlation to feeding results. This has given us the opportunity to validate feeding protocols with our customers prior to marketing their animals.
Be wary of quick weather changes!
When the weather changes quickly, your animals are going to react to this change as a form of self-preservation. This could include an off-feed or water event, an uptick in consumption, health changes, etc.
When animals react to cooler weather, there's often a noticeable increase in consumption. Our field marketer, Andrew Quail, notes, “Be ready to adjust intake and keep their vitamin levels high with a balancer or mineral in front of them.” We recommend considering minerals, balancers, sodium bicarb, or a tub, such as our calf booster tub as a way to maintain those fluctuations. A way to notice this change may also be from watching health symptoms such as runny noses, droopy ears, or a standoffish temperament. Talk to Dr. Grace or your field marketer to determine what is the right course of action for this, whether it be medicine to mitigate stress or nutrition.
A Star Pupil
Harvey Williams, field marketer, participated in the 2025 Iowa Pork Leadership Academy this year. We are proud of all that he has learned and accomplished. Harvey, along with several other professionals in the pork industry, learned more about the industry by visiting the Iowa Pork office, working with legislation, and looking at different aspects of production by touring North & South Carolina’s swine facilities. Below is the group during their trip to Washington, D.C.
In Iowa Pork’s November article, Harvey talks about the value of face-to-face interactions, stating, “Being comfortable talking with professionals from different backgrounds allows you to better educate others, and yourself, through real conversation. IPLA gave us the confidence to lead and the tools to make an impact. Those are things we’ll carry with us for the rest of our careers.” Way to go, Harvey!
Ritchie outlasts winters.
Don’t overlook your waterers. Spencer Ag Center has Ritchie products to keep your animals from having an off-water event during those cold days.
Grab a water heater, replace that heating coil in your current Ritchie, or choose from our selection of waterers at Spencer Ag. As a dealer, we also can order any replacement parts you may need to ensure your water is running correctly before that next big freeze!
Call our resident expert and front counter man—Tom Johnson! 1(800)543-8854
Not a fan of winter? Don’t be salty about it!
Looking for salt blocks for your cattle or maybe loose salt to use as snowmelt for your driveway? We’ve got you covered!
Spencer Ag Center carries:
· Salt Blocks—White
· Salt Block — Iodized
· Salt Block with Garlic
· Fine Salt in 50lb. Bags