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February 2025 Newsletter

Writer's picture: Claire ChristensenClaire Christensen

Animal Husbandry Makes the Difference

Tim Christensen 

             In the livestock business, we are focused on production. We strive to use the best feed and animal health products available to make the most out of our stock. The difference between good performance and excellence comes down to care. In the agricultural industry, animal husbandry is defined as “the day-to-day care, management, production nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock”.

 We, as producers, spend a lot of time focusing on having the right products going into our animals. While this is an important aspect, from my experience, detailed management plays a critical role in the results. When we take the extra time to chore properly, we improve livability.

Keeping to the Basics:

· Water—Clean, clear, and enough water space is most important next to oxygen.

· Feed — It’s about the right diet at the right time. Feed management is crucial. This includes pest control, blending/manufacturing, storage, and anything else you need to consider to maintain the quality of feed you are providing your herd. Don’t forget that bunk or feeder space needs to be adequate, or your expected gains will suffer.

· Environment —We need to make the stock as comfortable as possible. We can control this by monitoring temperature, fencing/gating, bedding, and/or ventilation control.

· Be consistent.

 I know this all sounds ridiculous to remind everyone what they already know. However, let this be a reminder to strive for better management. Everything good that you do for your animals comes together based on how you manage your herd. Just as you form a habit, consistency is what grows an animal. Having the best feed in the world can’t make an animal grow better if the animal has an off-feed event. Your consistency and detailed management make the difference.

 You can’t always control the health of your herd, but you can control the way you care for them. Spencer Ag is here to help you whether it be animal health, nutrition, veterinary help, or even another set of eyes on your herd. No one has a perfect management plan, but the day we stop striving for better is the day we fail as producers.

"It's easy to get caught up in paperwork, but the barn is where real answers lie" -Dr. Max Rodibaugh
 

January’s Rewind

January was a busy month for our team! We attended both South Dakota and Iowa’s 2025 Pork Congress. In addition to tradeshows, PIC (Pig Improvement Company) field technicians Isaiah Spath and Erk Darrington helped us put on a ventilation training for our customers and team. 

 Swine Ventilation Training

Harvey Williams, Field Marketer

Classroom Session
Classroom Session

Earlier this month, Technical Service Reps from PIC held a ventilation workshop for a group of customers. In this workshop, we went over the basic building blocks of working and figuring ventilation in power ventilation finishers and nurseries. The morning session was a classroom setting going over the math and numbers for setting up the ventilation system and the science behind air exchange. PIC provided guidelines and recommendations for the target ventilation measurements needed for acceptable air exchange within a barn. Guidelines for CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute), FPM (Feet Per Minute), minimum ventilations, etc. These guidelines are available upon request from one of our field marketers.

Smoke for Air Exchange Visuals
Smoke for Air Exchange Visuals

 The afternoon session was an in-barn, hands-on lesson in one of our customers’ tunnel-ventilated sites. The participants were taught how to measure air speed, use smoke equipment to visibly see air exchange, and how to collect the measurements to complete the math to find the necessary airspeed. Our field marketers are available to provide these ventilation services upon request. Feel free to reach out for some ventilation troubleshooting as well as in-barn air measuring, smoking, and calculations to achieve proper air exchange. Getting proper ventilation allows for adequate environment for the pigs, savings on LP and electricity, and also makes the environment more comfortable for the caretaker. Reach out to Spencer Ag Center with any questions or services needed for ventilation.


 Iowa Pork Congress      

Field Marketers —Chad Seaman,  Harvey Williams, Greg Lear, and Tim Christensen attended this year’s Iowa Pork Congress. We had the opportunity to reconnect with some of our customers farther from our storefront location! We spent three days attending meetings, visiting with customers, and attending swine industry-relevant talks to serve our customer's needs better.

In addition to the tradeshow, two of our team members, Greg Lear and Claire Christensen attended Iowa Pork Producer’s Annual Meetings serving as delegate representatives for Clay County. Greg auctioned off another year of “Purple Pursuit” Purple Sequin Blazers at the Dollars for Swine Scholars Action Event on the first evening. In total, the auction brought around $62,000 for scholars for the coming year. Along with the meeting, several county groups were recognized for their hard work. BV County was recognized for their service during the flood. They helped in June by serving hundreds of burgers to our community. We are extremely grateful to BV and the Clay County Pork Producers for serving the people of NW Iowa. Be sure to check out Iowa Pork’s website for more information regarding the annual meeting minutes!


 

The Plans don’t stop there!

A few of our sales and purchasing team members plan on attending Minnesota’s Pork Congress, on February 11-12th, 2025. Be sure to say hello if you see our team around the symposium.


 



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