Year: 2015

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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. …

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,…

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…

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…

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. …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…