Summer is a social season! Great opportunities arise to share your story! Only 2% of the population raises food for the entire world, and that is you! No one is more passionate, caring, or committed to the humane care of animals and safe food than you. Pig care is more than just bacon, it is…
Author: ronmaster
Responsible Imports
As the epidemic of African Swine Fever (ASF) spreads throughout China, it raises animal welfare and economic issues for the swine industry in China and the United States. Classified as a foreign animal disease, ASF in the United States would immediately stop the export of pork products, costing the United States economy $16.5…
Production Efficiencies
This year we have implemented several production efficiencies to focus our efforts on sustainable farming. Three production efficiencies to remain sustainable on farm include water usage, energy consumption, and reducing waste. As an outcome of COVID-19, we re-evaluated many of our production Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and determined ways to reduce cost at the sow…
Methane Digester
When evaluating the carbon footprints at the sow farms managed by Pipestone Management, we found that manure accounts for roughly 30% of emissions. So, if your goal is to reduce your overall carbon footprint, how do you do that with manure? One method to gain traction in the industry is methane digesters. Recently completing a…
PORK Responsible Antibiotic Use Standard
PIPESTONE provides veterinary services to pig farmers all over the world. We recognize the growing global concern over Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and its impact on human and animal health. We share society’s concern of the potential impact of antibiotic use on AMR. With the health and production tools available today, we can raise pigs with…
Essentials of Business Succession Planning
Through good times and bad in agriculture, farmers generally cherish the idea of passing their family farm on to the next generation. The farm community’s practice is to celebrate and even commemorate the moment the family farm reaches the century mark. However, according to the PWC 2016 US Family Business Survey, only slightly over half…
Creating a Sustainable Pig... All Starts in the Field
The pork industry is a buzz with carbon reduction goals and even carbon neutrality. Two questions often asked are what is a carbon neutral pig and what can farmers do? A carbon neutral pig has net zero carbon dioxide emission equivalents (CO2e) into the atmosphere during its lifetime. CO2e is a term used to express…
SwineTime Podcast Episode 23: The Latest on Disease Feed Risk
Based on the current body of knowledge, it is evident that feed and feed ingredients are risk factors for the transboundary spread of viruses, including African Swine Fever virus, classical swine fever virus, pseudorabies virus, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Dr. Spencer Wayne, Host of SwineTime Podcast with Pipestone Veterinary Services visits with Dr. Scott…
Buhl's Ridgeview Farm | A Leader in Sustainability
“Utilizing the corn they grow in their on-farm feed mill, monitoring and reducing antibiotic usage and educating their communities on swine production practices, Buhl’s Ridgeview Farms is at the forefront of sustainability,” said Emily Scholtz, PIPESTONE Nutritionist. Purchasing their first sows in 1976, Don and Susan Buhl operate Buhl’s Ridgeview Farm of Tyler, Minnesota. Since…
SwineTime Podcast Episode 22: Managing Old Assets
What do you do with an old facility? How do you know when to fix it or replace it? Host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, visits with Dr. Barry Kerkaert, veterinarian and Pipestone Management President, and Justin Roelofs, CFO of Pipestone Management about Managing Old Assets in the 22nd Episode of SwineTime Podcast. Don’t miss future…
Cost of Feed Production
There are three drivers influencing cost of production today; facilities, weaned pigs and feed, with feed cost accounting for over 60% of the total cost of production. In the last 90 days, we have seen feed cost per pig increase >$20/pig. Now more than ever, producers should be focused on improving feed efficiency as a…
Animal Welfare
Training | Tools | Tracking PIPESTONE and the families we work with are committed to producing safe food, protecting our environment, and providing the best care for our animals. Whether I am working with an individual family farmer or the team at PIPESTONE, when it comes to animal welfare we talk about incorporating the three…
Innovation in Production
The tech service team works to challenge current production protocols, evaluate new ideas and technology, and provide real data to make decisions. Utilizing actual sow farms, we can conduct large scale field research trials in actual production conditions. This helps to gain valuable information to implement in sow farms managed by Pipestone Management. New products…
The Perceived Soybean Meal Shortage with Gordon Denny
Pork is hugely important to domestic and international soybean meal consumption. Closely following poultry, swine consumes a large percentage of soybeans available in the United States. Guest host, Amber Pugh, a Director of Procurement with Pipestone Nutrition, hosts Gordon Denny, a soybean industry professional, to discuss the perceived soybean meal shortage in our industry. As…
7 Ways to Build Working Capital
During periods of high commodity prices and profitability, farm business owners should be diligent to financially prepare for the next period of low prices. The following are strategies that could help you build working capital to be ready for the next cycle of low prices. Improve operational efficiency Aggressively managing operational efficiency is the most…
Innovation in Nutrition
Innovation in nutrition comes in many forms at PIPESTONE. From new technology, to better feed management, to improving the feed quality across our 40+ feed mills that feed sows managed by Pipestone Management, we are continually investigating ways to bring value. What does the body condition of an “ideal” sow look like in your mind?…
When Cheap Diets Fail
Everyone likes a deal! Who doesn’t? If there is an opportunity to buy something at a “good” price most people jump at the opportunity. But sometimes the deal isn’t as good as what we thought and is not figured out until after the fact.The same thing can happen with nutrition or formulation. One of the…
History and Advancement of Innovation
In 1942, Drs. E.A. Scheweim and P.A. Pinkert founded the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic. Since then, the company has continued to innovate while serving our mission of Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow. In 1988, the Pipestone Management was founded and in 1990 Hiawatha Gilts, LTD was built and became the first Pipestone Management…
Podcast 20: Influenza: History, Symptoms, and Eradication Protocols with Dr. Cameron Schmitt
Over the years, veterinarians and the pork industry have tackled eradiation protocols for viruses like PRRS, PED, and Mycoplasma, yet influenza remains a common occurrence in the field. In this Episode, host Dr. Spencer Wayne talks with Dr. Cameron Schmitt, Veterinarian with PIPESTONE, in the 20th episode of SwineTime about Swine Influenza and efforts to…
Podcast 19: Sustaining the Pig farm of Tomorrow
By taking care of the land and natural resources, farmers have naturally practiced and cared about sustainability for generations. Today, sustainability is more important than ever, as it allows us to be transparent and authentic about what we are doing on-farm to consumers. Dr. Spencer Wayne, Veterinarian at PIPESTONE Veterinary Services, and the host of…
Pivot to Meet Ever-Changing Pig Care
This year marks 30 years that the sow farm Hiawatha Gilts was constructed in Pipestone county, Minnesota birthing what would become the Pipestone Management and change modern swine production. Most intriguing is what Hiawatha represents as we think about innovation and the progression of health management. Hiawatha started as a multi farmer-owned farrow to finish…
Idlenot Farms | a leader in Innovation
“I can remember sitting in a booth at the World Pork Expo when this technology was just being developed. As it was explained to us, I was like, ‘wow.’ That is quite a dream. I wonder if we will ever have that?” Brad Moser said. “It is real. It really works.” Brad and his brother,…
Preparing for Periods of Low Prices
For most pork producers, 2020 has not been a year of profitability. Without government program payments and a short-term spike in cut-out prices in May, the red ink has been steadily flowing. During these unfavorable economic times, your business uses the working capital you’ve created in the good times. Working capital measures whether you have…
Podcast 16 Latin America Swine Industry, Operations, Practices, and Opportunities with Dr. Gustavo Pizarro
Producers in Latin America and the United States share the same passion for agriculture, but the way to achieve the goal varies. From the economy to efficiency on farm, there are many differences in Latin America, but there is also a relationship building. In this episode, host Dr. Spencer Wayne talks with Dr. Gustavo…
Deep Agriculture Roots Now and for Years to Come
Lee and Ben Bader farm together as father and son Tracing back six generations of farming, the Bader family continues the family tradition. Lee and Ben Bader, a father and son duo, farm together in Jesup, IA. “Since the early years, our family has been on the farm,” Lee (dad) Bader said. “Today, it is…
800 Thousand Servings of Pork Donated During MEAT the Need Campaign
As Covid-19 brought financial stress and uncertainty to many households, Pipestone launched into action for our farmers and communities. Pipestone’s MEAT the Need campaign ran May through September and brought pork contributions to food pantry agencies in the Midwest. The combined inputs of Pipestone and contributing partners resulted in raising $372,000 which our team turned…
Are You a Responsible User of Antibiotics?
As an industry, we have set guidelines for ourselves through the PQA program on what responsible antibiotic use looks like. If your interaction with those principals has been limited to passing the PQA quiz, today is a good day to think about how your antibiotic use fits into a responsible model. Do you work with…
Manure Pumping and Agitation Guidelines
As the harvest season approaches, fall field work and manure application will follow closely thereafter. During the manure removal process, our primary objective is to elevate the ventilation in your barns and keep you and your livestock safe and comfortable. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate and reach out to a Pipestone Management…
SwineTime podcast 15: Business Decisions During Periods of Low Prices
Dr. Spencer Wayne of Pipestone Veterinary Services, and the host of the SwineTime podcast visits with Jim Marzolf, Vice-President of Pipestone Business Services to talk about new swine service offerings designed to assist farmers on the next SwineTime podcast. Having extensive background in Agriculture Accounting and fiscal management practices, Jim details four new ways Pipestone…
Summer Mastitis Prevention and Treatment
Mastitis can be a real pain in the udder, especially during the summer months. When the weather turns hot and humid it gives the mastitis causing pathogens the needed environment to grow. Hot and humid weather also adds stress to the cow which leads to a decreased immune function. You put a better growing environment…
The Heat is On!
It’s that time of year again. Temperatures are rising and the air is heavy enough you can cut it with a knife. Although this weather is for growing crops, it means different things for your cattle operation. Whether in beef or dairy, producers need to understand heat stress and ways to help mitigate its effects.…
Summer Grazing
While the summer workload changes for the average cow/calf operation, there is still opportunity to make significant health and performance decisions that will make a difference to the bottom line. Most importantly, take the time to monitor both the health of the cattle and pasture, as well as performance of growing calves. Fly Control While…
Business Strategies for Periods of Low Prices
In commodity production, high prices are the result of more demand than supply. In the past 20 years, the pork industry has been fortunate to increase demand through exports. More demand than supply results in high prices and creates profitability that attracts financial capital. As capital rushes to the higher rates of return, pork producers…
SwineTime podcast 14: Risk Management in Pig Production
SwineTime host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, speaks with Veterinarian, Dr. Gawen Zomermaand of Pipestone Veterinary Services. In this episode, you will discover what hedging looks like in pig production, how to best educate yourself on risk management, and the benefit of finding a good partner for advice and service. For information regarding hedging call Dr.…
Washington Pavilion Opens "Grow it!"
PIPESTONE is excited to announce their sponsorship of the new agriculture-themed exhibits on the new “Grow It!” floor at the Washington Pavilion Kirby Science Center in Sioux Falls, SD. “Grow It!” features 3,000 square feet of new agriculture-themed exhibits as part of the center’s third floor dedicated to the state of South Dakota. “Grow It!”…
A proven safe and effective disinfecting alternative
Ag Forte Pro has been proven to improve sanitation and bio-security of pig barns and livestock transport trucks, while being safe and easy to use. It eliminates irritation to nose, eyes and skin, as well as reduces wash time and water use. COVID-19 has brought biosecurity and disinfecting to the top of everyone’s minds; a…
Episode 13: We slowed pigs down: What was the effect and where do we go from here?
SwineTime host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, converses with Veterinarian, Dr. Brent Pepin and Nutritionist, Jon De Jong, at Pipestone Veterinary Clinic. In this episode, you will hear experts discuss the noticed effects of slowing pigs down, as well as their opinion on where we go from here. Featuring: SwineTime Host – Dr. Spencer Wayne (Veterinarian) …
SwineTime Podcast #12: Understand the Hutterite Colony Farmers
A christian agriculture community, the Hutterite Colony, meets with Dr. Spencer Wayne from Pipestone. Through the SwineTime Podcast, Dr. Wayne and two guests from different Hutterite communities discuss lifestyles and farming as a colony. Don’t miss future SwineTime podcasts The SwineTime podcast is a monthly podcast created for the pork industry and individual pork…
Meet our Furry Friends: Lucky and Libby
Jo and Steve Weets are proud pet parents of Lucky and Libby. Lucky (right) is a 9-year-old male Dachshund and Libby (left) is an 8-year-old female Yorkie-Pom. How long have you had your dogs? We have had Lucky since May 15, 2013. He was brought into the Sheriff by a land surveyor who had found…