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Alternatives to Intensive Confinement Systems for Farm Animals: An Annotated Bibliography New update, 01/30/08

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This bibliography provides practical published information for farmers, consumers, students, and educators who are concerned about factory farming and are seeking for alternatives. This collection of references will be updated regularly. A searchable more comprehensive database on farming alternatives can be accessed at: http://www.awionline.org/farm/altfrm.htm
Last update: 03/04/06.

ANIMAL WELFARE

AWI staff. Animal Welfare Institute's Standards for Pigs, Cattle and Sheep. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC, 2002-2005.

FULL-TEXT

AWI's criteria require that husbandry, housing and diet allow the animals to behave naturally. AWI requires that farms accommodate the animals' needs. Animals must be able to perform behaviors essential to their physiological and psychological health and well-being. AWI will only endorse independent family farms that own their animals, depend upon the farm for a livelihood and participate in the daily physical labor of caring for the animals and operating the farm.

Bartussek, H. How to measure animal welfare? In: Hovi, M. and Garcia Trujillo, R., eds. Diversity of Livestock Systems and Definition of Animal Welfare. Proceedings of the Second NAHWOA (Network for Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture) Workshop. Cordoba, Spain, 8-11 January 2000. Network for Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture, Reading, UK, pp. 135-142, 2000.
FULL-TEXT

An "Animal Needs Index," has been devised in Austria for assessing whether animal housing conditions meet the animals' well being and behavioural needs. Species-specific criteria are graded by points. Conditions considered to give animals more appropriate chances of satisfying their behavioural needs, or to improve their welfare, are awarded more points. But certain minimal conditions have to be fulfilled. Examples and results for Austria are given.

 

Halverson, M. Farm animal welfare: Crisis or opportunity for agriculture? Paper 91-1. Dept. of Agric. and Applied Economics, Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, 1991.
FULL-TEXT

There is now public concern for the welfare of farm animals, i.e. the quality of life the animal leads in production. The animal needs to be able to perform natural and inherited behaviors with respect to the environment. A welfare-compatible production system will allow the animal to fulfill basic behaviors that are essential to its mental or psychological health, and whose prevention or frustration leads to distress. In this paper some misconceptions regarding welfare are addressed and examples for swine of welfare-compatible facilities from Sweden are given. In such systems, modern technologies are combined with knowledge of animal health and behavior to make the most efficient use of labor management and space, within the constraints imposed by meeting the welfare objectives. If designed well, with people, the animals, and the environment in mind, welfare-compatible production can be protective of the environment, while being profitable for the producer and providing a plentiful supply of meat. How U.S. agriculture chooses to respond to growing public concerns, not only about the welfare of animals, but about the environment, food quality and safety, and the sustainability of agricultural productivity is what constitutes the crisis and the opportunity facing agriculture and its supporters.

 

Halverson, M. Animal Health and Welfare. Technical Work Paper. Prepared for the Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Animal Agriculture (GEIS) and the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, St. Paul, MN, 2001.

"This technical working paper was written by Marlene Halverson in consultation with seven animal welfare scientists for the State of Minnesota's Generic Environmental Impact Statement on animal agriculture. The paper is a virtual textbook on the impacts of current farming practices on the health and welfare of poultry, cattle and pigs and on the relationship between animal welfare, human health, environmental quality and the sustainability of agriculture."

 

van Putten, G. An ethological definition of animal welfare with special emphasis on pig behavior. In: Hovi, M. and Garcia Trujillo, R., eds. Diversity of Livestock Systems and Definition of Animal Welfare. Proceedings of the Second NAHWOA (Network for Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture) Workshop. Cordoba, Spain, 8-11 January 2000. Network for Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture, Reading, UK, pp. 120-134, 2000.
FULL-TEXT

The author describes the natural behaviors of pigs and discusses some of the various natural instincts that pigs have, and how hog producers can accommodate and work with them. "The dramatic changes in the outer appearance of farm animals in general and of swine in particular make me look upon modern pigs as "swine in disguise". This prompts me firstly to present to you the "pig itself", as we should recognise it. Secondly, I intend to react to some of the points laid down in the "Council Regulations of the European Union on organic farming" (EC, 1999), emphasising animal welfare, where these regulations apply to breeding, housing and husbandry of pigs. Thirdly, some important points on the welfare of pigs, missing in the EC Regulations, are dealt with."

 

Vaarst, M., Roderick, S., Lund, V., and Lockeretz, W., eds. Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture. CABI Publishing, Cambridge, MA, 2004.

The purpose of this book is to advance the understanding of organic animal husbandry, drawing mainly on research and practical experience with organic farming in Europe. The notion that animals have experiences and are sentient beings gives humans a moral obligation to treat animals well. Whilst the avoidance of suffering is important in both organic and conventional animal husbandry, the organic farming principles go much further than that in pursuit of animal welfare. One of the basic principles of organic farming refers to access to natural behaviour for organically managed animals. The heightened understanding of the lives of animals needs to be put into practice.

PIGS

Pig farming, pig housing

Farms' profiles  Research papers and guides

Farmers' experience and farms' profiles

Ault, D. A Gentler Way - Sows on Pasture: Reports From Sustainable Farmers From Minnesota and Iowa.

"This is a collection of farm profiles from Minnesota and Iowa. Compiled by Dwight Ault, who farms near Austin, Minn., this booklet presents information and perspectives from a variety of pasture hog operations. Mark Honeyman, director of outlying experiment farms at Iowa State University, explains in this book that pasture farrowing can be a competitive alternative to confinement facilities." Copies of the book are available for $4 from Dwight Ault, RR1, Box 230, Austin, MN 55912.

 

AWI Staff. A successful system for housing pregnant sows in groups . AWI Quarterly; 53(1):6, Winter 2004.
FULL-TEXT

Preferred by farmers, the Swedish deep-bedded group housing system for swine is based on the sow's biology and natural social behaviors and has been used in Sweden for nearly three decades. It consists of individual feeding stalls for each sow in the group. Behind the feeding stalls is a deep-straw bedded lying and activity area with nearly 30 square feet of space for each sow. Sows are kept in stable groups. This system is now operating at the University of Minnesota's West Central Research and Outreach Center at Morris. The results at WCRC demonstrate that group housing of pregnant sows is successful when the natural behavior and biology of sows are both understood and accommodated in the design.

 

AWI staff. Helping small-scale North Carolina farmers improve pigs' lives. AWI Quarterly; 52(3):6, Summer 2003.
FULL-TEXT

Small-scale North Carolina pigs farmers are provided with a humane, sustainable alternative to contracting with factory hog operations to raise their hogs thereby demonstrating their vital roles in enhancing rural communities, avoiding the environmental damage commonly associated with factory hog operations, and giving pigs freer lives. All pigs in the program are raised outdoors with plenty of space and varied environments in which to perform their natural behaviors, including wooded areas with welcome shade during the hot North Carolina summer days. AWI staff conduct site visits to the farms and prescribe changes, where necessary, for the farmers to meet AWI's standards. The meat from the pigs raised by the farmers that meet AWI's standards is sold to Niman Ranch and distributed in the East Coast market for pork from humanely raised hogs.

 

AWI Staff. Willow Creek Farm. AWI Quarterly; 52(3):7, Summer 2003.
FULL-TEXT

Tony and Sue Renger and their three children live in the Baraboo Hills of southwestern Wisconsin. The Rengers have become the first family complying with AWI husbandry standards to market directly to their customers. Says Tony Renger "We believe that those involved with raising animals for meat production have a moral obligation to see that their animals have a natural and comfortable existence. Once of our greatest pleasures in farming is to watch our pigs frolic on the pasture and to see that they truly enjoy their surroundings."

 

Bowman, G. Fitting the farm to the hog. The New Farm; 15(6):35-39, Sept/Oct 1993.
FULL-TEXT

"Swedish farmers are reducing their hogs' physical and psychological stress to make them more productive. New farrowing and piglet-handing techniques incorporating group nursing and deep-straw bedding have been especially successful in weaning high numbers of piglets per sow. These producers see humane treatment as an opportunity for profitable innovation. Creating and managing these environments demands a depth of knowledge of hog tendencies and behaviors. In these Swedish barns, farmers have to get in and walk among their pigs at least once a day. The farmers are happier about the day-to-day interaction with their animals. Their figures show lower long-term investment in structures, veterinary expenses and overall labor costs, with better sow reproductive health and productivity."

 

Cramer, C. "Hogs just might be the ideal grazers." Pastures and pens beat crates and confinement. The New Farm; 14(6):18-23, Sept/Oct 1992.

FULL-TEXT

Tom Frantzen has developed an innovative system that makes the most of his hogs' natural abilities, keeping them happy, healthy and productive. He runs gestating gilts and sows on intensively managed pasture to cut feed costs by half or more, and double per-acre net compared with growing corn; parcels out strips of annual crops such as corn milo and field peas with portable fencing so lactating sows and their litters can hog them down, eliminating harvest costs; farrows sows and gilts in A-frame pasture huts to reduce capital costs and labor from early May until October. "Low capital costs aren't the only reason to pasture farrow. Like the hogs, I'd rather be outside in the fresh air and sunshine" says Frantzen. He tore out his farrowing crates and switched back to pen farrowing in winter while maintaining litter size and boosting weaning weights. "Crates didn't meet my needs or the animals'. But these pens do."'

 

Cramer, C. Profitable pigs On pasture: Enjoy healthier hogs, bigger litters and lower feed costs. The New Farm; 9(1):26-29, Jan. 1987.
FULL-TEXT

The Wilsons pasture farrow nearly two-thirds of their 250 hog litters each year without sacrificing production or profits. The Wilsons minimize feed and health-care costs with a three-year rotation in three 18-acre fields adjacent to each other. They use $100 farrowing sheds. "Watching the sows' elaborate nesting behavior, you see why confinement can cause stress especially when a sow is kept in the same crate for several weeks. Besides, chores are more enjoyable in the fresh air with contented sows grazing and groups of pigs playing and hiding their heads in clumps of orchardgrass."

 

Cramer, C. Profitable pork on pasture. The New Farm; 12(4):15-18, May/June 1990.
FULL-TEXT

"The flexibility of pasture-based hog systems makes them very attractive". Compared to confinement operations they offer lower initial capital investment; lower annual maintenance costs; healthier hogs; lower (or no) heating, cooling and ventilation costs; fewer odor problems; similar sow reproductive health; similar gain and feed efficiency; similar feed costs. Bob Sloan farrows on pasture in galvanized steel Port-A-Huts. He stocks about 45 sows in 3-acre lots. Sloan estimates pasturing saves about 30 percent on feed.

 

Deep-straw hoop structure system. On-farm experience: Mark Moulton; Roger Hubmer; Dave Struthers. In: Bergh, P., (ed). Hogs Your Way: Choosing a Hog Production System in the Upper Midwest. Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture; Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture; University of Minnesota Extension Service, St. Paul, MN, pp. 23-34, 2001.
FULL-TEXT

This section first gives an overview of the deep-straw hoop structure system including background, housing, feed, farrowing, animal health, performance, scale, labor, environmental and social considerations, financial risk, followed by the profiles of three hog farmers successfully using this system. Mark Moulton decided to experiment with hoop structures in 1995 as a low-cost way to work toward his goals of running a low-stress and debt-free operation and of creating more free time to spend with his family . He has since built two other hoop structures in which he finishes a total of 540 hogs. In addition to increased crop revenue, the hoop structure system has given Mark more financial flexibility in hog production moving him closer to his economic and personal goals. For Roger Hubmer, hogs raised in the hoop structures have out-performed those finished in his Lester barns in terms of feed efficiency and growth. Dave Struthers lists good pig growth, fresh air from natural ventilation and less dust as positive hoop barn attributes that contribute to the health and performance of his hogs.

 

Frantzen, T. A Better way: Hog farming that meets the animal's social instincts . AWI Quarterly; 47(3) Summer 1998.  FULL-TEXT

When deep-bedded hoophouse facilities appeared in the Midwest in the mid 1990s, Tom Frantzen decided to build three hoophouses on his farm. Hoophouses promise to be an economical and ecologically sound building. In the structure, straw-bedded pens replace metal crates and slatted floors. The straw bedding mixes with the hog waste which is self composting, creates very little odor and no ecological hazards. In Tom's new facility the pigs have a lot of fun, lots of room to run, straw to chew and heaps of bedding to nest in.

 

Frantzen, T. E-hut farrowing. Practical Farmers of Iowa, Ames, Iowa, 2000.
FULL-TEXT

Photos and plans of farrowing huts designed by Tom Frantzen and Dan & Colin Wilson as part of an online discussion forum: `Over the back fence,' "an informal group of like minded hog farmers who want to pursue traditional farrowing practices."

 

Gralla, S. Fit for a pig: Low-cost / sustainable strategies of resourceful hog farmers. Beginning Farmer Support Network, Center for Rural Affairs, Hartington, NE, 1991.

The Center for Rural Affairs is exploring alternative low-investment approaches to livestock production including the following goals:

Enhance economic opportunity for small and mid-size farmers and entry opportunities for a new generation of beginning farmers.

Encourage the dispersal of livestock production on many small and mid-size family farms.

Enhance the economic and biological relationships between crop and livestock enterprises, thus supporting sustainable farm practices and decreasing dependence on off-farm inputs.

The Center visited hog farmers in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. This publication reports on the practices by those farmers, the real hands-on experts on low-cost, sustainable livestock production, and gives profiles of ten farm operations.

 

Gunthorp, G. and Gunthorp, L. Pigs on pasture: The Gunthorp Farm. Feb. 1999.
FULL-TEXT

Greg and Lei Gunthorp from LaGrange, Indiana share their insights and experience how to raise pigs on pasture. "I farm about 100 acres, 65 of my own and 35 of my parents. Our farm is profitable because we are utilizing pasture ground that wouldn't be used otherwise. Four hundred acres of cornfields are available for gleaning by our sow herd in the fall. Fifty plus acres of interseeded clover following wheat is available in late July." The web site includes several full-text articles on pastured pigs on the Gunthorp Farm, pasture farrowing and pastured hog hints.

 

Gunthorp, G. High value pork and poultry production and marketing. Future Farms 2002: A Supermarket of Ideas. Conference Proceedings . The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Poteau, Oklahoma, pp. 40-41, 2002.
FULL-TEXT

The paper gives suggestions for direct marketing livestock products; pasture farrowing hints and pasture hog hints.

 

Halverson, M. US hog farmers explore humane Swedish techniques . AWI Quarterly; 43(4):13, Fall 1994.
FULL-TEXT

In September 1994, a group of farmers from Minnesota and Iowa traveled to Sweden to visit their counterparts in that county. Swedish farms use models of hog rearing that are based on the natural behavior of pigs. Pregnant sows are housed in groups on deep straw beds. The composting action of the straw kills pathogens, enriches soil, keeps pigs warm in winter, and produces little or no offensive odor. This model enables pigs to perform most of their natural behaviors, and eliminates the need for feed additives. It is both pig- and human-friendly, costs-efficient, and environmentally benign. The visiting American farmers were highly impressed with the cleanliness, animal-friendliness, and efficiency of the Swedish farms.

 

Halverson, D.; AWI. National gathering calls for humane, sustainable hog farming. AWI Quarterly; 50(1): 5, 7, Winter 2001.
FULL-TEXT

The "Summit for Sustainable Hog Farming," held in New Bern, NC, featured presentations by Paul Willis and Sue and Kelly Ryan, family farmers who allow the pigs they raise to behave naturally, in accordance with the Animal Welfare Institute's Humane on-Farm Pig Husbandry Standards.

 

Halverson, D.; AWI. Animal Welfare Institute Humane On-Farm Husbandry Criteria for Pigs. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC, 1989, 2000.
FULL-TEXT

AWI's humane husbandry criteria require that all animals be allowed to behave naturally, fulfilling essential instinctive behaviors. Pigs must be provided continuous access to pasture, dirt yards or pens furnished with straw or similar bedding. Sows must be able to build nests, and pigs to root, explore and play. Factory farm practices and the routine use of antibiotics are prohibited. AWI's criteria require that the participants in the program be independent family farmers, the farmer must own the animals, depend on the farm for a livelihood and be involved in the day to day physical labor of managing the pigs.

 

Halverson, D.; AWI. Examples of farms fulfilling AWI's Humane On-Farm Husbandry Criteria for Pigs. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC, 2000.
FULL-TEXT

The Animal Welfare Institute's Humane Husbandry Standards for Pigs are followed on nearly 100 farms in the American Midwest. The farmers who adhere to these Standards are helping AWI to demonstrate that animals raised for food are sentient creatures capable of enjoying their lives. Pigs are very social animals with learning capabilities similar to dogs. AWI's Husbandry Standards take the natural behavior of pigs into account. Farmers find that by allowing pigs to behave naturally they raise healthier animals. Color photos illustrate the practices: Piglets at play close to their mother; sows building a nest; mothers nurturing their young in a natural environment; piglets nursing; piglets grazing at their mother's side; sows isolating themselves for farrowing; sows with piglets provided with straw when indoors.

 

Halverson. D. The Petersons talk about Pastureland pigs. AWI Quarterly; 38(3&4):10-12, Fall/Winter 1989/90.
FULL-TEXT

Sows and their piglets on the Peterson farm have been shifted from an intensive system to the comfortable, straw-bedded pens required to qualify for AWI approval. The pigs are released outdoors in good weather, and farrowing crates have been removed. This pilot project has been undertaken under AWI auspices in an effort to enlist market sources in favor of a comfortable life for animals raised for meat. In consultation with experienced farmers and veterinarians, AWI prepared guidelines for family farms who wish to market meat under the Pastureland Farms label.

Kleinschmit, M. and Kilde, R.S. Letting Pigs Be Pigs: Building a Better Hog Operation. Center for Rural Affairs//North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability, Lincoln, NE, 2002.
FULL-TEXT

"Dwight Ault moves from a conventional confinement hog operation to using hoop structures for finishing hogs. The change significantly reduces animal stress, improves working conditions and increases profit for this southeastern Minnesota farm."

 

Maulsby, D.D. Humane hogs: Iowa pork producers focus on animal welfare. The New Farm (Web Site). Rodale Institute, 2003.
FULL-TEXT

"The Wilson brothers and their families believe in the benefits of pasture farrowing and using deep-bedded Swedish systems for raising hogs. The Wilsons pigs have plenty of room to run, root in their straw bedding and explore their surroundings... All of the Wilsons swine buildings, including a large greenhouse structure used for winter farrowing, give pigs room to move freely, build nests and root in bedding... The Wilsons facilities meet the Animal Welfare Institutes (AWI) Humane On-Farm Husbandry Criteria for Pigs."

 

Pasture production systems. On-farm experience: Jim Van Der Pol–Combining pasture and hoop structure production . Tom Frantzen–Pasture farrowing . In: Bergh, P., (ed). Hogs Your Way: Choosing a Hog Production System in the Upper Midwest. Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture; Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture; University of Minnesota Extension Service, St. Paul, MN, pp. 35-49, 2001.

FULL-TEXT

This section first gives an overview of the pasture production system including background, housing, fencing, feed, farrowing, animal health, performance, scale, labor, environmental and social considerations, financial risk, followed by the profiles of two hog farmers successfully using this system: Combining the hoop structure and pasture management, Jim Van Der Pol farrows sows three times annually. "My production numbers are now as good, or better, than when I was operating in confinement," Jim says. Looking back after five years of raising hogs on pasture and in the hoop houses, Jim has fulfilled personal as well as business goals by spending more time outside with his animals, building an operation that can be managed by and support two families, and making good use of wet soil that was difficult to farm with crops.
Tom Franzen farrows his entire sow herd of 80 to 100 sows on pasture strips in the warm season and in huts in heated buildings during the winter. The hoops also are used for finishing. Gestating sows are grazed in permanent pastures during late spring and summer. After harvest, the sows are regularly allowed to glean corn stubble and soybean stubble. In addition to reducing production costs, Tom has improved his profit margin by gaining access to niche markets. "The key to producing in an alternative fashion is learning to market in an alternative fashion as well."

 

The pig page. The New Farm (Web Site). Rodale Institute, 2003.

WEB SITE

A wealth of up-to-date information, news and articles are available on marketing, sustainable production, humane standards, web sites and organizations.

 

Shirley, C. Pig-powered composting: Livestock can help manage manure on your farm. The New Farm; 16(6):53-55, 60, Sept/Oct 1994.
FULL-TEXT

"Joel Salatin has added yet another enterprise to his family's Polyface Farm: hogs that turn his compost. Eight pigs help keep nutrients cycling efficiently on the 550-acre farm by rooting in compost piles of cattle manure, wood chips and hay in early spring. Salatin spreads the piggery-compost about 70 tons worth in '94 on pasture that has been grazed once and just hayed. The finely textured, pig-turned compost has a fresh, earthy smell you wouldn't associate with conventional hog production."

 

Stoyannis, V. The kingdom of the pigs. AWI Quarterly; 50(1):6-7, Winter 2001.
FULL-TEXT

In the Southern Alps of Greece, pigs are still bred free ranging in the forest. The animals feed on roots, acorns, chestnuts, and mushrooms. Their productivity and output are extremely close to the output of improved hogs bred at the industrial farms of the plain. Their health level is remarkable.

 

Swedish deep-straw farrowing system. On-farm experience: Nolan Jungclaus, Swedish deep-straw farrowing . Dwight Ault, Swedish deep-straw and pasture farrowing. In: Bergh, P., (ed). Hogs Your Way: Choosing a Hog Production System in the Upper Midwest. Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture; Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture; University of Minnesota Extension Service, St. Paul, MN, pp. 11-21, 2001.
FULL-TEXT

This section first gives an overview of the Swedish deep-straw farrowing system including background, housing, feed, farrowing, animal health, performance, scale, labor, environmental and social considerations, financial risk, followed by the profiles of two hog farmers successfully using this system. Nolan and Susan Jungclaus have successfully diversified their farm income at relatively low financial risk while getting started in animal husbandry. Nolan's pigs are healthy and have performed well in the Swedish deep-straw farrowing system. He credits this to their low-stress environment, a combination of open pens (allowing for more communication among sows and piglets) and plenty of straw.
As an alternative to replacing his equipment, Dwight Ault decided to experiment with his own version of a Swedish deep-straw system to winter-farrow 60 sows. Dwight's decision to convert to the Swedish deep-straw system for winter farrowing doesn't affect his summer (June and August) pasture farrowing program. As he's done for nearly 40 years, before farrowing Dwight shifts a group of 30 breeding females to temporary paddocks that range in size from four acres to eight acres. Based on two years' experience with the indoor Swedish deep-straw system, Dwight says it is profitable and "fully cost-effective" when compared with his crate confinement history. "The deep-straw system is just as efficient as crates in terms of feed efficiency and rates of gain. My son and I are very optimistic financially." Healthy animals combined with lower fixed costs outweigh the added labor time necessary to check animals and spread straw each day. Likewise, Dwight's 37 years of pasture farrowing experience have taught him that reduced feed costs associated with pasture farrowing can lead to a higher net profit.

 

Wilson, D. and Wilson, C. Experiences with a Swedish deep-bedded swine system. Managing manure in harmony with the environment and society. Proceedings of a conference held Feb. 10-12, 1998 at Ames, Iowa; 1998.
FULL-TEXT

"Colin and I are second generation pasture farrowers. Pasture farrowing is one of the best-kept secrets in the pork industry today. But, as you know, all pasture farrowing has one major problem and that is it is a seasonal system. We had been looking for a low cost system to use in the winter to supplement the pasture system. In the summer of 1996, we built a new deep-bedded, farrowing and nursery building that was designed after one I had seen in Sweden. The first advantage is the atmosphere in the building. There is NO OFFENSIVE SMELL in either the farrowing building or the hoop. Because of the deep bedding management, all of the manure is mixed in with the straw where it starts to compost. The sows and piglets are in a much more natural environment so they are very content and very easy to work with."

Guides and Research Papers

Algers, B. Managing alternative production systems: A European perspective. Swine system options for Iowa: Proceedings of a conference held February 21, 1996 in Ames, Iowa. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, pp. 28-35, 1996.

There was great concern in Sweden among consumers, producers, and others, that animals didn't thrive in intensive systems; and there was also concern among consumers about the use of antibiotics, growth promoters and hormones. So, farmers had to choose methods that work despite banning of growth promoters in the feed, using as little antibiotics as possible, and not using hormones, and methods that also avoid problems such as aggression: i.e. back- and tail biting. To accomplish this, animal scientists and farmers "asked" the pig, how it is functioning, by observing it in semi-natural environments of different kinds, and trying to identify the crucial points. Dr. Bo Algers gives an overview of pig behavior and social dynamics that can be utilized when designing new systems, such as the behavior of sows before farrowing and nest building behavior. He also gives an example of such a system: The deep-bedded system. "The ideas behind it is that sows should always be kept in a social group, yet be able to go away from the group when their nest-building behavior is triggered. Therefore, cubicles are put up on the sides. Because the sow ought to be able to build a nest, straw is provided...."
In conclusion "It is only through knowing how nature works, how it functions, that we can understand and design housing systems that will be good for the animals. And by that I mean so that we don't have to remove parts of the animals, we don't have to use chemicals in any way, and we have animals that are healthy and thriving."

 

Ault, D. et al. Swine Sourcebook: Alternatives for Pork Producers. Alternative Swine Production Systems Program//Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, 1999.

"This publication is a collection of research, demonstration, and popular press articles that focus on alternative systems of pork production. Topics covered include sustainable production, hoop structures, Swedish deep bedding, pasture systems, low antibiotics, and some information on marketing."

AWI staff. AWI's pig husbandry program sets a national standard. AWI Quarterly; 51(3):16, Summer 2002.

FULL-TEXT

"A modest collaboration that began in 1997 between the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and one family farmer has, in 2002, become a national program with nearly 200 farmers adhering to AWI's Humane On-Farm Pig Husbandry Standards (see http://www.awionline.org/farm/standards/pigs.htm). Although the standards were developed to preserve the welfare of pigs, they appeal to an array of organizations with diverse interests. These groups see additional merit in the standards: protecting water quality, revitalizing a culture of traditional sustainable family farms and protecting the effectiveness of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine."

 

Bergh, P. et al. Hogs Your Way: A self guiding decision support system for producers evaluating hog production systems. Managing manure in harmony with the environment and society. Proceedings of a conference held Feb. 10-12, 1998 at Ames, Iowa; 1998.
FULL-TEXT

"A large, diverse team (including farmers, bankers, ag-economists, an ag engineer, a rural sociologist, and state dept. of ag), representing many facets of the hog industry developed a multi-disciplinary set of criteria to evaluate three alternative hog production systems and conventional confinement (liquid manure system). Evaluatory criteria categories included economic, labor, productivity, environment, and marketability, social and animal health. The three alternative systems included in the evaluation included the Swedish Deep Straw Farrowing System (Vastgotmodellen), Pasture Systems for farrowing and finishing, and Hoop Houses utilizing deep straw for finishing and farrowing. The alternative systems were found to be competitive financially for beginning, small and medium sized producers and mitigate many of the environmental concerns caused by conventional confinement buildings utilizing liquid manure. Products will include a video showing the systems and a decision-oriented workbook. The workbook includes descriptions of the systems and an integrated decision support guide to assist new and expanding producers to clarify their vision and goals for their farm and family, and evaluate the systems in light of their values."

Gegner, L. Considerations in Organic Hog Production. ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas), Fayetteville, Ark., July 2001.
FULL-TEXT

This publication focuses on issues of sustainability and animal welfare in organic hog production, based on the principles that: "- The production of organic livestock should involve raising animals on the same farms where most of their feed is grown, and where manure is recycled efficiently and ecologically. - Organic livestock management should be based primarily on reducing and avoiding stress as opposed to treating or compensating for the symptoms of stress.... It is useful to consider the animals' natural behaviors so that the appropriateness of different housing options, herd management schemes, and so forth, can be assessed." The following natural behaviors are described: nesting and farrowing behaviors, rooting, wallowing, foraging. Pastured production systems such as pasture farrowing and pasture finishing are reviewed. "With good management practices, pasture-raised pigs come close to being the easiest system for meeting organic requirements. A pasture grazing system is a seasonal system that can work well in most weather, providing that the producer continually monitors and manages the hogs' comfort and stress levels." Housing considerations including access to outdoors, Swedish deep-straw farrowing systems, and deep-straw hooped shelters are examined. "Group housing systems for pigs need to allow for social behavior and for avoiding unnecessary social stress. Pigs are very social animals and live in family groups in their natural environment." Husbandry practices to reduce stress are outlined. "The USDA organic rule states: 'Animals in an organic livestock operation must be maintained under conditions, which provide for exercise, freedom of movement, and reduction of stress appropriate to the species.' Understanding the behavior of pigs is an excellent means of reducing their stress during handling, moving, weaning, sorting, and when mixing strange pigs together. All of these various stressors have been shown to suppress the functions of the immune system and affect the pig's resistance to infectious diseases."

 

Gegner, L. Hooped shelters for hogs. ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas), Fayetteville, Ark., 2001. 

FULL-TEXT

Hooped shelters have evolved as an alternative hog-finishing and/or gestating sow housing option that family producers should consider. In a typical hooped shelter a concrete pad holds the feeders and usually two heated or energy-free, freezeless waterers. The rest of the shelter is dirt floor with the pigs lying in a deep bedding area of a slowly composting litter of deep organic matter, such as straw, corn stalks, hay, etc. Some of the advantages, disadvantages and expenses of using hooped shelters for finishing hogs or housing gestating sows are discussed. A listing of sources of further information, as well as a list of hoop shelter manufacturers is provided.

 

Gegner, L. Sustainable hog production overview. ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas), Fayetteville, Ark., May 1999.
FULL-TEXT

The pork industry is being concentrated in a few large-scale factory farms. However, sustainable practices on family farms that are dispersed throughout the nation, can compete economically with this situation, if the family farmer has the support of the consumer. In this package ATTRA provides information about sustainable hog production techniques in order to promote the adoption and practice of environmentally sound, sustainable agriculture. Sources of additional information are also provided.

Halverson, M. Management in Swedish deep-bedded swine housing systems: Background and behavioral considerations. Managing manure in harmony with the environment and society. Proceedings of a conference held Feb. 10-12, 1998 at, Iowa; 1998.
FULL-TEXT

This paper describes evolution of and experiences with the Swedish systems. In Sweden, farmer preference caused widespread conversion to deep-bedded group housing for the breeding herd. Swedish farmers still cite its efficiency, aesthetics, friendliness to neighbors and the environment, and its contribution to sow well-being, fitness and health.

 

Halverson, M. Whole-hog housing: Swedish system lowers stress, disease. The New Farm; 16(2):51-54, 62, Feb. 1994.

FULL-TEXT

Swedish farms use models of hog rearing that are based on the natural behavior of pigs. Sows move through the stages of the conception-through-weaning cycle in stable groups. Newly weaned and pregnant sows are kept on deep straw beds in large pens. In the Swedish group nursing systems, sows give birth either in a separate farrowing room containing conventional Swedish farrowing pens, which are large enough for the sow to turn around and interact freely with her piglets, or in wooden cubicles set up temporarily in the group nursing room itself. After the piglets are 10 to 14 days old, or after they start to climb out of the cubicle, the temporary cubicles are removed and all sows and piglets in the group mingle. To work well, group housing and group nursing take a special interest on the part of the farmer in the well-being of pigs, a solid knowledge of their natural behavior, and very good organizational and animal husbandry skills. The Swedish model is a way for large numbers of family hog farmers to raise hogs humanely, ecologically, and profitably.

 

Hoop Structures. Web Site. Iowa State University //Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, IA, 2000.
WEB SITE

This web site provides a wealth of information on hoop structures for hogs including a number of research papers on comparison research, animal performance, economics, manure management, behavior, animal environment and other systems.

 

Honeyman, M. Overview of system options: Economics and production. Swine system options for Iowa: Proceedings of a conference held February 21, 1996 in Ames, Iowa. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, pp. 42-54, 1996.

Options or alternatives are opportunities for pig farming. Alternative systems allow the pig more freedom. They "rely on husbandry and the ability to see what's going on. They rely less on equipment and buildings and more on bedding for the pigs to create their own micro-environment. And they're less capital- and energy-intensive." Mark Honeyman reviews outdoor production, the deep-beeded Swedish systems and hoop structures, remodeling existing structures and open-front systems and gives tips and concludes "You have to be happy at what you're doing."

 

Honeyman, M.S. Sustainable swine production in the U.S. corn belt. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture; 6(2):63-70, 1991.

Since 1950 there is a trend toward fewer but larger hog farms in the corn belt. We need innovative, thoughtful alternatives to prevalent practices in swine production, including alternatives to the corn-soybean meal diet, to intensive confinement systems, and handling of manure as a waste rather than a resource. Use of fibrous feeds and forages, using swine to harvest crops or crop residue, multi-species feeding systems, and use of low trypsin-inhibitor soybeans in swine diets are some examples of sustainable alternatives to the corn-soybean meal diet. With proper management, manure partially completes the nutrient cycle. There are reasonable alternatives to confinement swine production. Some Corn Belt producers successfully farrow and rear swine on pasture during warmer months. Sow farrow on pasture in individual huts. When coupled with intensive management, pasture rearing of swine is a profitable alternative to confinement. An emerging issue in livestock production, including swine, involves the principles of animal behavior and welfare. The challenge of sustainable swine production is to identify and build innovative systems that incorporate the animal's innate behavior. Concerning health, priority should be given to prevention and disease eradication, rather than on disease treatment.

Honeyman, M.S. Västgötmodellen: Sweden's sustainable alternative for swine production. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture; 10(3):129-132, 1995.

"Swedish pig farmers have developed a management-intensive system of pig production that relies on straw, the animals' natural behavior, group housing dynamics, and keen husbandry skills. The system is very efficient, with excellent pig reproduction and growth performance. The housing is simple and versatile. The "Västgötmodellen" prescribes communal housing on deep straw beds. This model enables pigs to perform most of their natural behaviors. It is both pig- and human-friendly, cost-efficient, and environmentally benign. The system was developed in response to public concerns and laws related to subtherapeutic antibiotic use and livestock welfare. The system may have application in the U.S., with some modifications for a more severe continental climate in the Midwest."

Honeyman, M.S. Whole-hog management benefits the whole farm! The New Farm; 12(6):24-26, Sept/Oct. 1990.
FULL-TEXT

Hogs can be raised using practices that are profitable as well as humane and ecologically sound. The key is rethinking management to meet the needs of the whole hog, to the benefit of the whole farm taking five areas into consideration. 1) Feeding: by changing the Corn Belt pig's diet, we can change the face of Corn Belt agriculture and include forage, fibrous feedstuffs and protein-by-products. 2) Housing: Confinement brings many problems. There are healthy alternatives that are just as profitable if not more so, such as open-front housing or pasture farrowing. 3) Manure: With proper management, manure partially completes the nutrient cycle. 4) Health and genetics: More is to be gained from an emphasis on management practices that prevent disease and maintain herd health. 5) Animal behavior and management: Swine production could benefit from studying how to use pigs' natural behavior to advantage. Whole-farm systems with swine will be more sustainable when pigs' behavior, biology an ecology are central to the plan and are not overridden by equipment, drugs or other constraints.

 

Honeyman, M. and Kent, D. Performance of a Swedish deep-bedded feeder pig production system in Iowa. Swine Research Report ASL-1683. Iowa State University Extension, Ames, IA, 1999.
FULL-TEXT

"Operation (2.5 years) of a Swedish deep-bedded feeder pig production system, including nine farrowings is summarized. The system is designed to minimize pig stress and use no subtherapeutic antibiotics in the feed. Breeding and gestation occurred in a hoop building with cornstalk bedding. Conception rates and litter size were excellent. Farrowing occurred in a deep-bedded remodeled building. Sows selected bedded farrowing cubicles. Pre-wean pig mortality, mostly crushing, was high (28%), occurring primarily in the first 3 days. At 2 weeks of age, the cubicles were removed and group lactation occurred. Group lactation worked well with an average pig weaning weight of 23 lb at 36 days of age. At weaning (36 days) sows were removed, and the pigs remained in the farrowing/lactation room for 24 days. Nursery phase pig growth in the deep-bedded nursery was excellent resulting in 55 lb pigs at 60 days of age and 1.22 lb/day average daily weight gain. Overall pig health was excellent with no major clinical diseases confirmed."

Honeyman, M. and Weber, L. Swine System Options for Iowa: Outdoor Pig Production: An Approach That Works. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 1996.
FULL-TEXT

"The public's growing concern about animal welfare calls for innovative approaches and ethical judgment in the ways producers raise pigs. Some Midwest farmers successfully farrow and raise swine on pasture during warmer months in individual, floorless huts.... Modern outdoor rearing offers advantages that make it a competitive alternative to confinement. Pasture farrowing operations not only have lower fixed costs; they also have potentially lower labor costs, suggesting that well-managed pasture farrowing is competitive with confinement operations. Various organizations are encouraging more humane approaches to pork production, including systems in which swine can move about and receive no growth-enhancing or disease-preventing medication. Farrowing in pens or on pasture addresses these concerns." Chapters cover Feeding: (grazing, watering), Manure, Health, Genetics, Housing, Bedding, Fencing, Marketing, Labor, Economics, Social implications.

 

Kennedy, D.W. What Is Pasture Based Swine Management? Arkansas Land & Farm Development Corporation (ALFDC), Brinkley, Arkansas, 1998.
WEB SITE

"Pasture-Based Swine Management (PBSM) is an alternative approach for raising swine outdoors using pasture as a major source of nutrients, particularly for gestating sows. Compared with confinement or indoor systems for raising hogs, the PBSM approach can offer the producer lower initial costs, lower production costs, and a sustainable method for producing pork. Typical designs of pasture-based systems use low-cost portable housing and electric fencing. Because these systems require no expensive buildings and waste handling equipment, farmers can feasibly down-size or expand their operation depending on prevailing market conditions. In addition, the portability of pasture systems should allow farmers to utilize rented land. These systems should be especially appealing to limited-resource and/or beginning farmers." Demonstration farm at: http://www.clt.astate.edu/dkennedy/alfdc.htm

 

Kent, D. Breeding herd management and performance in a Swedish deep-bedded gestation and group lactation demonstration, Armstrong Farm, Iowa State University. Managing manure in harmony with the environment and society. Proceedings of a conference held Feb. 10-12, 1998 at Ames, Iowa; 1998.
FULL-TEXT

"More producers are starting to look at loose-housing and solid bedding systems for their gestating sows. I think the Swedish layouts and features for deep-bedded loose-housing systems hold a lot of promise for Midwestern producers although they demand a different kind of management from intensive confinement, and even from pasture or non-confinement systems. This management style must be tuned to the sows' natural behaviors and how these behaviors play out in a loose but still confined type of housing system."

 

Lay, D., Haussmann, M.F., and Daniels, M.J. Hoop housing for feeder pigs offers a welfare-friendly environment compared to a nonbedded confinement system. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science; 3(1):33-48, 2000.

This project compared the behavior and physiology of pigs in a nonbedded confinement system with those in hoop structures: open-ended quonsets shaped like a half cyclinder, using bedding to keep the pigs dry and allow this bedding to compost beneath the pigs to keep them warm in winter. Two experiments, one in the winter and one in the summer, assessed the welfare of pigs. Pigs raised in confinement performed more aberrant behaviors and less play behavior, had greater plasma cortisol in response to handling, and a greater incidence of injuries that did the pigs raised in hoops. Based on these data, pigs in hoops were considered to have enhanced welfare as compared to pigs raised in confinement.

 

Martin, W. The Alternative Swine Production Systems Program. Web Site. Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA), St. Paul, MN, 1997, 2002.
WEB SITE

"The mission of the Alternative Swine Production Systems Program is to promote the research and development of low-emission and low-energy swine housing such as hoop structures, deep-bedded systems, and outdoor/pasture based systems. The Alternative Swine Production Systems Program seeks to develop relationships among farmers, researchers, and educators to research and promote alternative swine systems that are profitable, environmentally friendly, and help support rural communities in Minnesota."

 

NC SARE Office. Swine Production. Field Notes. NC SARE Quarterly Fact Sheet; Nov. 1998.

Alternative hog production systems, such as hoop houses, deep-bedded systems or pastured hogs offer a variety of benefits: Lower investment; lower energy costs; flexibility and versatility; healthy hogs; pleasant working conditions; less odor; solid, composted manure; possible market premiums. Iowa State University animal scientist Mark Honeyman has been investigating low-cost, management-intensive hog production systems, such as hoop structures, Swedish-style deep-bedded systems, outdoor hogs, and combinations of the three. Some examples of farmers who have adopted those systems are given:

Iowa producer Steve Weis has built three hoop shelters for less than the price of one confinement facility. Deep bedding provides an attractive and warm environment for his hogs.
Nolan Jungclaus established a Swedish-style deep-bedded system on his Minnesota farm in 1995. The Jungclaus hogs can exhibit natural desires to nest and live in family units. This environment produces a happy, healthy pig, free of antibiotics, and provides the Jungclauses with a clean, healthy working environment. Nolan said the system allows him to farm with his children, who are often found romping with piglets.
Tom Frantzen, a northeastern Iowa farmer, farrows groups of sows on strip crops. Pasture farrowing requires simple, portable housing (huts), a watering system, portable electric fencing and feeders. "One of the things I want to dispel is that pasture farrowing is labor intensive," Frantzen said. "There's no manure to haul. As we rotate sows, nature cleans up with less labor." Frantzen has estimated that it costs him only $15 to produce a 40 pound pig. Frantzen has been happy with pig health.

"Alternative systems are pig friendly, people friendly, community friendly and environmentally friendly," says Honeyman. He suggests that mid-sized family farmers and risk-averse, part-time or beginning farmers would fare well in alternative swine production.

 

SARE staff. Profitable Pork: Alternative Strategies for Hog Producers. USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), Washington, DC, 2001.
FULL-TEXT

Farmers who want to successfully produce pork on a small scale can preserve their independence in the face of the consolidating hog industry. This bulletin "showcases examples of alternate ways to raise pork profitably. In designing hog systems that work on their farms -- in deep-straw bedding, in hoop structures and on pasture -- producers have been able to save on fixed costs, find greater flexibility, identify unique marketing channels and enjoy a better quality of life. This bulletin features profiles about successful hog producers as well as the latest research on everything from achieving greater profits to raising better-tasting pork in alternative hog systems." This is an excellent, comprehensive overview of alternative hog farming with many color photos.

 

Swine system options for Iowa 1999: Proceedings of a conference held February 17, 1999, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, 1999.

Most of the options covered "have pigs in fresh air, sunshine, and bedding," such as hoops, outdoor farrowing and deep-bedded Swedish production systems. Marketing networks for natural pork and organic pork are starting. The sessions not only discuss production and environmental management in low-cost swine systems such as hoop structures, but also examine alternative marketing options. The conference started with general sessions giving an overview of swine system options and swine marketing alternatives, followed by discussion sessions, in which small groups of producers discussed practical aspects of alternative systems and marketing, such as getting started with hoop structures; composting hoop structure bedding/manure; marketing and value-added opportunities with alternative swine systems; adapting existing structures to deep-bedded systems; outdoor productions systems, etc.

 

Swine system options for Iowa: Proceedings of a conference held February 21, 1996 in Ames, Iowa. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, 1996.

The group meeting in Ames examined ways to remain competitive in the rapidly changing industry in Iowa. They drew on the experience of Swedish scientists and farmers attending the conference who produce pork under some of the most stringent environmental and animal welfare rules in the world. They looked at changing markets, animal welfare and husbandry, and systems that use outdoor production, deep bedding, and low-cost hooped and remodeled structures. A few talks gave a general overview of the options, and were followed by discussion sessions, in which small groups of producers were assembled into panels, and gave practical tips about the various options.

 

Wechsler, B. Rearing pigs in species-specific family groups. Animal Welfare; 5:255-35, 1996.
FULL-TEXT

"In the Family Pen system piglets and fatteners grow up in species-specific family groups that correspond to the normal social organization of domestic pigs. The feasibility of a technologically improved version of this alternative housing system, originally designed by Alex Stolba, was tested on a commercial farm for two and a half years. Eighty-one litters were born in three family groups within this period. Average cycle length was 170 ± 24 (SD) days, resulting in 2.15 litters per sow per year. All piglets were suckled for at least seven weeks. In 53.8 per cent of the cycles lactational oestrus occurred before the piglets were seven-weeks-old. The litters of sows which did not show lactational oestrus were artificially weaned and returned to the family group as soon as the sow had been served. At the beginning there were problems with piglet health and crushing, but in the last 21 months of the study there was a stable reproductive performance of 19.5 piglets (28-days-old) reared per sow per year (n = 53 litters). Sows that had been raised themselves in the Family Pen System reared 21.4 piglets per year (n = 25 litters). In conclusion, the technologically improved version of the Family Pen System was found to be practicable on a commercial farm."

Marketing

Bowman, G. Pennsylvania Farmers Consider New System for Happy Hogs. Rodale Institute, 2003.
FULL-TEXT

"After meeting with Niman Ranch representatives, and seeing the differences between hog production in the Midwest and Pennsylvania, area farmers have decided to try and develop marketing and production systems suited to the East." A description of the origins of the PIG Alliance, with its unique blend of farmers, restaurant owners, environmentalists, and energy and animal welfare groups can be read in Pig Alliance, Part I at http://www.newfarm.org/features/0802/pig_alliance/index.shtml

 

Exner, R. Niman Ranch sends Iowa pork West. The Practical Farmer; Quarterly Newsletter of Practical Farmers of Iowa; 13/14(4/1):9, Spring 1998.

"For several years Paul and Phyllis Willis, in Cerro Gordo County, have sold pasture-raised pigs at a premium to some of the finest West Coast restaurants. Their pigs are marketed through California rancher Bill Niman, who has spent two decades developing a customer base for sustainably produced beef, pork, and lamb. Meat animals sold through Niman Ranch have received no growth hormones, subtherapeutic antibiotics, or other growth promotants, and they are raised in systems that allow them to move about and interact socially. "

 

Gegner, L. Alternative Marketing of Pork. ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) , Fayetteville, Ark., June 1999.
FULL-TEXT

"This publication explains why sustainable hog producers need to consider alternative marketing of their pork. Sustainable hog producers are creating a product that many consumers can't find in their grocery store, but want to buy. Consumers perceive sustainably raised pork to be healthier to eat and are willing to pay hog producers more for raising pigs in a manner that is humane, helps sustain family farms, and is more environmentally friendly than conventional production methods. Direct marketing and niche markets are some alternative marketing strategies discussed. Legal considerations, trademarks, and processing regulations are explained. Sources of additional information are also provided."

 

Halverson, D. Niman Ranch: AWI Approved: good for the pigs, the family farmer and the community. AWI Quarterly; 38(3):15, Summer 1999.
FULL-TEXT

To encourage more humane conditions for farm animals, the Animal Welfare Institute is supporting the Niman Ranch Company and its network of family hog farmers who follow humane husbandry criteria developed by the Animal Welfare Institute. AWI's criteria require that all animals be allowed to behave naturally. Niman Ranch pigs are raised on pasture or in barns with bedding where they can live in accord with their natures, rooting for food, playing and socializing. AWI's criteria require that the participants in the program be independent family farmers, the farmer must own the animals, depend on the farm for a livelihood and be involved in the day to day physical labor of managing the pigs. This requirement helps to ensure that pigs are raised in mode st numbers, making it easier to know and manage the animals as individuals. Paul Willis, the farmer who inspired AWI's involvement in the program, keeps 200 sows and their offspring on pasture or in barns bedded with straw on his Midwest farm. Niman Ranch, which buys the pigs and markets the meat, also forbids feeding or otherwise administering hormones or antibiotics and prohibits the feeding of animal by-products. Niman Ranch pays a premium price to such farmers, and develops consumer markets, such as restaurants, Trader Joe's stores, Whole Foods, etc. The program gives a growing number of consumers an opportunity to reject meat derived from pigs raised in animal factories and assists in the preservation of humane family farms.

 

Frantzen, T. Footprints of a grass farmer: We begin to develop real community. Practical Farmers of Iowa Newsletter; 14(4):36-37, Winter 2000.
FULL-TEXT

"In February of 1998 I was asked to provide some market hogs to the Niman Ranch Pork Company. Later that spring I took Paul Willis, who manages this company, on a tour of local hog farmers who live near Alta Vista. Soon the demand for non-confinement hogs grew to the level where six local farmers were sending hogs to Niman Ranch. We could see the advantages of cooperation among us when it was time to ship. We put our group together as a cooperative, developed bylaws and formally organized in January of 1999. We selected the name F.R.E.S.H. AIR PORK CIRCLE. The FRESH is an acronym for Family Raised Environmentally Sound Hogs. We are making progress in developing true economic community. The most significant impact is in the transportation logistics. I cannot get my hogs to market unless you stay in business and need to get your hogs to the same place. The dependence goes well beyond just shipping. We meet to share production ideas and to solve problems.What we are experiencing here is a totally different trend than the existing movement within the pork industry. The drive to industrialize and concentrate swine production has eliminated thousands of independent producers and fragmented rural communities. Our alternative marketing has opened new doors for business growth, stabilized the economy and opened our eyes to how much we really do need each other. I like this path much better!"

Niman, B. Niman Ranch. Web site, 1999.
WEB SITE

Niman Ranch has "developed a network of sustainable family farms owned by ranchers known personally to Bill Niman, who raise their animals, by agreement, free-range on grass and natural feeds, without steroids, subtherapeutic antibiotics, or other artificial growth promotants, and who treat their animals with dignity and respect." Niman Ranch has been providing premium quality meats to the finest San Francisco Bay Area restaurants for 20 years. The web site gives a list of retail outlets, grocery stores, some farmers' markets and Whole Foods, etc. where the meat can be bought, and restaurants all over the US where the meat is served.

 

SARE staff. North Carolina Hog Producers Gain Hoof-Hold by Raising Pigs on Pasture . USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), Washington, DC, 2002.
FULL-TEXT

"At a time when most of North Carolina's hog industry is corporate-run, a group of independent-minded producers is experimenting with raising small herds of hogs outside. The farmers are gambling that pasture-based pork systems, gaining in credibility and acceptance, will bring them a slice of the marketplace and, perhaps more important, a satisfying livelihood.... Talbott is researching pasture-based systems rotations of pigs and organic vegetables in dry lots and in forest settings as part of a SARE grant, and has reached out to small producers... Hog farmers in the NC A & T project can choose their markets, but all of the participating farmers have the opportunity to sign contracts with Niman Ranch, a high-end retailer, or pursue other direct-marketing channels locally. The Iowa-based Niman Ranch buys pork from small-scale producers who adhere to a strict code of animal husbandry, including raising hogs on pastures or in deep bedding."

 

Unterman, P. This Little Piggy... San Francisco Examiner; June 27, 1999.
FULL-TEXT

In a pasture on his farm, Paul Willis from Iowa raises pigs according to a strict protocol devised by the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C. Willis raises his animals free-range or in barns with deep straw bedding so that they can live in accord with their natures, rooting for food, playing and socializing. Five other pig farms also follow the same husbandry protocol. In January 1999 Niman Ranch, a California marketing company, set up an Iowa company, partially funded by an Iowa Department of Economic Development loan, that will be a 50-50 partnership between Niman and the Iowa producers. Pork raised by these farmers and distributed under the Niman Ranch label can be bought at all San Francisco Bay Area Whole Foods Markets, various other groceries and retail outlets around the Bay area, Trader Joe's, farmers' markets, and restaurants.

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POULTRY

CATTLE

SMALL RUMINANTS

DIVERSIFIED, SUSTAINABLE, LIVESTOCK FARMING

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*Pictures by Astrid Lindgren (AWI Quarterly 48 (2) 1999, p. 7)

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