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Alternatives to Intensive Confinement
Systems for Farm Animals:
An Annotated Bibliography
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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
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 PolCombining pasture and hoop structure
production . Tom FrantzenPasture 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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*Pictures by Astrid Lindgren (AWI Quarterly
48 (2) 1999, p. 7)
Compiled by Annie
Reinhardt
Animal Welfare Institute
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