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Northwest Missouri | I have 75 sows Farrow to finish, mostly outside. I have hoop buildings but having them 100% outside wouldn't be much more work, just take more land. If hogs was all I did I could handle 150 sows on my own.
There an operation near me that had 800 sows all outside before corn got high in 2012 think they have bout half that now. They ring all the pigs, and rotate fields. Hogs one year corn the next. They grind all their own feed and have about 5 guys but they farm and have cattle too. They are antibiotic free, those pigs are on their own. Went by today and saw 50 sows with pigs farrowed in wood huts in the middle of January. No heat, don't lock them up or anything. Guy told me years ago if a sow doesn't wean 5 then he usually gets rid of her. IDK how they do it. Groups of 500 pigs all over the place.
I imagine things would look like that. Pork would be a lot higher. Sow herd would have to increase by bout 30% to produce the same we do now. Take a lot more corn. | |
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Abstract: What if there were no Hog Confinements?
