Workshop on Sustainable Options in Producing, Feeding & Marketing Hogs July 16 in Redwood Falls
CONTACT: Amy Bacigalupo, LSP, 320-269-2105 or amyb@landstewardshipproject.org
PHOTO AVAILABLE: For a digital photo of Lee Johnston, Peter Lammers, Jim VanDerPol or Paul Sobocinski, contact Bacigalupo
6/26/08
REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. — A workshop on possible options in producing, feeding and marketing hogs will be held at the Redwood Falls Community Center, Wed., July 16, from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There is no fee for the workshop but a light supper will be served at a cost of $5 per person. Participants should reserve a spot by contacting Amy Bacigalupo at the Land Stewardship Project by calling 320-269-2105 or e-mailing amyb@landstewardshipproject.org.
The afternoon will begin at 3 p.m. with a resource fair that will include agencies and organizations that provide services and resources for sustainable hog farmers. The workshop presentation starts at 4 p.m.
This workshop will not only feature the latest research findings, but will also focus on changes farmers are making in response to the current market crisis and opportunities. Topics to be covered at the workshop include alternatives to corn- and soybean-based feeds given the current high input prices hog farmers face, as well as the economics of natural and organic systems, including low-cost start up strategies.
Presenters will include researchers and local farmers. Information on swine nutrition will be presented by Lee Johnston, a swine scientist from the Swine Production Systems Research Program at the University of Minnesota-Morris and member of the U of M’s Alternative Swine Task Force. Peter Lammers, a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University, will share information about current research on economics in sustainable production systems.
Farmer presenters include Jim VanDerPol and Paul Sobocinski, both of whom serve on the University of Minnesota’s Alternative Swine Task Force.
“There are no silver bullets,” said VanDerPol, a Kerkhoven, Minn., farmer who has several years of experience incorporating forages, small grains and other alternatives into the feeding regimen for his farrow-to-finish operation. “Farmers have to have a long-term vision and be able to maintain a level of flexibility in their farm to stay in business.”
“As the demand for naturally and organically produced pork increases, there is an opportunity for hog farmers who want to tap into a new market,” said Sobocinski, a farmer from Wabasso, Minn., who will share what he has learned about natural production systems as a supplier to Niman Ranch, the natural pork firm.
This workshop is sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project and the USDA's Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency.
