Comfort and convenience are two important priorities at Bible Pork, a 7,000 plus sow operation in central Illinois. Both for the

			Matt Bible says user-friendly equipment is important at his 7,000 plus sow unit in Louisville, IL.

pigs and the people taking care of them. Matt Bible, who owns the business with his wife, Jan, and parents, Jerry and Carolyn, says that sow comfort is critical in achieving low pre-weaning pig mortality and the targeted weaning weight of 11 pounds at 14 to 16 days of age. Bible Pork produces pigs solely for the Carlyle, IL-based Maschhoff Pork. Maschhoff provides gilts, feed and supplies and Bible Pork provides labor, buildings and equipment.

In addition to sow comfort, Matt says the more he and production manager Kevin Van Dyke can do to make tasks hassle-free for the 25 employees working in Bible Pork’s three gestation/farrowing sites, the more smoothly the operation runs and the better the sows perform. “We try to make the workplace as enjoyable as possible,” Matt says. Keeping facilities clean, maintaining good ventilation and lighting and providing modern office/break areas all help buoy employee spirits and contribute to the operation’s overall efficiency.

So does user-friendly equipment.
For example, during a recent addition of six farrowing rooms, Matt specified that new Farmweld Swinging Rump Guards be mounted on the 180 new Farmweld farrowing crates. The rump guard is a small set of swinging gates that keep the sow in place when the main rear gate is open. The guard, or bumper, provides workers with good access to the crate and yet protection from the sow.

Added Protection Important

			Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd. consultants Dr. Sarah Probst (L) and Dr. Jim Lowe (seated right) discuss sow care with Matt Bible (standing center) and employees at Bible Pork.

"We have a lot of women working in the farrowing rooms," Matt says. "If you didn’t have the bumper, the sow could back up and easily pin a 120 to 140 pound person. That just wouldn’t feel very good," he speculates. With the Swinging Rump Guard, Matt and Kevin agree workers are more enthusiastic about performing tasks like scraping manure from behind sows – which is done twice per day. "With the bumper, people are just more willing to do the job," Matt says.

The rump guard is also helpful during farrowing when a sow needs assistance. Either gate can be opened, depending on how the sow is situated in the crate. The person providing assistance can easily reach the sow’s hindquarters without worry of the sow heaving herself backwards. The Swinging Rump Guard is simple to operate and locks in place. "There are no loose pins or clips and no extra rods, which makes it very user-friendly," says Dr. James Lowe, Bible Pork’s consulting veterinarian, who visits the operation every other month to advise Matt and Kevin and their three site teams on production and health management.

The Farmweld crate is also very low maintenance – another feature appreciated at Bible Pork. "With this crate, there are only two bolts on top and two on the bottom at each end," Matt explains. "On other crates we’ve used there are a lot of bolts which means more bolts for the sow to play with. Consequently, you are constantly replacing and looking for new ones," he says. In contrast, the Farmweld crate’s solid rod design is, "simple, sturdy and durable," he says. And the stainless steel dividers are a plus, too. "The stainless cleans up nice, with no staining and the swinging sides allow us more maneuverability," Matt says.

Comfortable Sows, Fewer Pre-Wean Deaths

			Farmweld's new farrowing crates are designed for sow and pig comfort and user-friendliness

The sows do seem content at Bible Pork. Seven feet in length, crates are adjustable in width from 20" (508 mm) to 23" (585 mm) to accommodate even the largest sows. "If a sow is in a nice comfortable spot for the 14 to 18 days she’s in the farrowing crate, she’ll tend to lay there and let the pigs suck," says Matt. "Sow comfort should help promote low pre-weaning mortality rates." Pre-weaning mortality rates at Bible Pork run around eight to nine percent over all three farms with one site consistently achieving five percent. When a sow lies down, Pig Saver Flip Bars require her to ease herself to the floor and provide pigs a chance to move away before the sow touches down.

Flooring is a combination of high quality plastic to provide warmth for the pigs, with a cool surface in the center for the sow. Some crates have woven wire and some have cast iron. Cast iron has advantages over wire, especially in durability, according to veterinarian Lowe. "Cast iron will last three times as long as wire," he says. For more about cast iron flooring, click here.

Sows are fed twice per day using a Farmweld sow feeder. The feeder is designed with a wide, deep trough for maximum sow comfort. The feeder is attached to the head gate with an innovative rectangular shaped latch pin that slides upward to release the feeder. "The latch holds the feeder in place so the sow can’t get it out, yet it is easy to release the feeder for cleaning," says Dr. Lowe.

Future Labor Savings
Bible Pork recently completed another new farrowing barn, which includes 210 Farmweld crates. Matt and Kevin are also considering an additional people-friendly component for future facilities – Farmweld LaborSaver self-feeders. The LaborSaver allows a sow to eat whenever she is hungry by working an agitator with her nose to let a small amount of feed flow into the trough. Up to forty pounds (18.2 kg) of feed can be placed in the hopper. Matt says he thinks the LaborSaver could be a good management tool, especially on a very large farm where lots of labor is needed.

"It should allow employees to spend more time with pigs and less time running a feed cart down the aisle," projects Matt, adding that the device may also provide built-in assurance that sows are getting plenty of feed during weekends and other periods when managers aren’t on site.

Tools, such as the Farmweld LaborSaver and the Farmweld Farrowing Crate, with the new Swinging Rump Guard, allow producers and employees to concentrate more intensely on sow and pig care. That will yield positive performance results.

	Click here for to learn about Farmweld's new sow products
	Click here to seen the outtake photographs from this article
	Click here for more information about Farmweld Farrowing Crates.
	Click here to read the Fall 2001 Progressive Pork article titled "Good Working Relationships Key at Bible Pork"