Rick and Jan Anderson have recently built a 4,000-head nursery with "people-friendly" Farmweld cups, feeders, flooring and gating.

In a broad view, Jan and Rick Anderson’s Circle A Farm reminds one of the diversified farms from decades earlier. A picturesque red barn stands nearby as the couple explains their St. Charles, MN, operation with crops, cattle and hogs. But when you zoom in, you realize that Jan and Rick represent the very latest trends in swine production. In 1994, they sold their sows. In 1996, they built a 6,000-head nursery and contracted to handle starter pigs for a Minnesota-based producer. Just last fall, they completed a second, state-of-the-art, 4,000-head nursery that they call "Windmill Pork."

The new facility is vastly different than the first one. "We had a lot of trouble with the first nursery and we wanted to change a few things," says Rick. The older nursery was built as a "turn-key" building and, at the time, the Andersons were content to accept internal systems that were part of the builder’s package. After problems such as iron beams that rusted and fell apart into the pit, drinkers that "had a tremendous amount of water waste" and a host of "little electrical snafus" in the ventilation system, the Andersons reversed their thinking when they started planning their second nursery.

Seeking the Latest Technology

"Our goal was not to build the cheapest building," says Rick. "It was to include the latest technology the industry had to offer." The Andersons scoured trade shows, spoke with other producers and consulted veterinarians Dr. Paul Yeske and Dr. Tim Loula of the Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, MN. Rick and Jan concluded they would not be satisfied without installing Farmweld equipment in the new building.

Rick says he remembers being immediately impressed when he spotted Farmweld’s Flip-to-Clean System at the 2001 Minnesota Pork Congress. Rick figured the simple idea would eliminate much of the hassle in cleaning. "Tipping feeders over by hand to wash them is a pain," acknowledges Rick. "I could see this would greatly speed cleaning."

After speaking with Farmweld reps at the Minnesota show, Rick drew up a rough sketch of his layout ideas. Farmweld then put the Andersons in touch with Mike Jewison, a Janesville, MN, producer-turned-builder who distributes Farmweld equipment. "From the beginning, it was obvious that Mike’s intent was to do a high quality job," says Rick. Jewison’s firm, Equipment Outlet, erected the 76’ x 184’ (23.2M x 56.1M) panel-style building and oversaw installation of all of the equipment.

Cups Save Water, Draw Pigs

When Frank Brummer, owner and president of Farmweld, reviewed the Andersons’ plans, he suggested that they install larger wean-to-finish cups instead of nursery cups because he had observed repeatedly how easy it was for young pigs to get started on the big cups.

			Dr. Paul Yeske

Dr. Yeske agrees the cups are advantageous in the nursery. "The pigs are getting easier access to water with the cups," says Dr. Yeske. "It may make startup a little easier, especially for those pigs that may have trouble finding water from the nipple. We know that if they start drinking right away, it helps them start eating."

Rick says pigs were wasting too much water with the conventional nipple drinkers in the older nursery. Twice a year the Andersons hire a custom hauler to transport waste to their farm fields. "You’ve got to haul every gallon (of waste) whether it’s water or effluent," says Rick. With the new cups, Rick expects to cut his hauling costs by about 50 percent.

Easy To See What’s Happening With Orange Floor

When it came to flooring for the new nursery, the Andersons looked at six to eight different brands of plastic panels. They selected the Farmweld Flooring System because it appeared to be the best quality plastic and because of the bright orange color. Their older nursery has black plastic flooring.

"When you are on black flooring it is hard to see everything," says Jan. "With the orange flooring, you can see every pig, even from the back alley." Jan admits she originally balked at the orange flooring because she thought it might be too bright to work around everyday. But now she loves it.

Washing is also easier. "Black flooring may completely fool you," says Jan. "When it is still wet, it might look like you’ve gotten everything clean but then it dries and you can see the next day that you missed some things." Missed spots stand out immediately on the orange flooring whether the floor is wet or dry. The panels are also easy to clean because of the smoothness of the plastic and the design, which doesn’t have many seams or areas where soil can get trapped.

"Nobody enjoys power washing so the easier it is the better," adds Rick, who says it takes about 25-30 percent less time to clean the new flooring.

Feeders Offer Easy Cleaning, Accurate Adjustment

			Here Rick Anderson demonstrates how the Farmweld Flip-to-Clean System allows a nursery to be cleaned-in-place.

Rick says the Farmweld Challenger Feeders with Flip-to-Clean appeal to the Andersons’ employees. "If you can make something more people-friendly, that’s a real benefit," says Rick.

Rick and Jan are also impressed with the accuracy of the Farmweld adjustment system. The crank, along with picture cards that show how the trough of a properly adjusted feeder should look, makes it easy to teach others how to adjust the feeders. "Each crank means something and I can say ‘turn it X number of times,’" says Rick. And even though the Andersons are not paid a bonus for improved feed conversions or performance, those improvements matter to them. "Our goal is to do the very best job we can do," explains Rick.

Dr. Yeske says the Andersons’ desire and dedication are paying off. "They are some of the best nursery production people that we work with," he says. "They are very good and very consistent in their management."

Email addresses for sources in this story:
  Rick Anderson: circlea@quest.net
  Dr. Paul Yeske: pyeske@swinevetcenter.com
  Mike Jewison: jewi81@frontiernet.netrnet.net
  Frank Brummer: frank@farmweld.com