Flooring Makes the Nursery

Wayne Dahl, Dawson, MN, installed Farmweld Nursery Feeders in his new 4,000-head nursery. He says Farmweld’s quality construction and the standard heavy-gauge stainless steel used in the feeders mean they will last for many years. The feeders are also user-friendly. “I like the flip-up feature, and the feeders are very easy to adjust,” Dahl says. Here he is shown with his wife, Laura.

Wayne Dahl believes the most important element of any hog building – especially a nursery – is the flooring. What is underneath his pigs has a huge impact on their comfort, the pen cleanliness and how well the barn performs over time, he says. Flooring also has an impact on the overall work environment for people.

Dahl and his wife, Laura, opted for the Farmweld Flooring System when they put up a new 80 x 200 ft., 4,400-head nursery at their Dawson, MN, farm in early 2007. Dahl admits making his decision on looring wasn’t easy because he saw plenty of other, cheaper panels. However, he was impressed with the appearance and quality of the Farmweld panel. The panels are molded from bright orange, high-quality polypropylene without recycled plastic or added fillers like fiberglass. “They are very strong,” says Dahl.

Sold on the durability
Dahl says he was even more convinced of the durability of the Farmweld orange panels when Sales Representative Julie Habing explained how Farmweld tests them. “We use a hydraulic jack to force 1,500 pounds of pressure on 16 square inches of flooring,” says Habing. “The panel just bounces right back!”

Even before pigs entered his new barn, Dahl saw the quality of the Farmweld product at work. The barn was built after the looring had been installed, which is not unusual in new construction. “Things happen during construction – things like 2 x 4s or heavy steel gates get dropped,” says Dahl. “I expected to have to go around and replace a piece of looring here and there, but not one piece broke – there wasn’t any damage.

“Right away, I felt good about my decision, and I am expecting that flooring to last a long time,” comments Dahl, who is a contract nursery producer and finisher for Mill Farms, Marshall, MN. His brother, David, also owns several finishers as well and receives feeder pigs from the nursery.

The textured surface and slot design of Farmweld’s panels contribute to rapid transfer of waste into the pit. “Pigs can lie anywhere in the pens because they stay so clean,” Dahl says. And because there is good traction, pigs have no trouble moving across the floor.

Nice work environment
The bright orange floor creates a good work place for people, too. Laura recently left a job at the local hospital to oversee day-to-day management of pigs in the new nursery. Having a nice work environment is a plus, Wayne Dahl says. Not only is the flooring easy to walk on, it is also quiet in the barn, and the orange color is “soothing” to look at. “There is something about the orange flooring that adds to the atmosphere of that building,” Dahl says.