1. Pastured Pigs

2. Animal Welfare Approved

3.  We are the only animal welfare label that
requires animals to be raised on pasture or
range.
 Our label is USDA approved.
 Program endorsed by WSPA as the most
stringent of all third-party certifiers.
 We are a free program and have no financial
incentive to certify farms that don’t meet the
standards.
Why Animal Welfare
Approved?

4.  Farmers provided technical and marketing
support.
 Grant program for farms and slaughter plants.
 FSIS and USDA labeling support.
 Standards are practical and science based.
 Program is transparent. How the program
operates and it standards are on the website
and accessible to both farmers and consumers.
What are the benefits?

5.  Farms and Slaughter plants in the program are
audited and reviewed annually.
 The seal lets consumers know that the animals
are being raised and slaughtered to the highest
welfare standards.
 We are a confidential program. We do not
share audits or reviews without the consent of
the farm or plant. Farms or Plants that do not
meet the standards are allowed to do so thru
Corrective Action Plans.
The bottom line.

6.  Visit the website at
www.animalwelfareapproved.org.
 Read the standards for the species you would
like to certify along with program information.
 Contact us if you have any questions.
 Click on the farms apply tab and fill out and
submit form.
 We look forward to working with you and your
farm .
How to Apply?

7.  What are your markets and Opportunities?
 How much land will it take?
 What type of infrastructure will I need?
 What types of feeding plan and pastures work
best?
 What breeds work best for a pasture operation?
 How do I set up a production system?
Are you ready to set up
your farm?

8.  Will the farm be direct marketing meat or
animals?
 What level of production does farmer feel
confident that they can sale?
 How will product be sold? Farmers markets?
Meat CSA? Restaurants?
 Are markets available that will buy excess meat
or animals?
 Will market allow for seasonable production or
require year round supply?
What are my markets?

9.  If the farm is joining a marketing group or
Coop. What level of production are you and the
group or Coop comfortable with?
 Are any contracts involved and what are the
requirements for membership?
 How is the price for animals or product
determined?
 What are farms alternatives if group or coop
cannot market all of farms production?
What are my markets?

10.  Land required for pigs is going to vary by
region of country and soil type and rainfall &
snowfall amounts.
 General Guidelines:
 6-10 Gestation Sows or guilt's per acre.
 5-10 Lactating sows and litters per acre. Weaning
by 8 weeks of age.
 15-50 Growing and Finishing pigs acre.
 Overall a general guideline is to have one acre
available for each productive sow in the herd to
allow for rotation of pastures.
How much land?

11. { Portable
{ Fixed
Infrastructure?

12.  Most farms want to put in fixed infrastructure
when starting up.
 Portable shelters, huts and fencing works better
with rotational systems.
 Portable systems gives farms more flexibility on
how land and pastures can be used.
 Fixed systems can limit access to pastures and
makes rotation more difficult.
Portable or Fixed?

13.  Allows for maximum
use of pastures.
Can easily be moved
{

and disinfected.
 Allow the farm to have
greater flexibility in
setting up production
system.
Portable Equipment

14.  More control over
animals.
 Harder to sanitize and
{
greater chance of
parasite build up.
 Less flexible.
 Harder to make use of
all pastures and
rotation.
Fixed Equipment

15. { Portable
{ Fixed
Fencing

16.  Woven wire fences can make good perimeter
fences especially in high traffic areas.
 Cost can be an issue.
 Woven wire fences are not very portable.
 Pasture rotation along with cropping is harder
to achieve with fixed fencing.
 Terrain can make installation difficult.
Fixed Fencing

17.  Cost is not as great as fixed fencing.
 Lends itself to pasture rotation and cropping.
 Requires more management than fixed fencing
to keep in optimal working order.
 One or two strand electric fences will keep pigs
in well if combined with a New Zealand style
fencer.
 Key is to fence break pigs early and not allow
them to ever get used to running under fence.
Portable fencing

18.  http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/reports/99swinerep
orts/asl-1680.pdf is a link to a paper from Iowa
State that looked at different hut designs and
mortality.
 Hut design makes a big difference in piglet
mortality.
Huts

19.  English Style huts along with different versions
of modified A-frames work best.
 A-frame and Quonset style huts had the worst
performance.
 In the U.S.A. Quonset and A-frame huts are the
most available yet the least effective.
 A farm will most likely have to build their own
huts if they want English or modified A-frames.
Huts

20. { English Arc
{ Modified A
Huts

21. { A-Frame
{ Quonset
Huts

22. { Hoops
{ Quonset
Shelters

23. { Carports
{ Tents
Shelters

24.  How much of pigs feed needs can come from
pasture?
 Depends on age of pigs and stage they are in.
 Gestating sows can utilize pastures best. Can get
50% to 80% of needs on the right type pastures
under certain conditions.
 Lactating sows because of the demands of litter
cannot utilize as well.
 Finishing pigs would be in the 5 to 10% range at
best as a rule of thumb.
Feeding and Pastures

25.  Farm needs a good feed base.
 Corn and soybean meal
 Grain Sorghum (Milo) and soybean meal
 Barley, Wheat or Triticale and soybean meal
 Oats at appropriate rate depending on ration.
 All of the above would need the appropriate
vitamin and minerals included in mix.
 Distillers grain and other products could be
included at rates that would not cause issues for
class of pigs.
Feeding and Pastures

26.  What about peanuts, sweet potatoes, snap
beans, cucumbers, potatoes and other by
products.
 These feeds are okay as supplements but farm
should not depend on these sources as main
feeding plan.
 Peanuts and other products high in oil can cause
soft pork if overfeed.
 Many by products have minimal feed value.
Feeding and Pastures

27.  Pastures should be viewed as a supplement to
your main feeding plan.
 The quality of pasture will depend on soil
condition, rainfall and temperatures during
any growing season.
 Pastures will play a role in nutrient
management as well as being feed source.
 Most classes of pigs will denude pasture s at
some point during the year.
 Rotation should be part of pasture plan.
Pastures

28.  Most pasture systems are Perennial based.
 Perennials work well with ruminants.
 Because little supplemental feed is needed with
ruminants very little extra nutrients are added
to the land.
 Pastures can last for a long period of time in
ruminant based systems making perennials a
good choice.
 Perennials do not work as well for pigs.
Pastures

29.  The majority of pigs nutritional needs are meet
with feed not grown on pasture pigs are
grazing.
 Pigs have a natural tendency to denude
pastures.
 Nutrient loads can increase greatly on land that
is not rotated and cropped or hayed because of
all of the added nutrients.
 Land needs to be rotated and cropped or hayed
to remove these nutrients.
 Annuals work well for this.
Pastures

30.  What breeds work best for pasture system.
 All breeds of pigs can be utilized in a pasture
system if appropriate breeding plan is in place.
 Over large litters should be avoided. Many of
the breeds that have large litters are also
excellent mothers. Litter size can be addressed
by crossing breeds while keeping the desired
mothering trait.
 White breeds can have issues with sunburn.
Crosses can address this issue.
Breeds?

31.  Do pasture breeds need to be heritage breeds?
 Depends on farms market and philosophy.
 Who defines Heritage? In can be argued that all
breeds of pigs have heritage lines.
 Heritage or rare breed are generally hardy.
 Trade off is litter size is generally significantly
smaller and feed conversion is usually poor.
 Farm needs to be sure market will offset these
issues.
Breeds?

32.  Seasonal or year round?
 Natural or AI?
 1940’s style systems or modern outdoor
production practices?
Production systems

33.  Huts and shelters
 Port a Hut http://www.port-a-hut.com/
 Smidley http://smidley.com/
 Website of different types of equipment
 Booth Pig Equipment
http://www.pigequipment.co.uk/
 J Harvey Engineering LTD.
http://jharveyeng.co.uk/
 Osbourne
http://www.osbornelivestockequipment.com/
Resources

34.  Sioux Steel Company
http://www.siouxsteel.com/
 Radial Production system at Sheepdrove
Organic Farm
http://orgprints.org/10286/1/radial_pig_system
_sept_2003.pdf
Resources