Tag Archives: IL Farm Families

A Visit to the Gould Family Farm

10 Thursday Apr 2014

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At the end of March, I had the opportunity to visit the Gould Family hog farm. I’m part of the Illinois Field Mom program through IL Farm Families, which takes suburban moms like me out of the city and into the country to talk to real farmers.

The Gould farm is family owned. The hog operation is a “farrow to wean” which means that the Goulds specialize in artificial insemination, gestation (pregnancy) and farrowing (birthing). The piglets stay on the Goulds’ farm until they are weaned, and then they are transported to a nursery on another farm. They retain ownership of the pigs until they are sold to Hormel and used as pork.

Gould Farm also grows corn, soybeans and wheat. The manure collected from the pigs is used as fertilizer in the fields. The corn and soybeans are then used to feed the hogs. Our visit focused primarily on the hog side of the farm.  As I show you some pictures from my visit, I’m going to imagine some questions you might ask if you were looking over my shoulder.

holding piglet

This little piglet is only two days old.

Why are you wearing gloves, a hair net and coveralls?

What you can’t see in the picture is that I’m also wearing plastic boots over my shoes, and I walked through disinfectant before I entered the hog barn! It’s all part of biosecurity precautions that most hog farms use to prevent the spread of disease between herds. Piglets, just like newborn babies, are more susceptible to diseases. Right now, farmers are being cautious because of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). This virus can sweep through a farm and devastate the herd.

These precautions are not just for visitors. Farm Mom Kate Hagenbuch showers every time she enters her pig barns, and then changes into clean clothes that are kept inside the barn. When new female pigs (gilts) are brought to the farm, they are quarantined for two weeks before joining the rest of the herd.

nursing piglets

Why is the mother pig separated from her babies with those metal bars?

At this point in the sow’s life, she is in a farrowing room. There are a few reasons for those bars. The mother pig is able to stand, sit, and lie down to nurse her piglets, and the likelihood that she will accidentally lie down on one of her babies, crushing it, is greatly reduced. Sadly, it still happens occasionally. The piglets are free to move around the mother. The sow has access to her own food and water 24 hours a day, and her health is individually monitored. This arrangement also allows mothers who have a small litter to have piglets placed with her from a larger litter. If a sow has up to 20 piglets, that mother might not have enough milk for all the piglets. An average sized litter, or parity, is about 13 piglets.

piglets (2)

What about the lack of exercise? How does that affect the health of the sow?

The Goulds have been hog farmers for a long time, and their pigs weren’t always kept in this way. They have observed hog behavior for many years. Domestic pigs are not very active to begin with, and in a larger pen, the mother pig would probably lie down in the same spot until it was feeding time. Pigs form hierarchical societies, and at feeding time, the senior sows would fight with lesser pigs if they were together in the same pen. Farrowing stalls help protect sows from more aggressive members of the herd. More information about individual housing versus group housing is available at PorkCares.

two piglets

The piglets are so cute! Didn’t you just want to take one home with you?

I did! The piglet I held was so sweet! However, there is a reason 48 pigs were used in the filming of the movie Babe. Baby pigs grow fast! At the age of three weeks, they are weaned and sent to a nursery at another farm. In just six months, they are about 270 pounds and are ready to be sold to market. These little piglets are specially bred to be long and lean and provide a consistent pork product for consumers.

sow and piglets

These are just some of the things I learned during my farm visit with the Field Moms. If you have other questions, please ask in the comments below and I’ll answer the best I can, or connect you with someone who can answer your question. Many thanks to the Gould family for hosting us on their farm, to Farm Moms Kate Hagenbuch and Pam Jansson for answering all our questions, and to Illinois Farm Families and the IL Pork Producers Association for providing this opportunity!

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P.S. I participate as an IL Field Mom under my real name, Christa Grabske. Thank you for following along!

Why I’m an Illinois Field Mom

28 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in family, food

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Just over a year ago, Mayor Crazyville approached me at a MOPS meeting. (Back then, I knew her by her real name, Sharon.) She asked me if I would be interested in becoming an Illinois Field Mom, and was surprised when I said “YES!” without hesitation! The Illinois Field Mom program through IL Farm Families takes suburban moms like me out of the city and into the country to talk to real farmers.

This past year as a Field Mom has been such a great experience. Here are just a few reasons why.

1. I’ve been able to visit my farming roots.

My dad worked on the farm when he was young. He worked in the fields and cleaned chicken coops. He drove a John Deere tractor. While I didn’t grow up on a farm, I grew up in a small town of about 800 people. I ate fresh, local produce in the summer and canned or frozen produce in the winter, made by my mom.

2. Technology has changed farming for the better.

A lot has changed since my dad drove a John Deere back in the 50’s. Farmers now use GPS, mapping systems and soil testing to give their fields exactly what is needed. This technology helps give the farmer higher yields and also helps the farmer to be environmentally friendly. Read what I learned about applying fertilizer here: Fascinated with Fertilizer.

https://lemondroppie.com

Learning about how farmers use GPS in their combines.

3. I don’t have to be afraid of GMOs.

Before I became a Field Mom, I wasn’t even sure what GMOs were. GMO corn (field corn, not sweet corn) is pest resistant, which means the farmer doesn’t need to apply as many pesticides. It’s highly unlikely that you would find GMOs in your local grocery store produce section. For more about which genetically modified seeds our farmers are planting, read this article: GMO 101: The View from Our Farm.

4. I can feed my family healthy foods on a tight budget.

When I left my job to become a stay-at-home mom, my husband and I knew that we would have to live on a tight budget. This means I can’t always afford to buy organic foods. I have learned that freshness matters (which is why I believe in buying local produce when possible), and that conventionally raised produce is just as nutritious as organic produce.

I also used to worry about hormones and antibiotics being used in meat. Through the Field Mom program, I’ve learned that Federal law prohibits hormones from being used in pork and poultry, and the hormones used in beef are much less than the hormones you eat in a baked potato. Only animal who are sick are treated with antibiotics, and they are removed from the herd population until they are well. They are not allowed to be sold as meat until the antibiotics have been cleared from their systems. Read more here: Let’s Talk About Hormones in Meat.

combine

After my ride in a combine harvesting field corn

5. Farmers genuinely care for their livestock.

My visit to a cattle farm convinced me! Throughout the visit, it was obvious that the Martz family cared for their livestock. They are continuously improving their cattle barns to make life better for their cattle. They have started using moveable curtains as opposed to wooden slats on the sides of the barns, and rubber floors as opposed to concrete. Although the cattle are with them for a short time, they want their cattle to be content.

6. Most Illinois farms are still family owned.

Just like you, I’ve heard about “factory farms” and big farming corporations. In Illinois, over 94% of the farms are still family owned. I have been privileged to meet some of these farmers through the Field Mom program. Conventional farmers and organic farmers; farmers’ wives and farm journalists; cattle farmers and grain farmers; I’ve been able to talk with all these people and ask them my questions through this Illinois Farm Families program! You can “meet the farmers” as well on the Illinois Farm Family website, Watch Us Grow.

This Saturday, I’ll be visiting a hog farm. I’m looking forward to learning more about how pigs are born and raised in Illinois to become part of our food chain. Next week, I’ll show you what I’ve learned.

Is there anything you would like to know about farming in our country today? I’ll try to find an answer for you from the people who can answer the best! Thank you for tagging along on my journey as an Illinois Field Mom.

 

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