With last year’s improved market conditions, the need to upgrade aging barn infrastructure and the added push from the Canadian code of practice for pigs, many producers are considering converting their existing stall barns to group gestation housing. With increasing market demands for ‘stall-free’ pork some producers may also see this as a way to earn additional income by producing a niche product, or as part of a longer term plan to secure and expand market share going forward. However, barn conversion costs are high (estimates range from $500 to over $1000 per sow) and not all group housing systems are the same. Producers are faced with multiple options in terms of feeding systems, pen layout, space allowance, group size, mixing time. There are few reliable sources for this information.
One obvious source for information is the European Union (EU), where group housing has been in use for decades, and became a legal requirement as of January 2013. However, the herd sizes, barn designs and equipment available in the EU are different from those found in North America, and adapting this information to North American facilities, conditions and costs can be challenging.
NATIONAL SOW HOUSING
CONVERSION PROJECT
The National Sow Housing Conversion Project (NSHCP) is a four-year project, jointly funded by government and industry, designed to document barn conversions and existing group housing systems across the country. The objective of the project is to provide comprehensive examples of barn designs and management options for group-housed sows to give producers the resources needed to make this transition with confidence. Ultimately, the goal is to smooth the transition to groups, helping to maintain production levels and profitability as both pigs and barn staff adjust to the new system.
In a financial analysis of gestation barn conversions, Brian Buhr, an Agricultural Economist at the University of Minnesota, determined that the greatest cost in converting to groups is not necessarily related to construction. Buhr’s analysis found that if the renovation is done poorly and does not provide animals with adequate space or feed, or the sows are managed poorly under the new system, the cost in lost production can soon outstrip the cost of new infrastructure. However, as many farms have already shown, when planned and executed well, group sow housing can result in production levels equivalent to or greater than those of sows in stalls.
With this in mind, the NSHCP has brought together industry leaders and scientific expertise to produce a comprehensive national strategy involving demonstration farms and technology transfer to support and educate Canadian pork producers on the options and hurdles for conversion.
The NSHCP will follow four barns from planning to completion, documenting construction plans, costs, management decisions, and staff training. The researchers will also monitor production levels before and after the conversion process, and document any management problems that arise. This process will provide a well-documented approach to describing the challenges of facility, people and pigs in redesigning the existing stall barn to meet the needs of the sow and the farm management to create a successful conversion experience. Some of the outcomes that will benefit future farm conversions will include tips for management, maintaining productivity, as well as documenting producers’ perspectives on the pros and cons of different group housing opinions.
In addition to the four barn conversions, an additional 10 farms across the country that are already using group housing have been identified. These farms have also agreed to participate in the study by being documented. This second group of farms includes both new barns and renovated sites. These operations will demonstrate group housing in a greater diversity of locations, herd sizes and housing systems, giving a broader sense of the housing and management options available.
Results from the project will be communicated through the project website: www.groupsowhousing.com, to be launched later this winter, and newsletters distributed at producer meetings and through provincial pork associations. The website will be central to sharing the study results and will include detailed examples including barn plans and video interviews with producers.  •
— Submitted By Ken Engle
Prairie Swine Centre