With the Manitoba government loosening the moratorium on hog barn expansion and the processing industry needing about a million more hogs annually thoughts turn to the construction of those barns.
Bob Houben, a representative with FGC Construction suggests the age of the barn, its layout, and its ventilation will be among key factors to examine when evaluating its suitability for renovation.
As part of work on behalf of Swine Innovation Porc Canadian, scientists and engineers have developed resources to assist pork producers in evaluating the viability and in planning the conversion of stall housing for gestating sows to group housing.
Houben said key factors to consider when comparing the viability of converting compared to building from scratch, include the age of the barn, its footprint, its layout and its ventilation.
“I do come back to ventilation a lot but that has to do with the style of structure that we work with to allow enough airway through the attic of the barn to bring the air in to make the pig comfortable,” he said. “Pigs are a lot like the people. The less cool air, the more comfort you have, the better the product of the pig is.”
Houben said the age of the barn and the whole flow of the facility, taking a look at how it is all tied together. A lot of it comes back to age and the style of structure from a wood structure to a concrete structure.
“In the area that we’re in, we build a lot of concrete structured walls right to the eve and that tends to create longevity of the barn,” he said. “A 20-year old concrete barn compared to a 20-year old wood structured barn, you’re probably going to be able to save that barn and convert it. As for a wood structure barn, after 20 years, they’ve seen a lot of their life and a lot of them aren’t salvageable.”
Houben said it’s too early to identify patterns but some producers have converted the gestation area of the barn to loose sow housing and built new farrowing facilities to increase litter spaces. For more information on converting visit groupsowhousing.com
In Saskatchewan, a program offered by the Government of Canada and Saskatchewan in partnership with Sask Pork is helping the province’s pork producer’s access equipment which will help them comply with new animal welfare requirements under Canada’s Pig Code of Practice.
The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, in partnership with the Government of Canada and Saskatchewan through Growing Forward 2, is offering up to $4,000 through the Saskatchewan Swine Welfare Program to assist in the purchase of needle-free injection equipment or euthanasia equipment. The two-year program is scheduled to run until the end of February 2018.
Harvey Wagner, the Manager of Producer Services with Sask Pork said Sask Pork covers 20 per cent of the cost of the equipment, Growing Forward 2 will cover 60 per cent and the producer is responsible for 20 per cent.
“Needle-free is quite complicated. It’s a high degree of technology and very fine tolerances and so the equipment is fairly expensive,” said Wagner.
“It’s in the $4,000 range and that’s one of the reasons why the limits are where they are on this program. Euthanasia equipment can vary anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to $4,000 as well if producers get the complete kits of euthanasia equipment with captive bolts with all the fittings to take care of all classes of animals. This equipment is not inexpensive but its high quality and it lasts for a long period of time. With proper maintenance, it’ll last the life of the barn pretty much.”
He said any CQA registered farm is eligible so that means all of the commercial farms in Saskatchewan qualify. The larger operations tend to be using the program to access needle-free injection equipment while the smaller farms, typically those under 400 sows, are more interested in the euthanasia equipment. •
— By Harry Siemens
