Anytime in 2020, Bob Kleinsasser hog boss at the Suncrest Colony near Steinbach, MB when asked about the hog business, “There is no more fun in feeding hogs.” A prolonged drop in hog prices, an outbreak of the dreaded PED virus, COVID-19 fallout made trips to the hog barn discouraging.   
Kleinsasser looks after a 900-farrow-to-finish hog barn said 2020 was one of their worst years, and production in the barn coming off of PED in 2019, going into 2020. But things changed coming into 2021. Production improved with the pigs performing after cleaning up from the PED virus.  
“Then, in the end, you get the reward for it, and now with the nice hog prices it’s beginning to make sense, not wondering why we are doing it.” 
Their barns are busting over selling between 1100 and 1300 hogs every four weeks but weaned a little over 30,000 pigs, but sold around 13,000 butcher hogs and all to Maple Leaf Foods at Brandon. Plans are to add a finisher barn attached to the sow barn but not for another year or two.  
While parts of the processing system slowed with COVID-19 disruptions, they never had one with Maple Leaf.  
“I think they cancelled an odd load, but we could rebook them at a different date. It’s is going well because Maple Leaf followed every protocol more than they needed to. In the end, I think it paid off. We had a couple of hiccups, but I think it worked well.” 
When Olymel at Red Deer, AB shut down, the company shipped their hogs to the United States so the plant would have the capacity to ramp up with local producer-owned hogs once they could restart.  
“That’s what you got to see, and there’s a reason why they did that. Those 30 per cent hogs extra are their bread and butter. If those producers would go elsewhere in the meantime and maybe stayed there, they would be struggling to get hogs.” 
A significant change in the Suncrest sow farrow to finish barn is moving from 21 days to 27-days weaning. Those sows have their best milking period at 18 to 21 days, right when they wean them. It was a process to do it right. So after three, four months, they weaned at 26, 27-day old piglet. From a 6.2 kg weaned pig, they have an 8 kg. That’s one of the best things they did after building the new barn in 2017. 
Kleinsasser saw other producers doing it and getting better breed back for the sow. The sow has more time to heal, and the piglets are blooming at weaning and every 500 grams that the piglet is heavier, and the finished pig goes to market three days earlier but at the same weight. For every extra pound at weaning, three to four days where they go faster to market. 
Then the mortality after weaning, because way nicer sturdier pigs, better looking, and they’re just that much healthier and it takes fewer meds. It’s a spinoff, all the way through is better. 
The Suncrest Colony built the first new group housing sow barn, which is improving as they keep learning and improving the system. Before they tended to more lameness and injuries but now with better-gilt selection, better breed back, healthier pig, it all comes down to having better production and better husbandry in the loose housing area. 
And it’s better for the employees because there’s less work with calmer pigs and they don’t have to look after them that much. Another thing that happens if the sow heals better from 21 to 27 days, the born alive went up one and a half pigs. 
“Before around 12.8 to 13.2 born alive, now we’re pushing 15, 15 and a half and helps us much. We’re weaning more pigs, better pigs and we keep healthier sows.” 
Aggressive sows savaging their piglets are almost non-existent because of the comfort of feeding them what and when they want and not waiting for their feed. There are two feeders for 135 sows, so they have to take their turn.  
“The bullies are first, but the rest just lay back and wait their turn.” •
— By Harry Siemens