Articles

There are three drivers influencing cost of production today; facilities, weaned pigs and feed, with feed cost accounting for over 60% of the total cost of production. In the last 90 days, we have seen feed cost per pig increase >$20/pig.

The tech service team works to challenge current production protocols, evaluate new ideas and technology, and provide real data to make decisions. Utilizing actual sow farms, we can conduct large scale field research trials in actual production conditions. This helps to gain valuable information to implement in sow farms managed by Pipestone Management.

During periods of high commodity prices and profitability, farm business owners should be diligent to financially prepare for the next period of low prices. The following are strategies that could help you build working capital to be ready for the next cycle of low prices.

Innovation in nutrition comes in many forms at Pipestone. From new technology, to better feed management, to improving the feed quality across our 40+ feed mills that feed sows managed by Pipestone Management, we are continually investigating ways to bring value.

In 1942, Drs. E.A. Scheweim and P.A. Pinkert founded the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic. Since then, the company has continued to innovate while serving our mission of Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow.

This year marks 30 years that the sow farm Hiawatha Gilts was constructed in Pipestone county, Minnesota birthing what would become the Pipestone Management and change modern swine production. Most intriguing is what Hiawatha represents as we think about innovation and the progression of health management.

We all share a concern for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and its impact on human medicine, veterinary medicine, and global society. As veterinarians, our first instinct is to correct the problem!  As scientists, we want data to help craft the plan.

The bare minimum to meet this requirement is to have a Vet physically on site one time per year and to have written scripts for all prescription products on site. If this is the only interaction you are having with a Veterinarian, consider getting value for your operation with more veterinarian interaction.

  For most pork producers, 2020 has not been a year of profitability. Without government program payments and a short-term spike in cut-out prices in May, the red ink has been steadily flowing. During these unfavorable economic times, your business uses the working capital you’ve created in the good times.

As an industry, we have set guidelines for ourselves through the PQA program on what responsible antibiotic use looks like. If your interaction with those principals has been limited to passing the PQA quiz, today is a good day to think about how your antibiotic use fits into a responsible model.

As the harvest season approaches, fall field work and manure application will follow closely thereafter. During the manure removal process, our primary objective is to elevate the ventilation in your barns and keep you and your livestock safe and comfortable.

In commodity production, high prices are the result of more demand than supply. In the past 20 years, the pork industry has been fortunate to increase demand through exports. More demand than supply results in high prices and creates profitability that attracts financial capital.