Family looks to the future with new swine facility

     Chad and Renee Adams’ new wean-to-finish swine facility is all about looking ahead.

     “We were trying to think long-term,” Chad said. “We were trying to envision where we’ll be in five, 10 years.”

     “The sow farm (Topside Pork, LLC out of Alburnett, where the family purchases its pigs) was expanding, so we felt that it was a good time for us to expand,” Renee said. “And, we’re wanting to bring back all the rest of the kids, eventually, back to the farm.”

     On Dec. 19, the family displayed the 20-pen, 20,000-square-foot facility, located just north of Jones-Delaware Road on Highway 38, to the public during an open house. A large portion of the public came out on a chilly night to tour the facility and enjoy a meal.

     “There were a lot of people in town who came out, who have never been in one before,” Chad said. “I heard a lot of positive comments.”

     Renee added: “There were kids, and even adults, asking questions. We (in the pork industry) need to educate, and that was one of the biggest reasons for the open house. It was a great turnout, with great supporters.”

     The idea for the farm came about during the summer of 2016, the couple said. Dirt was moved in September of that year, and the first cement was poured in mid-October.

     The facility is ready for its first pigs, and will have them, Chad said, by the end of December. They may start with 40-pound feeder pigs, but eventually, each new set of pigs that come in will start in the 15-pound range.

     The barn will go through two groups of pigs a year – wean-to-finish takes about 27 weeks. In all, the facility can hold up to 2,400.

     Integrity Builders and Supply of Burlington was the main contractor in the project. The building uses a Maximus controller.

     “That basically controls all the electrical, fans, mixers, heaters, water and the alarm system,” Renee said. “That has been hooked with our phones, so we’ll be able to monitor everything.”

     “We’ll be sitting at home eating dinner, and I can look at my phone, and I’ll know how many fans are running, the temperature in the barn, (etc.),” Chad said.

     Also involved were Gudenkauf Tiling and Excavating, Stahlberg Construction, Wulfekuhle Electric, Adams Heating & Plumbing, Hubbard Feeds and Farm Credit Services.

     Modern features and ideas were incorporated into the building. About two-thirds of its energy comes from solar panels. The wet/dry feeders are a relatively new innovation.

     And, the gates surrounding the pens are four inches shorter than those elsewhere on the Adams farm, making for easier transitioning between pens.

     “It’s an efficiency thing,” Renee said. “It’s a huge time-saver.”

     Renee is the one who will be doing most of the chores in the building, they said.

     “When we vaccinate, then the family comes in and helps with that,” she said. “When we sort and sell hogs, they’ll come in and help with that. Otherwise, it’s just a one-person show.”

     Because of that, Renee said she is grateful the building’s office includes a bathroom with a shower.

     “Every time I come in here, I shower, and when I leave, I shower,” Renee said. “That’s for biosecurity. And biosecurity is huge.”

     The pens are constructed to help with sorting capability. The pigs that are about to be sold are placed in a small pen near an opening.

     “So when the semi’s here, you just open up the first pen, and run them out. Then you open up the next pen, and run them down,” Renee said.

     The family had to jump through some hoops in order to be allowed to build the facility.

     “There are rules that apply,” Chad said. “Distance to a neighbor, a manure management plan, and your soil has to be no-karst soil.”

     Fortunately, they enlisted the help of Becky Sexton from Twin Lakes Environmental Services, who deals strictly with family farms and handled all the permits.

     “That way it’s done,” Chad said, “and it’s done right.”

     The couple also had help from daughter Breanna.

     “She’s been a huge help, even to help design the barn,” Renee said. “She’s worked in our other barns for years, and she had input on things that we should change and things that we should keep.”

     The barn isn’t just new; it’s new to the family as well.

     “We’re kind of learning together,” Chad said.

     That learning, the couple said, is a key to success in the industry.

     “Every year it changes,” Renee said. “We go to a lot of meetings and a lot of conferences to stay on top of this stuff. We try to be on our ‘A’ game.

     “We’re always looking back to see what we can do better.”