Frequently Asked Questions

Why are pigs raised in barns?

Barns protect pigs from extreme temperatures and wild animals. In Ohio, cold, snowy and icy winters can be hard on animals.  Heat can also be stressful in the summer.  Barns are equipped with furnaces for cold weather and fans, misters and other cooling devices for hot weather. Having control over the temperature inside the barn enables farmers to maintain a consistent temperature range so the animals are always comfortable. 

Keeping our animals healthy enables us to limit disease and the use of antibiotics.  Barns are a barrier from rodents which may carry disease.  We strive to keep our animals healthy and comfortable all year long.

What do pigs eat?

Most pigs in Ohio are fed corn and soybeans which is supplemented with vitamins and minerals.  Pigs don't eat table scraps (slop).  A pig's diet, or ration, is carefully calculated by a nutritionist.  Due to research and our understanding of the animal’s needs, often gilts (females) and barrows (males) are fed separate rations.

A very limited number of farms feed by-products such as whey, bread products, and cereal.  Feeding this non-traditional diet is highly regulated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

What is a factory farm?

Although the term factory farm is commonly used, the majority of farms in Ohio, large or small scale are run by families.  Ohio ranks 9th in pork production in the nation but 3rd in the number of hog farms – that’s because we have 4,000 farms that are owned and operated by families.
 

Many family farms have chosen to incorporate as part of their business plan.  However, it is still family members that not only make business decisions but also handle day to day chores and responsibilities on the farm.

Barns and farms are bigger because they have to be.  Profit margins are tight, and pork producers still want to be able to maintain a decent standard of living and send their kids to college, just like many other parents.  Resources which are needed to raise hogs include, land, corn, soybeans and labor, which are rising in cost.  To meet these goals farmers need more volume.  Developments in technology have enabled farms to be more efficient, take care of more animals in less space, farm more acres and still do a better job than in generations past.

 Why do pigs smell?

Odor is a challenge for everyone who raises animals.  Ohio farmers work hard to manage odor. One way they do this is by keeping their barns clean.  Since dust carries odor, clean barns means reduced odors.  Trees and other windbreaks are also used to disperse any odor before it reaches our noses.  New technology, including barns, has greatly decreased the amount of odor coming from hog farms.

Is the water near a farm safe to drink?

The most important thing to realize is that farmers and their families live on or near their farms, and their animals drink the water too, so the last thing they want to do is contaminate the water.  Crops need three main nutrients to grow, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, all of which are found in manure.  Thus, it is an organic fertilizer that a good business person is too smart to waste in today's economy of expensive commercial fertilizer.  Pork producers are not allowed by law to discharge manure.  Waste control is regulated by a series of laws on a federal and state level. So, not only are they conscientious for the sake of our families and animals, but also as law abiding citizens. 

Why do farmers keep sows in stalls?

Individual housing allows for individual care.  Should an animal require treatment, she can easily be monitored and cared for in a stall.  Stalls also help to protect pregnancy, especially in the early stages of fetus development.  Stalls protect sows from one another.  Just like most wild animal species, a dominant leader is formed within a herd, and a hierarchy follows.  The "boss sow" can often bully and injure less powerful females.  An example would be hogging the feed from smaller or weaker animals.

Stalls are a product of many years of work to improve farming techniques.  Farmers did not move pigs from pastures directly into stalls; they recognized an opportunity for improvement, thus today's production systems have developed.  Barns equipped with stalls are not the cheapest option; this expense is justified with improved animal care and efficiency.  Stalls require less physical labor than traditional systems that involve much more hand work.

Stalls are not the only option for housing sows, an experienced manager can care for animals in many situations.  Who knows how to care for a pig better than a farmer that spends hours every week in the barn?   

If stalls are so important, why aren't all pigs kept in stalls?

While younger pigs in group housing may have an occasional scuffle, they're not as powerful and likely to hurt each other as mature animals.  Growing animals require less individual care than gestating and nursing mothers.