Pork-Q-Pine Farms and Price Farms Organics

Welcome to Pork-Q-Pine Farms and Price Farms Organics. We are John, Judy and Tom Price and we live in the comparatively urban town of Delaware, Ohio. John is the fifth generation to live and work on our farm, so we have deep roots in agriculture. We are committed to the environment and our community, which has lead our farm to be quite unique. Not only do we raise livestock, but we also combine their manure with yard trimmings from our neighbors to make valuable compost. In 2005 we were recognized as Neighbors of the Year by the
Ohio Livestock Coalition, which was a great honor for us.

On our farm we raise hogs and cattle. Since we do things a little differently, we are excited to share our techniques with others. Each year we host a group of youth interested in the pork industry to show them our unconventional take on modern pork production. The white curtain of this modern pig barn helps control the barn’s ventilation. It is open in the summer to allow air flow and closed in the winter to keep the pigs warm.

One of our unconventional production techniques is using paper bedding. We collect 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of paper products daily from businesses and neighbors, and these materials are used to bed the animals and provide them with a clean place to lie every day. The compositing aspect of our business allows us to utilize an increased quantity off used bedding and manure. Many other farmers store manure beneath their hog buildings and apply it to their crop fields as fertilizer, but we routinely clean out our
barn and composting the manure and paper mixture.

Like all farmers we work very hard to manage odor, but we are one of few farms that utilizes bio-filters. It took a lot of experimentation to find the variation that works best for us. The bio-filter works by large exhaust fans blowing air through a three-foot deep bed of wood chips which is made of aged, ground-up pallets. The bio-filter naturally provides surface area for bacteria to feed on the odorous components of the exhaust air.  Bio-filters can be expensive and challenging to manage, requiring special equipment like more powerful fans that can properly ventilate the building while pushing air through the filter, but are a viable option for modern producers.

Neighbors can also bring their yard trimmings to our facility rather than burning them or sending them to a landfill. The trimmings are mixed with swine bedding and manure to create the “barnyard café.” Manufacturing plants and business cafeterias also bring us compost co-products that might otherwise be sent to the landfill. After nine to twelve months, the Barnyard Café mixture is screened and sold to homeowners and landscapers as compost or a compost-amended soil for flower beds and gardens. By collecting paper products and yard trimmings
we are helping our community reduce its carbon footprint.

We're glad you took the time to learn more about our operation. What we're
doing may not make sense for other farmers that aren't as close to population
centers as we are, but we're proud to maintain a viable farming business
in an urbanizing society.