25 minute read
Swine & U
By KRISTIN KVENO The Land Staff Writer
ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Out on the farm near Albert Lea, Minn. Andrew Bakken developed a strong appreciation for agriculture. His family grew corn, soybeans and alfalfa as well as had a farrow-tofinish hog operation along with raising cattle. “I always loved agriculture,” Bakken said. That passion led to his involvement in FFA.
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It was attending Greenhand Camp in ninth grade which fostered Bakken’s interest in leadership roles in the organization. “That was a turning point for me.” Bakken’s FFA advisor at Albert Lea High School, Kim Meyer, encouraged Bakken to take part in the creed speaking contests as well as other involvement opportunities. While at Greenhand Camp, Bakken set goals for himself. One of those was to run for a state FFA office — and four years later, he did.
Andrew Bakken, Sentinel
Bakken recalled there were 24 or 25 people that ran for state offices in 1994. “At the time it was a bit stressful,” he said. When it was announced Bakken was named state sentinel, happiness abounds. “It felt great, overwhelmed with joy. It was a goal I worked on for four years.”
Bakken was attending the University of Minnesota while serving as state sentinel along with all the other state officers. “All of us had strong personalities.” While that could be a challenge, Bakken was quick to point out those personalities complimented each other well.
His fondest memories as a state officer was running the leadership camps and having the younger FFA members look up to him.
The overall global impact of the Covid-19 outbreak remains to be seen. But here in Midwestern farm country, it has ramifications far beyond human illness and mortality. Crop farmers have been able to get to the field and begin planting, and that kind of feels normal. The livestock sector is far from normal.
Beef, dairy, poultry and swine are all affected by this disease which doesn’t make them sick; yet has changed 2020’s livestock management, meat supplies and farm profitability irreparably. Swine producers have pivoted and adjusted to the daily changes surrounding their feedstuff availability, management techniques and market access. Alongside them, Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture, Pollution Control Agency and Pork Producers Association have nimbly provided assistance and support.
In the swine sector, harvest plant closures have taken the bloom off of any highlights there might have been in pricing and supplies. As farmers address this absence of a market for their pigs, they’ve adjusted their management strategies to focus on keeping the pigs on the farm for a longer period of time. Managing pigs whose market has closed
No pigs are harvested today who don’t already have an appointment. Swine producers work with buyers representing the packing plant, and loads are scheduled to be hauled at specific times. That producer-buyer relationship is now a key to pig farmers knowing what may come next.
Packers who have multiple processing plants across the United States have attempted to continue to receive a portion of their farmer-supplier’s pigs. The loads are sent to alternate sites, but they are purchased and processed. Packers who are still open have added shifts of employees and have added days of work in order to accommodate pigs who normally are processed at other sites. This re
Swine production choices to help cope with Covid-19
UniversityofMinnesota EXTENSION
Bakken now farms as well as runs his own farrowto-finish hog operation. He purchased his hog operation from his father in 1999. He currently markets about 4,000 pigs as well as 100 cattle a year. He also grows wheat, corn, soybeans, oats and has a haying enterprise.
He’s been married to his wife, Jody for 20 years and they have four children: Brennan, 16; Blaine, 14; Brielle, 12 and Bryant, 9. Bakken’s son Blaine is in FFA. “He has a passion for showing livestock,” Bakken said. His daughter Brielle also has a strong interest in animal showmanship.
He encourages those who are interested in leadership positions in FFA to give it their all. “If you reach that goal, it will change your life forever.” Bakken is grateful he made that life-changing decision to try for a state officer position all those years ago. The memories and the life lessons from that time has stayed with him to this day. v
SWINE &U
Back at the farm, producers can adjust their management strategies to reduce pigs’ growth rate. Instead of being ready to go this week, maybe the pigs will reach market weight next week. University nutritionists and related swine industry specialists spent early April assisting producers to make educated decisions.
All of the strategies offered to producers are meant to be temporary and with the understanding that producers are in emergency situations. As always, when deciding how best to manage pigs in the face of harvest plant closures, producers consider the wellbeing of the pigs the number-one priority. Emergency management practices require additional observation of the pigs to ensure their safety and welfare. Adjusting the diet
Revamping the pig’s ration to retain important nutrition while slowing the pig’s gain has been a primary management choice. Reducing the amount of energy in a diet while adding fiber is a common method which lengthens the pig’s time on feed.
Nutritional fiber comes in many forms and is measured as neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and the
SWINE & U
By Diane DeWitte
most commonly used ingredients in today’s swine diet are dried distillers grains with solubles, wheat midlings, corn germ meal, soybean hulls, and sugar beet pulp. Producers, working with their swine nutritionists, re-formulate the diet with 20-25 percent NDF. That amount of fiber in a diet makes the pig simply too full to eat enough feed to meet its energy requirement.
While the low-energy/high-fiber diet is a successful short-term solution to reducing the pig’s growth rate, these fiber sources may be in short supply. Demand has increased and this is not the optimal time of year to obtain some of these ingredients.
Other diet manipulation methods are also in play, including removal of all sources of dietary fat — a common energy source. From University of Minnesota Extension Swine Educator Sarah Schieck Boelke’s recent management summary, “What to do if your pork packing plant is closed,” reducing crude protein and essential amino acid levels will reduce growth rate and feed intake. That nutrient reduction has to be in the range of 30-40 percent.
Also from Schieck-Boelke, using a type of salt called anhydrous calcium chloride can be added to reduce feed intake. This is a very technical strategy, so a qualified swine nutritionist needs to formulate these diets. It is a strategy not advised for use in lower-weight pigs.
Iowa State University researchers are currently conducting a limited pig growth study comparing routing of pigs will not accommodate all normallyscheduled pig delivery, but it can help. Buyer and farmer communication is critical to assisting the farmer’s plan for what may come next.
See SWINE & U, pg. 9
SWINE & U, from pg. 10
Resources available for assistance from several agencies accommodate limited pen space. MPCA will approve a 45-day overstock of barns without producers obtaining the environmental National Pollutant Discharge Elimination system or State Disposal System permit variances. Producers must meet manure containment criteria detailed in the guidance, and must contact the county feedlot officer for local ordinances and conditional uUse permits. Both the MPCA Regulatory Relief Guidance and an application template can be found at the Minnesota Pork Producers Association Covid-19 resources page (https://www.mppainsider.org/covid-19/).
Good producers keep an eye on the feeder adjustment to prevent wasted feed, but this is a time when tightening the feeder openings will yield additional needed results. A feed pan with 15-20 percent coverage provides necessary nutrition. This type of strategy requires more intensive monitoring of the pigs to ensure that feeders don’t become restricted and that aggressive behavior isn’t an issue in the group of pigs.
High summer temperatures always reduce pig growth, and adjusting barn ventilation to mimic that seasonal effect is a strategy producers may choose. As always, pig well-being is the number-one consideration, and the producer in consultation with a ventilation engineer can arrive at a solution which may help slow pig growth for the short term.
As pigs gain weight and take up more pen space, their growth tends to slow. Typical management would have the pig farmer market the larger pigs out of many pens in the barn to thin out the group and allow the remaining pigs to grow faster. A producer who needs to slow the pigs’ growth is advised to keep the groups together to reduce the compensatory gain normally achieved when a few head are removed. Minnesota agency assistance
Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency has issued a swine-specific guidance which approves flexibility for producers who need to overstock their barn(s) to gency animal mortalities. Through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program, producers can apply for resources to assist in handling animal mortalities. Producers should contact their local USDA Service Center.
Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture is working to locate opportunities for producers who need meat processing because of harvest plant closure and lost markets. If producers need animal processing help, they may contact Jim Ostlie at (320) 842-6910; Jim. Ostlie@state.mn.us or Courtney VanderMey (651) 201-6135).
MDS has also created an expedited approval process to review and accept Minnesota custom exempt slaughter establishments who would like to process animals under continuous inspection. Custom exempt processors who meet the minimum requirements will be granted a 90-day provisional grant of inspection. Custom exempt processors should contact Meat, Poultry and Egg Inspection directly at MDA.MeatPoultryEgg@state.mn.us or telephone Levi Muhl (651) 201-6216), Erik Jopp (320) 248- 9515) or Jennifer Stephes (651) 201-6192).
If, as a last resort, pigs have to be euthanized, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health has experts who can answer carcass disposal questions. The board also has an emergency carcass disposal guide which is found at z.umn.edu/MNBAHEmergencyCarcassDisposal.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has allocated special funding for livestock producers who have emereight different dietary treatments. Very preliminary results show that feeding a 97 percent corn diet vs. a typical corn-soy diet with the goal of holding the pigs for three weeks could provide the producer a lower-cost diet. This could maximize opportunities to get the pigs to market later than usual. Cornonly diets must be balanced for mineral and vitamin requirements. Facilities management
ST. PAUL — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency will open signup this summer for CLEAR30, a new pilot program which offers landowners an opportunity to enroll in a 30-year Conservation Reserve Program contract. The program signup period is July 6 to Aug. 21. “This pilot allows us to work with farmers and landowners to maintain conservation practices for 30 years, underscoring farmers’ commitments to sound long term conservation stewardship on agricultural land,” said Minnesota Executive Director Joe Martin. “Through CLEAR30, we can decrease erosion, improve water quality and increase wildlife habitat on a much longer-term basis. We want to share this opportunity early, before the sign up period, so farmers and landowners have more time to consider if CLEAR30 or another program is right for their operation.”
New CRP offers longer-term benefits
Eligible producers must have expiring Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) initiative contracts, including continuous CRP cropland contracts with water-quality practices or marginal pasturelands CRP contracts devoted to riparian buffers, wildlife habitat buffers or wetland buffers.
Annual rental payment for landowners who enroll in CLEAR30 will be equal to the current continuous CRP annual payment rate plus an inflationary adjustment of 27.5 percent.
Another unique program feature is that FSA will help producers maintain CLEAR30 contract acreage.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing.
This article was submitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. v
Assistance in dealing with farming’s challenges and struggles is found through University of Minnesota Extension’s Farm and Rural Stress programs which can be accessed at https://extension. umn.edu/rural-stress or through MDA’s Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline at 1-833-600-2670.
Diane DeWitte is an Extension Educator specializing in swine for the University of Minnesota Extension. Her e-mail address is stouf002@umn.edu v
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Barn for chickens now houses shrimp tanks
By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer Emeritus
RENVILLE COUNTY, Minn. — After an extensive career raising chickens for Golden Oval Eggs, Becky Bruns is now a shrimp farmer.
“I’ve raised chickens all my life,” the 40-year-old Bruns said. “My parents built this barn (which is now my shrimp farm) the year I was born. After high school I did two years of college, became a vet tech, then returned to the farm to assist my Mom in raising chickens and have been here ever since. the idea a couple of times we realized we were both heading in the same direction and just maybe we should look into this. I now had a 360-foot chicken barn sitting empty in the middle of a corn field And then this thought … why not grow shrimp?
“My husband also came back with me. He’s not a farm boy, so I decided to make a farmer out of him. He fought back. Now he runs racing products rebuilding engines for the expanding world of NASCAR racing.
“The idea firmed up and here we are today. In August of 2018, we shipped birds out of this barn for the last time. Immediately we started the renovation which lasted through the winter and then in July of 2019 we got our first shrimp in here.”
“But a big catalyst in this shrimp venture was the Avian Influenza siege of 2018. It damn near broke me. At that point we were growing about two million birds a year for Rembrandt Food’s Golden Oval operation … we were doing 12 flocks a year. When Avian Influenza hit, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. The only more tragic episode was when my son died.”
Some federal assistance to Bruns and literally hundreds of Minnesota turkey farmers helped ease the sudden financial storm. “I took a hell of a mental hit,” Bruns admitted. “I didn’t recover very well. Egg markets have never recovered and are still in the tank … like 49-cents a dozen in some places and crop markets are volatile. I wanted to do something that didn’t revolve around egg prices or crop prices. I wanted to try something different.
“My Mom and I had talked somewhat about this guy up at Willmar who sold off his dairy herd and turned one of his buildings into a shrimp farm. So we both at separate times drove up to his farm for a visit. I sort of laughed it off; my Mom pretty much the same reaction. But after both of us laughing off
Bruns’ shrimp barn how houses 17 shrimp tanks which includes four 17,000-gallon nursery tanks and 13 ‘grow out’ tanks — each with 3,000 gallons of water.
Becky starts each nursery tank with 10,000 to 15,000 shrimp larvae — barely recognizable by the human eye. “When they are about 1 gram in size (now you can see them) I’ll put 3 to 4,000 shrimp into that 3,000-gallon tank.”
By now you are wondering, ‘how does she count these miniature shrimp?’ Well she doesn’t — at least not individually. “I’ll put 200-300 grams (200 grams is 0.4 pounds) in a pail and weigh it, then I’ll dump them into a grower tank and count those once or twice. Then I can determine the average weight of each shrimp and set up my feeding schedule accordingly.” Photos by Dick Hagen It takes about 120 days for Bruns’ shrimp to reach market weight – about 20-25 grams.
See SHRIMP, pg. 11
SHRIMP, from pg. 10
Somewhat like other livestock, shrimp rations are adjusted for various growth cycles. Bruns said she’s shooting for 120 days for these tiny creatures to reach market weight, but that depends upon water quality and the different components of her shrimp feed. “If my water gets a little wonky (her term) I’ll have to pull back just a bit on the feeding and that can mean a few extra days in the grow-out tank.”
Bruns monitors water quality daily in every tank. She checks several components: pH, alkalinity, ammonia content and nitrate levels — much the same chores as when she was growing out several thousand chicks. “Water quality is the most pertinent task of shrimp farming. The water is as much a living organism as are the shrimp. Each tank is its own ecosystem, so the growing of the positive bacteria (called bioflock) is critical. This bioflock consumes all the waste product of the growing shrimp. And that is why I am not concerned about refreshing my shrimp tanks. I can reuse my water over and over.”
Bruns grows her own bioflock. You don’t purchase the stuff and add it into your shrimp tanks. When her first shrimp arrived, they were put into tanks; and like all fish, they were routinely expelling their own wastes — producing their own bacteria which she enhances with some sugar and pro-biotics. “As the shrimp grow, the bioflock just comes into being through the environment created within each tank,” she explained. “So when we look into our tanks you’ll see the water has a brownish color. Everybody thinks it’s dirty, but that is the most beautiful color you wish to see for a shrimp farmer. It’s not dirty water; it’s beautiful water because of bioflock.”
Feeding the shrimp is automated and takes some doing. Each tank has its own system. Bruns carefully
ON THE COVER: Becky Bruns stands by one of the 17 tanks which make up her shrimp nursery. The tanks are housed in a building Bruns once used to raise chickens. Feeding shrimp is a complex practice as nutritional needs change as the shrimp grow. Bruns will use six different feed rations in the process.
spreads measured shrimp nutrition on a belt feeder each morning; then activates the ‘start’ button which then ever so slowly moves the belt through the water. Each day she weighs out the feed for each tank and that feed belt slowly ticks forward — dropping off feed for 24 hours. “A shrimp’s digestive tract empties in 45 minutes, so these minuscule creatures spend most of the day just lunching and pooping,” smiled Bruns.
A sick cow or pig is relatively easy to identify for an experienced producer. But what about a sick shrimp? Bruns explained, “A shrimp is a fairly simple animal. Its digestive tract, called the mud vein, lies across its top side. A healthy shrimp is so translucent that I can see that digestive tract. If I’m not feeding enough, I won’t be able to see that mud vein. That means I need to increase the daily feeding for that particular tank. If I’m putting in too much feed, I’ll get the remnants of too much feed.” “I’m weighing my shrimp every week,” Bruns continued. “I’m shooting for a 20 to 25-gram weight. Each 25-gram shrimp would be about two good bites. Nope, shrimp don’t all grow even. I might have 25-gram and 15-gram shrimp in the same tank. So I need to net those big shrimp and give the smaller ones a better chance to grow. Yes, this is very much a hands-on operation and that perhaps is why I welcome each new hatch of shrimp fingerlings.”
Bruns is buying her hatchery shrimp from a Florida firm (American Miracultures). Flown in overnight to the Twin Cities airport, these baby shrimp are packaged 10,000 to 15,000 into a plastic bag. “When I unload here at my shrimp barn, I float the bag in my nursery tank a few minutes to equalize water temperatures. At that point, these shrimp are about the size of an eye lash; so I just feed and hope and pray everything is okay with my new family. At this point I don’t trust anyone else to my day-by-day chores since I’m not absolutely certain myself,” chuckled Bruns. “If you’re not learning, you likely aren’t doing much … whether you are parenting, or raising chickens, or farming shrimp, I make multiple mistakes every day.”
Her feed source is Ziegler Feeds, a Pennsylvania based aqua culture feed firm which provides six different rations for the six life cycles in her shrimp rearing program. Yes, shrimp mortalities do happen. Lots of competition in each tank, she said, so some is expected. “But if I’m doing it right I only see one or two mortalities per grow out tank.”
The Shrimp Shop has regular shopping hours, but Bruns said it’s best to call ahead to plan your visit. Her phone is (507) 237-6442; or email Shrimpshopmn@ gmail.com.
So far, the majority of her customers from within a 50-mile radius of Danube. She has yet to do any advertising, but she is pleased and grateful how rapidly the word is spreading about this new shrimp farm in Minnesota. “Most of the time we are selling out as soon as a tank is ready to market,” Bruns said. “There is a great demand for clean, healthy protein. But I’ve had people come from South Dakota; from Anandale; from Apple Valley. And already now quite a handful of repeat customers — some even on a weekly basis.”
Current price is $22 a pound (about 20 to 22 shrimp make up a pound) with a cash discount also being offered. Bruns also provides information on what to do with your just-purchased Minnesota farm fresh shrimp. v
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Grain Outlook Decline in corn exports forecasted
Livestock Angles Fear continues to dominate livestock markets
JOE TEALE
Broker Great Plains Commodity Afton, Minn. PHYLLIS NYSTROM
CHS Hedging I n . St. Paul
See NYSTROM, pg. 13
It has been another couple of weeks under the influence of the coronavirus and the livestock markets are continuing to remain in a fear-induced state. It appears as though these markets may have finally put enough fear in the market to now begin to trade more on the fundamentals — rather than emotions. The fact that many packing houses have had to shut down temporarily because of Covid-19 has hurt the market; but now appear to be reopening as the threat of further infections die down. Time is now the answer for the upcoming direction of livestock prices.
Cattle have been under constant pressure since the last week of February as prices have fallen to lows not seen since 2009. This market exemplifies what a fear-driven market acts like. Granted, cattle have backed up due to the reduction in slaughter, but it appears the worst-case scenario may have already been built in.
Demand for beef has been relatively good as supplies of beef have tightened at the retail level which has sent beef cutouts soaring to record highs as packers try to keep up with the demand. This situation of low prices for cattle while soaring cutouts will eventually subside as the slaughter picks up in the future.
Weekly export sales were better than anticipated at 53.4 million bushels. This brings total commitments to only 20 percent behind last year at 1.45 billion bushels. Mexico was the biggest buyer. The USDA is forecasting total exports for the year at 1.725 billion bushels, a decline of 16.5 percent from last year. We need 12.3 million bushels of sales per week to hit their outlook. New crop sales were 13.3 million bushels. Total new crop commitments are 107 million bushels vs. 88.3 million bushels last year at this time.
U.S. corn planting was 27 percent complete as of April 26, well ahead of the 20 percent average. Minnesota had 40 percent of its corn in the ground by that date, with Illinois at 37 percent complete and Iowa at 39 percent complete. U.S. corn planting is estimated to be 45 percent complete by May 3. U.S. soybean planting was 8 percent complete as of April 26 compared to the 4 percent average. Soybean planting is expected to advance to 20 percent complete by May 3. Due to dryness in
One bright spot is the fact that the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Cattle on Feed report released on April 24 was seen as slightly friendly. This was because of reduced placements and the increased marketing figures. This could correct the deep discount of futures to cash in the weeks ahead. Obviously, the cattle market is oversold which will likely correct to some degree because of this USDA report.
Producers are frustrated with the events which have taken place in the past several months; but the old saying there is always a light at the end of the tunnel will eventually come to fruition.
The past week or so, the cash hogs have finally seen some improvement in prices. The demand for pork has been fairly steady during the coronavirus pandemic which has help improve the cash market situation.
The futures market has now reacted to this situation and rallied off current weekly and monthly lows which haven’t been seen for quite some time. This is encouraging. However, this does not mean the lower price movement is completely over. With the infection rate beginning to decline, the possibility of not seeing new lows is looking encouraging at this time.
As like the cattle, fear has dominated the market for quite some time; but it does seem as that situation is also beginning to subside. Demand will likely be the catalyst to drive the market rather than emotions in the weeks ahead. v week-on-week. The demand level is still 37 percent below last year.
The following marketing analysis is for the week ending May 1.
CORN — Another ugly Monday for corn with seed going quickly into the ground and a vacuum of any fresh friendly news. Nearby corn set a new contract low at $3.00.25 per bushel. Nearby corn has not traded below the $3.00 level since 2009. It may just be a matter of when, not if, we push through that support with expectations carryout numbers will increase on the weaker feed and corn for ethanol demand. This is not to say there couldn’t be a few bright spots along the way. If China includes corn and/or ethanol in their Phase 1 purchases, more corn acres than expected switch to soybeans, weather negatively impacts growing conditions, or feed and ethanol demand rebound quicker than currently anticipated, we could hold current levels to trade sideways.
The Phase 1 trade deal with China may be in question. The White House is considering how best to respond to China’s handling of the coronavirus. Possible tariffs are being considered at a time when China issued an additional 1.5 million metric tons of low tariff corn import quotas. They have issued a total of 6.3 mmt quotas. These quotas may be used for any origin.
Weekly ethanol production fell 26,000 barrels per day to 537,000 bpd — another record low since the industry’s infancy. An encouraging sign, however, was the first decline in ethanol stocks since March 20. Stocks fell 1.35 million barrels to 26.3 million barrels. Margins improved 6 cents/gallon to breakeven levels. The University of Illinois projects corn use for ethanol will drop to 4.75 billion bushels, down 300 million bushels from the current U.S. Department of Agriculture outlook. Gasoline demand improved for the third week in a row, up 10 percent Cash Grain Markets corn/change* soybeans/change* St. Cloud $2.67 -.02 $7.77 +.11 Madison $2.65 -.02 $7.71 -.02 Redwood Falls $2.94 +.22 $7.66 -.02 Fergus Falls $2.45 +.01 $7.55 +.09 Morris $2.58 +.04 $7.66 +.03 Tracy $2.62 +.05 $7.81 -.06 Average: $2.65 $7.69 Year Ago Average: $3.25 $7.30
Grain prices are effective cash close on May 5. *Cash grain price change represents a two-week period.
