Who`s Gonna Feed Them Hogs

[BA Deere]

Since I can`t argue politics I thought I`d link one of my favorite songs on here 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iYHcAAKbNU 

You know with this cheap corn and you have the facilities, I think a guy could make money buying #40 feeder pigs for probably $70. 

[gough whitlam]

Have you had anything to do with pigs?

[BA Deere]

Oh yes, I always have probably always will until I`m "laying in a hospital in a medicated fog wondering who`s gonna feed them hogs"  🙂

It`s really sad to drive through the country these days and not see any hogs.  Old farrowing houses with their roofs caved in from 20 years of neglect, eventually burned and buried.  i guess most anymore think it`s easier to hit the switch on a auger and sell a load of corn than sort a load of hogs.

Too bad how small independents have just rolled over and let the integrators take over.  They have the corn growing 100 yards from their hog houses, some free family labor.  There`s niche markets and sale barns sell odd hogs and sows, sometimes those odd lots of market hogs bring pretty good if the buyers are scrabbling to fill a load.  But we are rapidly coming to a point where not many remember how to "raise hogs".

[wt51015]

The regs have taken the "independence" out of the independent hog farmer.

[k-289]

What regs are the problem ?

[wt510151]

It's the extra duties that PQAplus has put on us plus environmental hoops we have to jump through. Makes working for someone else look sweeter than choring through the cold night after a cold day on the good paying job onlly to be told that you still have to write down all the details that are necessary for selling that critter. It's costly for the small producer who could sell some privately with trust but how are you going to sell the rest of the batch without the credentials?

[rbmerritt11]

BA Deere- I know what you are talking about. I would love to raise hogs again but there isn't a single place to market hogs in my area of VA- Accomack County. I amm 66 and the window of opportunity to do so is getting away from me. Back in the 70s I had sows- sold feeder pigs and finished the rest. The most I ever had was around 80 sows- outside lots- Smidley or Smidley type farrowing units and a couple LUCO finishing floors. I retired (?) from a corporate job in 2004 and last year between corn, wheat and soybeans planted almost 400 acres so you see I am a small grain farmer but that doesn't compare to livestock. Anyway- just chipping in.

[BA Deere]

Wow RBMerrit, you must not be far from the Chinoteague pony swim?   I didn`t know there had been hogs raised around there not too terribly long ago. 

If you want to get back in hogs, I see on Craigs List there still must still be small hog herds here and there  http://harrisonburg.craigslist.org/grd/4239951360.html   you could find a guy on there call him up and chat where he markets his hogs usually.  It`s possible to market butchers privately through the local meat locker or if there`s a natural niche market ...possibly restuarants?  It would pobably be small scale though. 

There`s a sales barn in Shenandoah Valley, a quite a ways from you but they handle hogs 

http://shenandoahvalleylivestock.com/  

But if you decide to get back in hogs, I wish you the best of Luck.

[rbmerritt11]

Right, about 15 miles from Chincotegue. One big problem is we are at least 100 miles from a slaughter house to the north and if you go south you have to cross the bridge-tunnels. They are 70 miles from where I live and it $12 each way for a car. I would have to finish in groups of 50 or so and find somewhere to sell. I would love to do cattle but you have to haul to New Holland. My wife tells me we should have bought land near Terre Haute, IN or McHenry IL when  were there with my corporate job. Who knows??? But I sure loved to hear them self feeder lids bang!!!!

[belarus]

It'll be slightly different than the chicken industry but its already integrated.  The fat lady sang.