Better Pork - 2016 December

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14 Better Pork December 2016
COMPUTERIZED HOGBARN
When Francis St. Laurent and his
father, Jocelyn, decided to double
their 2,400-sow herd near Sher-
brooke, Que. and build a new
$5-million barn in 2014, they knew
it would use group housing and
electronic feeders.
But which system to choose
among many available?
The family chose Big Dutch-
man’s Call-Inn pro basically be-
cause of its track record, said Fran-
cis, 24, in a recent phone interview.
Michigan-based Big Dutchman
has manufactured computer feed-
ers for more than 20 years. Francis
describes the system as “powerful”
in use. Individual dietary adjust-
ments, simplified by computerized
feeding, bestow obvious bottom-
line benefits.
Hans-Gerd Ulrich, Big Dutch-
man’s sales director, Canada and
US key accounts, says Francis
reported not only reduced feed
costs but also improved piglet
production in the newer St. Laurent
barn. Central Canada represents an
active market now partly because
of Canada’s Code of Practice for the
Care and Handling of Pigs, Ulrich
said.
The relatively high proportion
of family-farm businesses is also a
marketing factor because of propri-
etors’ personal interest in improved
production, he said. Interest is less
great among “integrators and hired
workers generally,” he said.
St. Laurent’s biggest headaches
involved educating employees.
Although Big Dutchman offers
its own software, Francis has stuck
with PigKnows for most
applications because it’s what the
family used in the older barn. The
family – Francis is the oldest of four
siblings – also knows they’ll have to
make further adjustments before
the Code of Practice becomes man-
datory in six years.
However, the shift to using more
technology and data seems inevi-
table, he said.
“It’s more than a trend,” St. Lau-
rent said. “It changes completely
the way to do things.” BP
Computer feederspaysoff forSherbrookefarmers
Francis St. Laurent
Big Dutchman, Inc. photo