A2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 27,1981 BY SHEIL A MILLER REINHOLDS The most recent addition to the string ot Dekalb swine crossing farms scattered across the country has been constructed in Lancaster County. The 500 sow tarrow-io-tmish complex was open tor public scrutiny yesterday for the first and last tune. Once the breeding swine move m next month, the complex will be a closed environment to allow maximum disease control, and visitors will be carefully screened. The complex, which will be populated with Dekalb foundation stock from Illinois, is owned by a corporation of local farmers and businessmen known as Middle Creek Swine Breeders, Inc. The fourteen-member corporation includes: Ezra Good, Fivepomt ville, president; Eugene Martin, Work crews put the finishing touches on the _jy. new com] jx is si 500 sow Dekalb crossing complex early this Route 897 in northern Lancaster week in preparation for the Middle Creek of Reinholds. Swine Breeders. Inc. open house, held r -- - - - - : - - -- Butler fimmoleil Buildings your F FARMSTED® I - Building Engineered For Farmer Erection $ 7 f 3oo°° —l Buy NOW, New Price P. E. HESS, BUTLER MFG. CO. , lncrease wi u Be Effective 80x33(7, Oxford, PA 19363 [_agri builde~r! j July 1.1981. fl Dealer Inquiries Available in Pennsylvania Counties Armstrong Indiana Erie Crawford Warren Elk Cameron McKean Clinton Lycoming Sullivan Wyoming Luzerne Columbia New Jersey Counties Sussex Morris Passaic Atlantic Cape May No Dealer Fees Name Address County City Phone. Kemholds, vice president, Paul Weaver, Farmersville, treasurer; George Christianson, Lebanon, secretary, Leon Hoover, Myer stown; Robert Graybill, Lan caster; James Martin, Lebanon; Robert Martui, I'erre Hill; Aaron Horst, Terre Hill; Titus Weaver, Ephrata; Elmer Martin, Ephrata; Dr. Edward Zobian, Reading; Lloyd Good, Denver; and Leon Kurtz, Ephrata. According to Larry Horst, a spokesman for the corporation, replacement gilts raised at the complex will be ready for placement into local swine herds by July and August of next year. The corporation anticipates marketing 2.000 selei breeding gilts each year. Only half of the gilts farrowed in the house will be ‘earmarked’ tor potential breeding animals. The Zip .State__, Dekalb swine final selection ot which gilts make the grade wilP be decided *. .■ l cpi lieiildlive li uni DekaiC iswine Bieedeis, tiua. DcKalo Illinois AU unselecled gilts and uauows will be shipped to Hatfield Packing as market hugs For eveiy gdi selected by Dekalb as leplacement stock. Middle Creek Swine Breeders, Inc. will receive a premium, reported Horst, who added there is a potential market for about 2,UUO replacements to meet the needs of local farms. “Previously, the closest Dekalb crossing farm was located in North Carolina. That meant trucking costs and stress to the hogs.” tie said. "Now, farmers' can buy a local pig and better qi-ahty replacement.” Managing the total confinement facility wili be the responsbihty ot KNOXVILLE B.T. CONSTRUCTION LEROY E. MYERS. INC. CONSTRUCTION PO BoxUb Route »1, Box 163 Knoxville, Pa 16928 fciglerville. Pa 17307 Clear Spring, Md 21722 PH. 814 326 4188 PH 717 677 6121 PH 301-582-1552 I / I A. E. ENGEL. INC. C&M SALES INC. ORVILLE MACK D 1 BRIDGEWATER I PO. 80x216 Rd#l P.0.80x47 BUILDING SYSTEMS I Marlton, N.J 08053 Honesdale. Pa 18431 Nazareth. Pa 18064 INC. | PH 609-983-4404 PH.717-253-1612 PH.215-759-1331 R.D.42 Thompson; Pa, e 18465„ PH. 717-727-2868 crossing complex is raised ii a I'ciiii State graduate Lawrey Sat ei, a native ot Maryland. Sayer is presently managuig a iooo sow Dekalb herd in Kansas. The complex’s budding was designed by Dekalb and Farmer Boy Ag, Myerstown. It is their first shower-m, shower-out’ facility to offer both a men's and women’s shower. Each farrowing room features 20 narrow tarrowing crates of European design that provide an IS inch clearance inside and a bottom rad clearance ot 30 inches. “This design keeps more pigs alive,” explained Horst, “because it forces the sow to lie down and get up more slowly—she avoids crushing her pigs.” The crate’s design also has the side bars bowed .out to allow the sow to lay over completely. This permits her total underline to be exposed to the nursing pigs. . From tarrowuig to gestation, the uneeding swine dine and dnnk out ut concrete troughs. Fresh water flows through the troughs con stantly except during feeding. This concept has the advantages of keeping pens drier, requiring less maintenance and wasting less feed, stated Horst. The sows are ted automatically in the gestation room, but are hand ted in the six tarrowing rooms. Those sows that are automatically ted have their own adjustable feed boxes which can be set to dump from 0-7 pounds ot feed in front ot each sow. The automatic feeders allow the facihty’s manager more tune to observe the sows. They also reduce the stress and screaming in the herd since all the hogs are fed at once, explained Horst. Woven wire flooring has been installed in the farrowing rooms and nursery, and in the backs of ounty,west 40'x75'xl4' with 20'x13' D/S Door FARMSTED I Galvalume Walls and Galvalume Roof F. 0.8. 20 Year Warranty v H >S. i the pens in The gestation rooms. These woven floors allow manure to drop down into pits which are flushed out contmuiiusl/. Middle Creek’s manure system is the first ot its kind to be installed in a tarrowing operation in the East, noted Horst. The Lissco system incorporates an aerated lagoon with a solids separator. Manure collected in the pits is > flushed to the separator where the solids are extracted and the waste water is piped out to the lagoon. , The solids will be fed to beef cattle in a corporation member’s feedlot, according to Horst who claims it "comes out like silage.” "The manure from the separator is 70 percent moisture. This manure either has to be dried or used within 48 hours. We plan to feed it at 70 percent moisture and add nutrients and protein to the cattle’s diets,” he said, noting an analysis of 'wastage’ measured 14 percent protein. u) The waste water that is stored in the lagoon wih