A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 6, 1997 Environment , Technology Awareness Spell 20 Years Of Success For Pa. Pork President , An Independent Producer » (Continued from Pag* A 1) know that are always looking for a job, they’re always looking for this, they’re always looking for something different, they don’t like this, they don’t like that? But farming is always something diffe rent If you don’t like what you’re doing today, probably tomorrow is going to change.” Reinecker takes a certain pride in bucking the trends, in being dif ferent. He calls himself the “last of a dying breed” he’s an indepen dent in an industry that is becom ing almost completely vertically integrated, where producers are under contracts with feed mills, where costs are established, and where margins are small. Each year the PPPC president markets 1,500 head of hogs mostly to Hatfield Quality Meats and to about six other regular customers, mostly small packers in the area. But Reinecker ships hogs to many towns in the region and to people who want any kind of hog. He’s marketed hogs to Hanover, Carli sle, York, and auctions in Lancas ter County. Reinecker has marketed hogs to people as far away as Leesburg, Va. Those who buy spent some time as field laborers in Adams County on the many orchards. “Now they have a residential roof ing business in Leesburg,” he said. “They have their own company and they still come back here for my pigs.” Some drive two hours or more late in the week to pick out the animal they want for the holidays. Reinecker enjoys working with people, but what drew him into farming was the independence it provided. “I enjoy being out, I enjoy the seasons," he said. “The variability, the change. I enjoy the growing cycles. I enjoy nature. I’m an ani mal person. I am a people person.” Reinecker has worked on both farms in the family. One is his father’s beef farm, which includes about 160 acres of tillable land. His father Ray finishes about 100 head of beef heifers per year. They are brought in at 400-450 pounds and taken to 1,100 pounds and sold at Lancaster County auctions. Both farms include about 200 acres of com, 150 acres in soybeans. 50 acres in barley, and 10 acres in hay. The feed is used for the hogs and the beef. Reinecker makes use of a continuous-flow finishing system. He’s able Co do so successful- ly without risk of dis- ease to the herd because he uses familiar feeder suppliers; his uncle Stan Reineckcr, who uses 20 sows in York Springs, and cousin Earl Stock, who uses 80 sows in New Oxford. Reinecker is familiar with the sow units and brings pigs in at eight weeks old weighing 4S-SS pounds each v °Ursev-^ “I sell every week, so I market them as they’re ready,” he said. “My building is a continuous flow, which is contrary to the all in/all-out technology that has been used throughout the industry.” The 100 sows produce a steady supply of feeder pigs for Reinecker to finish. Both sources vaccinate against the same swine diseases. Working closely with his sources, he can cominglc the pigs in the unit That enables Dave to work toward the niche markets that he has made. Reinecker. uses predominately purebred boats at the sow units. They use either York, Hampshire, Duroc boars that are mated to a crossbred white sow base, mostly York/Hampshire crosses to get the bluebutt,Fl pigs. Stock uses AI on about 20-30 percent of the sows and makes use of some commer cial genetic stock for gilt replacement. Reinecker gets a complement of gilts and barrows to market to his customers. Though the PPPC president does fieldwork when necessary, if given a choice, he said he would rather work with the animals. “I’ve always considered myself a nurturer of animals,” he said. “It’s a talent to be able to be able to look at an animal and realize what that animal is in need of.” Dave’s father, Ray, purchased the home farm in 1962 when Dave was seven years old. Dave said he doesn’t really remember too much of not living on the farm. His father worked as a welder for the engi neering division of Bethlehem Steel. Ray had the opportunity to purchase the farm and change occupations which he did. *Tve always had an atdtude that I was bright enough to be able to do my own management,” said Reinecker. “If you’re not an inde pendent, if you’re on contract with somebody else, you are going to be depending on them for some por tion of expertise in the swine oper ation. And for that you give up both our independence as well as AME ™BS SPECIAL ortfk offer Buy 10 Bags Get 1 Free TOTAL Alfalfa (Gro/Zone Coated) ALFAGRAZE Alfalfa (Gro/Zone Coated) ARROW Alfalfa (Gro/Zone Coated) Prices same as 1997 Season For America’s Best Alfalfa... America's Alfalfa, L. ROHRER & BRO., INC.J Smoketown, PA PHONE 717-299-2571 HOURS: Monday-Friday 8:00-5PM, Closed Saturday & Sunday some profit” The conflict that Reinecker feels is evident why pay somebody else for their knowledge when you can learn that yourself? “Whether it’s to line up market ing, whether it’s to formulate feed, whether it’s to purchase inputs,” he said, the independent can do equally well himself. “Take any of the contractors whatever drey do, I had to do myself. And I enjoy that challenge. Why should I pay someone else to do it for me?" Reinecker questions the accepted belief that someone else can worry about the marketing and the price of feed. “If I had to depend cm someone else to manage my business, why am I in the busi ness? There’s $5 an hour work and there’s $l5 an hour work and somebody else is doing the $ IS an hour work while the farmer is doing $5 an hour work.” However, Reinecker insists there is a place for contracting. “I’m certainly not downing contracting. The way the economics of the industry are now, I don’t know that I could have gotten started now, 20 years later than I did. The profit in hogs has always been thought of as being a mortgage lifter. They have been for me as well. They still are, but it just takes a whole lot more capital to get into it. And I think that’s really where con tracting fits well into today’s industry, into that beginning operation.” For independent pro ducers, Hying to get the best pice at the worst of times is especially chal lenging. Reinecker remembers the turmoil in the swine industry three years ago, when the bottom dropped out Dave Relnecker, new Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council (PPPC) president, talked about the importance of adapting new technology, keeping an open mind, and think ing about the future of an industry under fire. Here he looks over a DTN satellite receiver dish. of the hog market and hogs were pound in the fall that year. He was going from 25 cents to 35 cents a losing money. For the hogs sold, “I pound. At the time, Reinecker was should have just stapled a $3O bill receiving only about $23.75 a (Turn to Pago A2l) 'll EASON’S LONG DISTANCE PHONE SERVICE ONLY 7.9 cent 4 a minute for sales agent’s interstate calls to anywhere within USA anytime •NO Access Codes • For Business & Residence use •NO Monthly Fees • 6 sec. Increment Billing after Ist min • NO Minimum Usage * Account Codes with individual » NO Term Contract billing for community phones FREE Cellular Phone FREE Airtime NO prepayment, NO term contract, NO security deposit NO credit check, NO monthly bill. Only $309 Application fee, Pre-Raid Phone Cards only 15.9 c/min. NO surcharge Send $2 for a blank card and charge it up with your credit card or send $2 plus either $lO, #25, $5O or $75 for a block of time. Te-Com Phone Service 539 Hilltop Rd. 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