Friday, November 15, 2013

The Whole Hog: Facts About Hog Farming

By Lianne Derocco


Getting into the business of hog farming may be new to some people but it is in fact a common way of life for many people in the United States as well as in some other parts of the world who are into livestock-raising. More than 70,000 hog farms exist in the U.S. and the state of Iowa produces the most pork. About 120 million pigs are being raised and produced in the U.S. yearly and more than 19 million of these are from Iowa. So if these figures alone have already set off an interest for you; here are a few other tidbits about hog farming.

Commonly, hogs or pigs are known to be the source of food products such as ham or bacon. What we may not really know is that some of its non-edible parts are also being made into a variety of products. It might surprise you that products you use like your shampoo, paint, candles, gelatin and even medicines you take may contain components taken from pigs. What this ultimately tells us is that the pig is one of the highly popular livestock we raise in order to come up with several useful products as well as food.

When it comes to hog farming, it is wrong to think that the only kind exists in the form of one raising hogs from birth up to its processing. Some hog farmers make it their business to actually raise hogs when they are but newborn and then let them go and put them out for sale after weaning. On some farms, hog raisers buy those weaned pigs and then take care of them until the time when they are ready to be processed thus the selling takes place. This is not to disregard of course more intricate farms which care for hogs from birth up until the day of their processing.

Keeping pigs healthy is always a huge priority for hog farmers, but it's also important to deal with agricultural waste properly and pigs certainly produce a large amount of manure. While this manure can be used as fertilizer and some are converting it into fuel, the waste must be properly treated whether it is in a waste pit or a waste lagoon. Often untreated waste leads to problems such as a top-level crust forming or sludge building up on the bottom. Foaming often occurs during especially warm weather and this actually has caused explosions. Obviously, keeping these problems from happening is important.

Before you jump into any hog waste treatment solution you find available out there, try to consider ones which are natural and effective in helping you resolve problems with sludge, crusting and foaming in your farm. What may be more than just qualified is the Agra Sphere or the Lagoon Agra Sphere. You are sure to find your problems eliminated and even find that flies and unwanted odor diminished.

As for existing crusting, it is never too late to treat your waste pit or lagoon when you use Activator Plus or Lagoon Activator. It works through liquefying the crust, after which you should consistently treat it with Agra Sphere. Problems in hog farms should not be difficult to address as it is already real labor to keep up with hog farming. So if you want to ease things a little bit and be successful at maintaining healthy hogs, trust naturally-made products which are definitely effective.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment