Photo Gallery: Photo Gallery: Reed Family Farms Builds Neighbor Relations with On-Farm Picnics

Photos by Dean Houghton

Sep. 26, 2012

Iowa Farm is Great Place to Raise a Family

"Having been born and raised on the family farm where we now live, and working alongside my father as a little boy, I fell in love with Iowa agriculture and the life and values associated with it," Ryan Reed reflects. "We believe rural Iowa is one of the best places in the world to raise a family."
Reed Family

Ryan and Lana Reed and their children, Kylee, Conner and Colt, enjoy life in rural Iowa.
Trees Frame Reed Farmstead

Trees provide a living frame that encompasses a picture-perfect farmstead for Ryan and Lana Reed. Wide grass buffers surround their two, 2,400-head finishers.
Open to Neighbor Suggestions

"One neighbor suggested we plant trees around the barns," Ryan Reed recalls. "We thought that sounded like a good idea. We try to always keep our ears open, because you can always learn something, whether people are sharing a positive statement or a negative statement."
Environmental Stewards

Ryan and Lana Reed maintain approximately 1,200 trees around the perimeter of their farm near Ottumwa, IA.
Tree Plantings Help Attract Wildlife

A row of berry and nut-producing shrubs such as high bush cranberry, ninebark, hazelnut and arrowwood help attract wildlife to the Reed farm.
Great Place for Games

A great place for a game of tag, the wide lawns around the Reed family's hog buildings also host an annual Fourth of July picnic for more than 300 members of the local community.
Barn Quilts Add Color to Finishers

Barn quilts add an eye-catching touch to the finishing buildings. These sections of plywood are painted to resemble an individual quilt block.
Large Pen Layout

The Reeds' 2,400-head barns are set up with large pens, each quadrant holding 600 pigs.
Monitoring Water Use

The Reeds strive to use water responsibly. Water consumption records point out potential pig health problems, but also can find otherwise undetected water leaks.
Manure Value

Manure nutrients are applied in the fall with a 9,500-gallon, triple-axle Houle tanker with Dietrich incorporators and closers.
High-Quality Nutrients Grow Healthy Crops

Manure offers a high-quality source of nutrients at only about one-fourth the cost of commercial fertilizer. "It has been a great benefit to the bottom line," Ryan Reed says.
Mortality Composting Helps Protect Biosecurity

The Reed family uses an on-site, covered composter for mortalities. It features a concrete floor and three bays to help manage the composting process. "The composter greatly adds to our biosecurity and also saves money as compared to using a rendering service," Ryan says. A local sawmill provides the wood chips for the composter.
Gardens Galore

Lana Reed's gardening touch brings a flood of flowers to the Reed farm.
Beautiful Buildings

Flowering shrubs and decorative barn quilts combine for a stunning landscape.
Flowers Attract Birds

Colorful gardens attract birds and butterflies to the Reed Family Farm.
Finishing Buildings Fulfill Dream

In 2007 the Reeds constructed two, 2,400-head, tunnel-ventilated finishers on their home site. The finishers are operated under contract with Cargill Pork, LLC. "This was a chance for me to fulfill a lifelong dream of farming," Ryan says.
Planning to Persevere

In early 2012 Ryan and Lana Reed lost their farmhouse in a fire. Ever the optimists, they made a temporary home in the corner of the farm shop while their new home is being built. "We believe rural Iowa is one of the best places in the world to raise a family. It is our intent to maintain and improve this environment so that our children and grandchildren may enjoy the same luxuries and values that have made our life so enjoyable on the farm," Ryan says.

2012 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Award-winning Reed Family Farms holds an annual Fourth of July picnic for their community, attracting upwards of 300 people to the farm for fun and games, and a chance to learn more about pork production.

Enjoy this photographic tour of Reed Family Farms. Learn more about the operation by reading the story, "Wooded Wonderland," published in the Sept. 15, 2012 issue of National Hog Farmer. Take a video tour of of the farm by visiting the Video Section at the National Hog Farmer Web site.

Photo Gallery: Reed Family Farms Builds Neighbor Relations with On-Farm Picnics

Iowa Farm is Great Place to Raise a Family

Reed Family

Trees Frame Reed Farmstead

Open to Neighbor Suggestions

Environmental Stewards

Tree Plantings Help Attract Wildlife

Great Place for Games

Barn Quilts Add Color to Finishers

Large Pen Layout

Monitoring Water Use

Manure Value

High-Quality Nutrients Grow Healthy Crops

Mortality Composting Helps Protect Biosecurity

Gardens Galore

Beautiful Buildings

Flowers Attract Birds

Finishing Buildings Fulfill Dream

Planning to Persevere

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