7
The cost of getting feed in the bin

“This is an area most people haven't thought much about. How many of you have talked to your toll miller about a discount if you could get 80% of your feed delivered in mid-week?” he asks. Avoiding feed deliveries on Mondays and Fridays could save you $3-5/ton.

Another cost that is catching on with toll millers is the “full-load delivery price,” applied regardless of how much feed is actually being delivered.

“You've got to get better at ensuring that when a feed truck comes onto your place, that truck is completely full,” he notes.

8
Managing heating and cooling costs/payback

“The electronic controller is where the decisions are made to control energy use. We don't do a very good job of understanding what is there and how to use it,” he admonishes.

One adjustment many producers have not made is allowing for more body heat generated by modern-day genetics. “People think they have to keep barns warmer today because pigs are leaner, and they don't have any backfat for warmth,” he explains. “But, the deposition of lean creates more heat than the deposition of fat, so today's genetics have 15-20% greater heat output than the genetics of the '80s.”

To set temperatures more effectively, be sure to measure the temperature at pig level before establishing the set point for temperature, he suggests.

On the flip side, producers need to do a better job of cooling pigs during the hot summer months. “Start sprinkling pigs at 80° F. and be sure to wet all pigs,” Brumm says. He suggests two minutes of “on” time, covering no more than 60% of the pen. “And remember, cooling happens when pigs are drying, not when they are being sprinkled. The key is a big water droplet.”

Brumm also suggests plumbing drippers from the center of the barn outward. When drippers are plumbed from one end of the barn to the other, the “on” time required to get the last pen wet means the first pens receive excess water. Plumbing from the center reduces “on” time, conserves water and ensures more uniform coverage in each pen.