FOR RELEASE: 11-12-03

PNMWG FUNDS EIGHT PORK NICHE MARKET PROJECTS

Eight projects that address the challenges facing specialty pork marketing and production efforts have been approved for funding by the steering committee of the Pork Niche Market Working Group (PNMWG).

The PNMWG is a coalition of farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and agency staff that is working to support efforts to create and serve niche pork markets. The group has focused on developing markets for hogs that are raised under high standards of animal welfare and environmental and community stewardship. The group is funded by contributions from member organizations and a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The eight projects, totaling $25,098, are:

  • Winter Farrowing Greenhouse Project – Mark Storlie, ISU Extension swine field specialist, and Jude Becker, a farmer near Dyersville, are receiving $2,676 to document the design, construction and performance of a new type of farrowing facility. Becker got the idea for the facility during a PNMWG-sponsored trip to Denmark and Sweden earlier this year. He used this experience to develop a design that involves a greenhouse for the outer structure, interior arcs for sow segregation during farrowing, and heated water pipes under a concrete floor. Storlie and Becker will document construction of the building and collect and analyze production data for at least two farrowings this winter.

  • Supplemental Heating System for Hoop or Deep-Bedded Systems – This $2,032 project will involve three ISU Extension specialists Mark Storlie, Jay Harmon and Ken Stalder, and Don Struthers, a pork producer from Collins. The project will study the use of supplemental heat in a deep-bedded nursery facility. The facility will use heated water running through 2-inch hoses looped on top/under bedding plus a hover heating system for additional heat from above. Weaned pigs will be placed in the structure until they reach approximately 55 pounds. Environmental and performance data will be collected from this facility and a conventional nursery located on the same farm.

  • New Product Development for Pork Niche Marketers – R. Parker & Associates, Inc., will receive $6,000 to create a guide for affordable and effective new product development for pork niche marketers. The project will identify the steps and costs involved, plus methods to determine which products are likely to succeed. The project will also identify how to find a processor, how to determine which markets these products can be sold to, and what resources are available to help in new product development.

  • Analysis of Delivery Systems to Increase Efficiencies – Eden Farms of State Center will receive $2,880 to work on solving a logistics problem facing niche pork marketing efforts—economical and reliable Limited Transport Loads (LTL) delivery systems for inter- and intrastate markets. A student and a professor from the ISU Business College will work with Eden Farms on this problem and produce a booklet detailing the steps needed to develop an effective LTL system.

  • Informational Meetings on Pork Niche Marketing Opportunities – Ag Connect of Lenox will receive $5,420 to conduct five informational meetings on pork niche marketing opportunities for new and existing producers. One meeting will be included as part of the PFI annual conference in Des Moines on Jan. 9, 2004, and the other four will be held between January and April 2004 across a 20-county area of Southwest Iowa. The meetings will present information from PNMWG-sponsored projects. They will also offer an opportunity to exchange information with practitioners involved in niche pork marketing efforts.

  • Evaluation and Review—Research Alliance for Farrowing (RAF) Project – Rick Exner, PFI/ISU Extension farming systems coordinator, will receive $1,590 to cover evaluation costs of a USDA SARE-funded project titled “Research Alliance for Farrowing: The Weak Link in Alternative Swine Systems.” The funds will be used to survey veterinarians and farmers to learn about attitudes toward and knowledge of health maintenance practices when farrowing in alternative swine systems. The evaluation will include surveys of 200 veterinarians, 250 farmers familiar with alternative swine systems, and 50 ISU personnel and PNMWG participants.

  • Supplemental Funding for Research Alliance for Farrowing (RAF) Project – Dave Stender, ISU Extension swine field specialist, is receiving $2,000 to support the involvement of ISU Extension swine field specialists in the RAF project. These specialists will collect data from eight farms to learn about practices that help keep baby pigs healthy during farrowing and the first few weeks of life, and these funds will help cover the costs of their involvement in the project.

  • Analysis of Costs of Alternative Production Systems – Dave Stender, ISU Extension swine field specialist, is receiving $2,500 in supplemental funds to continue a project funded by PNMWG in September 2002 to collect and analyze variable and fixed costs of alternative swine production systems.
Funding for these projects will come from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of a larger food systems project at Iowa State University to help develop food supply networks for sustainably raised Iowa foods. The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture directs the project, Value Chain Partnerships for a Sustainable Agriculture or VCPSA, with four partners at ISU: Practical Farmers of Iowa, ISU Extension, the ISU College of Agriculture, and the Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture.


For more information, contact:

Return to the Leopold Center news release page