Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is orgainc (including certified organic, transitioning to organic andpotential organic)pig farmers, organic certification agents, organic pork marketers, veterinarians, agricultural professional, extension educators, graduate and undergraduate students, and animal scientists. Outcomes of the project have been delivered to audiences through publications in social media, newspapers, newsletters, University of Minnesota Extension website, presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops, andfocus-group meetings, and communications during farm visits. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training opportunities for organic farmers, organic certification agents, organic advocates (personnel from organic associations, local food organizations, and farmer market organizations), extension educators and investigators of the project. About 120participants, including 90organic pig farmers attended educational events, shared their experiences and were advised atworkshops, seminars, focus-group meetings, farm visits and through one-on-one communications. The project also provided opportunities for investigators of the project, a graduate student, and an undergraduate student to visit organic pig farms across four states (MN, IA, WI and PA) to identify issues and learn experiences from farmers in organic pig production. The project strengthened the research team and the research program of organic swine at the University of Minnesota. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outcomes of the project have been disseminated to organic farmers and their stakeholders, ag professsionals, and researchersthrough presentations at conferences, workshops and seminars; publications through social media and website; and communications with individual farmers through farm visits (see the full list of Products). Selected farmers whowere visited by investigators of the project received recommendations for improvement in organic pig production on their farms. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In contrast to the rapid development in organic agricultural production, organic pig production in the U.S. remains negligible. Factors that restrict organic swine production include high cost of organic feed, difficulty in management for outdoor access and confinement-free housing systems, parasite control without using synthetic dewormers, and access to organic meat markets. Solving these problems requires research usingsystematic approaches. This project is the first to establish an organic swine research and extension program at a land grant university in the Midwest where about 50% of organic pork is produced (USDA, 2018). The project has been successfully completed and resulted in the establishment of an organic swine research and extension program at the University of Minnesota. The organic swine program is built upon two research proposals that were generated from this project and funded by the Organic Transition Program of National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA (Award # 2018-51106-28772; Award # 2017-51106-27129). The established organic swine program at the University of Minnesota will benefit organic and transitioning pig farmersby providing research-based solutions to issues in organic pig production, benefit meat processors and consumers by quantifying quality of organic pork, and benefit the general public at large through sustainable organic agricultural production. Accomplishment of Objective 1) identify key issues in organic swine production that will be addressed in research plans: An online survey was conducted to collect information regarding organic pig production and key issues in the Midwest. The survey was sent to 120 individuals through UMN Alternative Swine Listserve, and 15 individuals (13%) responded to the survey. Four face-to-face focus group meetings with farmers and their stakeholders were organized to discuss issues in organic pig production. The focus-group meetings were held at four locations across the region to reach local farmers: St Cloud, MN (8 participants on Jan 11th, 2018); in La Crosse, WI (25 participants on Feb. 23rd, 2018); in Rochester, MN (18 participants on April 12th, 2018); and in Morris, MN (13 participants on June 20th). Five organic pig farms in four states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) were visited by the Pl and investigators of the project to collect information on challenges in organic pig production. Identified key issues in organic pig production are summarized into four categories: 1) Animal Health (parasites, diarrhea, essential oil or other ways to treat sick animals); 2) Production Costs and Efficiency (feed, bedding, and start-up costs, returns on investment, piglet pre-weaning mortality); 3) Supplies and Markets (lack of organic feed and protein sources, and feed mills, slaughter/meat processing plantsand markets for organic pork); 4) Organic Standards and Research (reality of organic standards, difficulty to access pastures year-round in the Midwest, lack of research funds to solve production issues). Potential research topics suggested by the focus groups were: 1) Development of tools for organic pig production, such as vaccination programs, deworm programs, and organic feeding programs; 2) Development of management strategies for raising pigs on pastures, such as parasite control, formula and feed additives for pastured pigs, effective and efficient ways of fencing, pasture management through animal and crop rotation; 3) To investigate individual variation in immunity, growth performance, and parasite resistance; 4) To identify best genetics/breeds for organic pig production; 5) To evaluate nutritional and economic value of alternative feed ingredients for organic pigs; 6) Biosecurity in organic pig production. Farmer participants expressed strong support of this project, and were enthusiastic about collaborating with universities in future organic pig research. Accomplishment of Objective 2) seek collaboration with scientists and farmers to develop an integrated OREI proposal: The project provided opportunities for the PI and investigators to interact with organic pig farmers and researchers across the country. Through individual interactions with interested audience at focus-group meetings,seminars and farm visits, collaborators from the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania were identified. An integrated research and extension proposal was developed and submitted to the Organic Transition Program of NIFA in 2018, with three researchers from the Rodale Institute and one researcher from the Kutztown University as key collaborators. The proposal addresses parasite control on organic pig farms which was one of the key issues identified in Objective 1 of this project. The proposal was fully funded by NIFA (award#: 2018-51106-28772; Title: Manure and pasture management to reduce swine parasites in organic pastured pork production). In addition, another proposal was developed in collaboration with scientists from multi-disciplines in Minnesota to tackle another key issue identified in Objective 1. This proposal focuses on reducing feed cost in organic pig production and was funded by the Organic Transition Program of NIFA (award # 2017-51106-27129; Title: Breaking barriers to organic swine transition: utilizing cover crops as feed ingredients to reduce feed cost). The two funded research projects demonstrate the successful completion of Objective 2. Accomplishment of Objective 3) explore the alternative swine facility at the WCROC for organic swine research and production: We have collected information on what works and what does not work in housing systems for organic pigs during farm visits. The information is used to develop a design of the organic pig housing system at the WCROC for production and research. Currently, pigs are raised under near-organic conditions, and economic environmental impacts of organic pig production are underevaluation. This is a continuing effort beyond the project period. To complete the extension component of thisproject, four seminars and workshops were organized in St Cloud, MN (27 participants), Rochester, MN (18 participants), Morris, MN (13 participants), and Waterloo, IA (28 participants) for researchers, farmers and stakeholders to discuss best management practices for organic swine production. The seminars and workshops addressed four critical areas: 1) Benefits and benchmarking of organic swine production systems; 2) Strategies to maintain health of organic pigs; 3) Feeding organic pigs with alternative feed ingredients; and 4) Management strategies for diverseorganic swine production systems. By using materials presented by the speakers at the seminars and information through literature review, three factsheets were developed and published through the UMN Extension website. These factsheets (1. Highlights - Certified Organic Production in the USA; 2. Improving Health Status of Organic Pigs; 3. Early Detection of Sick Pigs in Organic Production Systems) were designed to address questions and concerns from organic farmers. To demonstrate the best practices of organic pig production, four organic pig farms in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania were filmed. Three video clips will be developed from these films to demonstrate practices of biosecurity, feed management, and pasture management on organic pig farms.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Li, Y., L. Johnston, B. Heins, R. Cox, W. Lazarus, J. Tallaksen, W. Martin, F. Forcella, R. Gesch, R. Carr, and A. Hernandez. 2019. Organic Swine Research at the University of Minnesota. Department of Animal Science Showcase, University of Minnesota. St Paul. MN. Apr. 3, 2019.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Li, Y., L. Johnston, B. Heins, J. Tallaksen, W. Lazarus, R. Cox, and W. Martin. 2019. Identifying Challenges in Organic Swine Production. Stevens County Times - Morris Sun Tribune, Mar. 11, 2019. Farm Section Addition 2019. Available at: https://issuu.com/morrissuntribune/docs/2019_farm
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Features from the Farm: News from the West Central Research and Outreach Center - Organic Swine Production. Stevens County Times - Morris Sun Tribune. Oct. 30, 2017. Available at: https://www.stevenscountytimes.com/business/4351358-features-farm-news-west-central-research-and-outreach-center.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Dr. Li Awarded Funding for Organic Swine Production Research. Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota. Available at: https://www.ansci.umn.edu/li-organic-swine
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Li, Y., and A. Hilbrands. 2019. Reducing piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems. Midwest Organic Pig Conference, Waterloo, IA. Mar. 8, 2019.
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is existing, transitioning and potential organic pig farmers and their stakeholders, including organic certification agents, organic pork marketers,veterinarians, Ag. professionals, extension educators, andanimal scientists. Outcomes of the project have been delievered to audeinces through workshops, seminars,focus group meetings, farm visits, internal reports, presentations at conferences, and publications. Changes/Problems:The project has been approved for a one year no-cost extension. The extended period will allow us to complete the videos as initially planned and to design the organic pig facilities at the WCROC. There is no change in goals, objectives or outcomes of the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training opportunities for farmers, organic certification agents, organic advocates (personnel from organic associations, local food organizations, and farmer market organization), extension educators and investigators of the project. Eighty three participants, including 55 organic pig farmers have been trained and have shared their experiences with each other through workshops, seminars, focus group meetings, farm visits or one-on-one communications. The project also provided opportunities for investigators of the project to visit organic pig farms across the country to identify issues and learn experiences from farmers in organic pig production. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outcomes of the project have been disseminated to farmers and their stakeholders through presentations at conferences, workshops and seminars; publications throughwebsite; and individual communications withfarmers through farm visits and emails. Selected farmers that have been visited by investigators of the project have received recommendations for improvement in organic pig production on their farms. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will focus on making short videos to demonstrate best practices of managing organic pigs. Potential titles of short-videos will be: Biosecurity for organic swine farms (movement of people, pigs, and trucks) Key elements for outdoor access (set-up of water drinkers, feeders, floors for outdoor runs, animal-pasture rotation) Improving health status of organic pigs (based on the factsheet: early disease identification, parasite prevention, strategies to enhance immune function) Improving animal nutrition and feed efficiency in organic pig production (balanced rations, management to reduce feed wastage) We will continue to visit organic pig farms in the Midwest region, to evaluate feasibility ofan organic pig housing system at the WCROC for production and research, and to communicate outcomes of the project with farmers and stakeholders.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Althoughgross organic agricultural production has increased dramatically over the last several years, organic pigs produced in the U.S.remains unchanged and negligible. Factors that restrict organic swine production include high cost of feed and bedding, difficulty in managementwith outdoor access and confinement-free housing systems, disease control without antibiotics, and access to organic processors and transporters. In addition, productivity and efficiency on organic pig farms are usually lower compared to conventional operations, resulting in high price of organic pork and low returns for organic swine producers. To solve these problems and to sustain organic swine production, research using a systems-approach is needed. This project is the first to establish an organic swine research and extension program at a land grant university in the Midwest where about 50% of organic pork is produced (USDA, 2016). The project leads to the development of an integrated Organic Transition Program (ORG) proposal. Ultimately, the program benefits organic and transitioning swine producers by providing research-based solutions to improve production efficiency, benefits meat processors and consumers by quantifying quality of organic pork, and benefit the general public at large through sustainable organic production. Accomplishment of Objective 1) identify key issues in organic swine production that will be addressed in research plans: An online survey was conducted in Oct. 2017 to collect information regarding organic pig production and key issues in the Midwest. The survey was sent to 120 individuals through the UMN Alternative Swine Listserve, and 15 individuals (13%) responded to the survey. Four face-to-face focus group meetings with farmers and their stakeholders were organized to discuss issues in organic pig production. To reach broader audiences in the Midwest region, the focus-group meetings were held at four locations across the region: St Cloud, MN (8 participants on Jan 11th, 2018); in La Crosse, WI (25 participants on Feb. 23rd, 2018); in Rochester, MN (18 participants on April 12th, 2018); and in Morris, MN (13 participants on June 20th). Five organic pig farms in four states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) have been visited by the Pls and investigators of this project to collect information on challenges in organic pig production. Identified key issues in organic pig production are summarized into four categories: 1) Animal Health (parasites, diarrhea, essential oil or other ways to treat sick animals); 2) Production Costs and Efficiency (feed, bedding, and start-up costs, returns on investment, piglet pre-weaning mortality); 3) Supplies and Markets (lack of feed and protein sources, feed mills, slaughter houses/meat processing plants, and markets for organic pork); 4) Organic Standards and Research (reality of organic standards, difficulty to access pastures year-round in the Midwest, lack of research funds to solve production issues). Potential research topics suggested by the focus groups are: 1) Development of tools for organic pig production, such as vaccination programs, deworm programs, and organic feeding programs; 2) Development of management strategies for raising pigs on pastures, such as parasite control, formula and feed additives for pastured pigs, effective and efficient ways of fencing, pasture management through animal and crop rotation; 3) Individual variation in immunity, growth performance, and parasite resistance; 4) Genetics/breeds for organic pig production; 5) Nutritional and economic value of alternative feed ingredients for organic pigs; 6) Biosecurity in organic pig production. Farmer participants expressed strong support of this project, and are enthusiastic about collaborating with universities in organic pig research. Accomplishment of Objective 2) seek collaboration with scientists and farmers to develop an integrated OREI proposal: Through interactions with organic farmers and their stakeholders at focus group meetings and workshops/seminars, collaborators from the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, PA were identified. An integrated research and extension proposal was developed and successfully submitted to the Organic Transition Program (ORG) in March 2018, with three researchers from the Rodale Institute and one researcher from the Kutztown University as key collaborators. Accomplishment of Objective 3) explore the alternative swine facility at the WCROC for organic swine research and production: We have been collecting information on what works and what does not work in housing systems for organic pigs during farm visits. The information will be used to evaluate the feasibility of an organic-certified pig housing systemat the WCROC for production and research. This is a continuing effort throughout the project period. Three seminars and workshops have been organized in St Cloud, MN (27 participants), Rochester, MN (18 participants), and Morris, MN (13 participants) for researchers, farmers and stakeholders to discuss best management practices for organic swine production. The seminars and workshops addressed four critical areas: 1) Benefits and benchmarking of organic swine production systems; 2) Strategies to maintain health of organic pigs; 3) Feeding organic pigs with alternative feed ingredients; and 4) Management strategies for diversity organic swine production systems. By using materials presented by the speakers at the seminars and information through literature search, we have developed three factsheets (1. Highlights - Certified Organic Production in the USA; 2. Improving Health Status of Organic Pigs; 3. Early Detection of Sick Pigs in Organic Production Systems) for organic pig farmers. These factsheets are designed to address questions and concerns from organic farmers. Farmers and other audiences can access the factsheets through the UMN Extension website (https://extension.umn.edu/swine/small-scale-swine-production).
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Yuzhi Li. 2018. Organic Swine Production in the United States. Presentation at the Minnesota Organic Conference, St Cloud, MN. Jan. 11, 2018
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Ross Duffield. 2018. Diversity of Organic Swine Production Systems and Management Strategies. Presentation at the Minnesota Organic Conference, St. Cloud, MN. Jan. 11, 2018.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Jim VanDerPol. 2018. A Farmer's Perspective on Organic Pig Production. Presentation at the Minnesota Organic Conference, St. Cloud, MN. Jan. 11, 2018.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Yuzhi Li. 2018. Organic Swine Planning Project at the WCROC. Newsletter available at: https://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/wcroc-news/planning-organic-swine
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
WCROC News Release. 2017. Transitioning to Organic Swine Production. Available at: https://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/news/transition-organic-swine
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Y.Z. Li, W. Martin, B. Heins, L. Johnston, W. Lazarus, and J. Tallaksen. 2018. Highlights - Certified Organic Production in the USA. Available at: https://extension.umn.edu/swine/small-scale-swine-production#about-organic-swine-production-in-the-us-1311511
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Y.Z. Li, W. Martin, B. Heins, L. Johnston, W. Lazarus, and J. Tallaksen. 2018. Improving health status of organic pigs. Available at: https://extension.umn.edu/small-scale-swine-production/improving-health-organic-pigs
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Y.Z. Li, W. Martin, B. Heins, L. Johnston, W. Lazarus, and J. Tallaksen. 2018. Early detection of sick pigs in organic production systems. Available at: https://extension.umn.edu/small-scale-swine-production/early-detection-sick-pigs-organic-systems
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