The Rural Voice, 1986-06, Page 10Thames Bend
and Tramisol.
The success story.
THAMES BEND .:
FARMS
tIgwoodt
Thames Bend tops in registration.
Warren and Richard Stein's Thames Bend Farms
of Tavistock, Ontario, won an award for
registering the most purebred swine in Canada.
How did they do it? Let's listen to Richard Stein:
"Whether you operate a purebred herd or
a commercial unit, the number of pigs marketed
per sow determines your profit level.
The key to success lies in keeping your little pigs
alive and growing through those critical
first eight weeks of life. We do everything possible
to minimize stress in this period. As a result,
we have been able to virtually eliminate
post -weaning death losses"
At Thames Bend Farms, all sows get Tramisol
as soon as they enter the farrowing crates.
"We have found this to be a very effective program,"
comments Richard. "Tramisol provides broad
spectrum control of internal parasites. It breaks
the worm cycle, and ensures that the little pigs
won't contact parasites in the nursing environment:
Tramisol works for award-winning operations like
Thames Bend Farms. And it will work for you too.
'Registered User Cyanamid Canada Inc.
CCVANAM/O
8 THE RURAL VOICE
Dietrich cash flowed the system.
On the basis of pre -mix savings
and the potential for improved
performance per animal, he found
that he could make it work. Still
surprised, he took the numbers to
his banker and got the financing he
needed.
Paul, now happy with his own
pre -mix from the Weigh-Tronix,
has begun to sell pre -mix to other
farmers. He likes the quality of
pre -mix and can see results on his
own farm. Both his pork and
poultry operations have improved.
Paul compared his growth results
with the charts provided by the
hatchery and discovered that he
didn't fall within the 10 per cent
range of expected good results —
he was happily 2.5 per cent above
the top of the range. It pleases him
immensely that his hens are
significantly above average,
especially because his housing
facilities aren't as good as he
would like them to be.
Dietrich analyzed all the
numbers and consulted several dif-
ferent nutritionists before getting
into the pre -mix business. His mill
is now programmed for 20-25 dif-
ferent rations, although he regular-
ly uses only about six in his own
operation.
Not much has come easy for the
Dietrichs. When they bought their
farm in 1972, they moved into a
130 -year-old house. They vowed to
build a new home as soon as possi-
ble, but, as often happens on a
farm, other matters like barns got
their attention first. In March
1981, almost 10 years after pur-
chasing the farm, the Dietrich's
moved into their drive shed and
called it home for eight months
while their new house was being
built.
Paul and Anita acted as general
contractors on their new home.
Paul's experience as a carpenter at
Seagram helped. Seated at the kit-
chen table with a coffee in their
friendly, modern home, it's easy to
believe they enjoy it after eight
months in the driving shed.
"I'm really proud of the heating
system," says Paul. Their water -
to -air heat pump saves a great deal
on heating costs. Water leaving the
furnace passes through 3,000 feet
of two-inch poly pipe. The well -
water is 47 degrees Fahrenheit
when it starts through the system;
it passes through 1,800 feet of pipe