The Rural Voice, 2001-08, Page 18QUALITY FLOORING FOR
FARROWING BARNS
V -bar Flooring
• 2 ft. to 10 ft. lengths • 2 ft. widths
• knurled or smooth bars • galvanized • self supporting
Vandepas Welding
R.R. 2 Kenilworth, ON 519-848-6537
CaII for the dealer nearest you.
For
ATWOOD
LENCO
SUPPLY LTD.
(519) 356-2282
TARA
H. NICHOLSON
& SON
(519)934-2343
Wet Dry
Feeders
• Better feed management.
• Reduces feed wastage.
• High grade stainless steel construction for
ultimate durability.
• All fittings and bolts inside feeder are stainless
steel.
• Equipped with adjustable shelf and solid
divider.
• Can be installed between existing partitions or
mounted on the floor.
more information contact your local BSM Dealer:
GRANTON
AVONBANK
FARM EQUIPMENT
(519) 225-2507
LUCKNOW
MAITLAND VALLEY
AGRI SYSTEMS LTD.
(519) 529-3820
MILDMAY
MIDWAY FARM
SYSTEMS
(519)367-5358
WELLESLEY
PROGRESSIVE
FARMING
(519) 656-2709
BSM Agri Ltd. R R a4 Arthur, ON, Canada NOG 1A0
Tel (519) 848-3910 Fax (519) 848-3948
DRAYTON
CONESTOGO
AGRI SYSTEMS INC.
(519)638-3022
WALTON
KEITH SIEMON
FARM SYSTEMS LTD.
(519) 345-2734
Visit our new website at
www.bsmagri.com
14 THE RURAL VOICE
want to gain more technical skills
and knowledge which further
increases their performance and helps
increase the productivity and welfare
of the animals.
Currently the U.S. pork industry
has a 60 per cent rate of staff
turnover, he said. Between better
selection of staff (for instance women
are more apt to have more positive
attitudes to gentle handling) and
proper training, farm owners can
have both happier stock and happier
stockpeople.
"These types of studies tell us we
have good opportunities to improve
production and animal welfare," he
said.
Job sat-
isfaction for
employees on
the 200 -sow
farrow -to -finish
(later 300 -sow
farrow -to -
wean) Sask-
atchewan farm
was the impetus
for - Nancy
Lidster to try to
find out more
about handling livestock.
"I had good people working with
me who were frustrated because they
couldn't move animals efficiently,"
she said. The frustrations led to
arguments and unhappiness among
the workers because of their
expectations of each other. "They
were trying their best but it just
didn't work."
In an act of desperation, five years
ago she went to hear a noted animal
behaviorist who gave tips on moving
animals to people from the beef
industry, elk farms and sheep farms,
but who had nothing specific on pig
handling. Still, between listening to
the speaker's discussion of how
animals don't like people in their
"flight zone" directly behind them,
and their need to move to increase
space between themselves and
anything pressuring them, and her
own experience in 20 years of
handling animals, she developed
skills which she not only transferred
to her own employees, but now
teaches to others as a full-time job,
she and her husband having sold off
their herd.
In many cases, that means humans
have to change their own natural
r
Dr. Paul
Hemsworth