The Rural Voice, 1990-06, Page 22Maximizing farm profits while at
the same time protecting the environ-
ment and treating livestock humanely
can be a very tricky juggling act for
farmers, particularly in times of slim
to non-existent margins, but it is
important to the family of Larry and
Judy Biesinger, who run an 80 -sow
farrow to finish operation in Perth
County.
The Biesingers have raised three
children on their 150 -acre family farm
in Mornington Township, and believe
it's imperative that farmers re -learn to
balance the need for profit with their
duty to protect the life -blood of their
operations — the land and the
animals.
The fifth generation of the pion-
eering German family that cleared the
land in the 1840s, Larry says he has
seen too much degradation in his area
just in his lifetime, and more parti-
cularly in the past "5 to 10 years." He
also says he wants to leave the natural
wealth of the farm intact for the sixth
generation.
While Larry's ancestors, for
example, couldn't wait to clear the
Balancing
Priorities in
PORK
PRODUCTION
Pork producers Larry and Judy
Biesinger use a cost -benefit analysis
that takes into account both the
environment and long-term profit
margins.
by Jim Fitzgerald
Larry Biesinger is convinced that treating pigs more
humanely is a quick path to improving returns. "If
they're happier and healthier, they'll produce."
Ak. 40
land of its overwhelming forest
cover, which they saw as the enemy,
the Biesingers, in their nearly 25 years
on the farm at R. R. 4, Listowel, have
planted trees on areas that should
never have been cleared in the first
place.
"I guess we've maybe planted
a couple of thousand trees in places
like ditch corners — wherever there's
room," Larry says. The young trees
were mostly pine and spruce, but
lately the Biesingers have been trans-
planting more hardwoods like walnuts
and oaks.
A couple of years ago they started
a basket of acorns in their garden,
carefully nurtured them, and then
transplanted the seedlings to unused
areas of the farm. "They're hard to
start on this (hard clay) land," Larry
says, but adds that he and Judy are
satisfied with their success so far.
As hog producers with more than
800 animals on the farm at one time,
the Biesingers say they want to ensure
that the waste from their animals is
properly managed too. Except for the
dry sow barn, the operation has a
liquid manure system. But Larry
says there is enough capacity to hold
a year's worth of manure so it can be
spread on the land at the best time and
worked in quickly to maximize its
nutrient value and minimize its impact
on the environment.
In his friendly, soft-spoken
manner, Larry says that "livestock
farmers need to be re-educated" about
how to handle their manure without
polluting the environment. He refers
to the creek running in front of their
farm as an example of how misman-
agement spoils the environment for
everyone and gives all farmers a bad
name.
"As a kid, we used to drink that
water, and fish in it," he says, pointing
to the almost stagnant, empty brown
water in the stream which is part of
the headwaters of the Nith River.
Now covered in thick brown algae, the
creek supports only a few small min-
nows. "Now there's not even frogs in
it, and the birds have nearly all dis-
appeared. The bluebirds are all gone,
the blue herons seldom come, and I
haven't seen mud hens for years."
18 THE RURAL VOICE