The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-08-10, Page 18PAGE 2A—THE GODER'ICH.SIGNAL=STAR, THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1078
Pi _ s don't have to smell terrible
BY JIM HAGARTy
Everyone knows that
the methods of farming
have changed
dramatically over the
past half -century.
But even progressive
farmers would probably
be a little shocked to see
ow far technology has
swine.
Harry Burgsma's pig
operation on the 4th
concession of Ashfield
Township illustrates
better than most modern
farms, just how much of
an industy the swine
industry has become.
Situated on a 250 -acre
farm about 10 miles north
of Goderich, the Burgsma
swine set-up more closely
resembles a modern
manufacturing plant than
it does traditional pig
barns. The buildings are
long and low with mat-
ching gold -coloured steel
siding. A shiny blue
Harvestor silo stands
alongside the barns and
alt the grounds have been
landscaped. There are no
piles of manure or -
runaway weed patches.
"I believe. in keeping
things neat," says Harry.
"It saves time, saves
labour, and saves ac-
cidents."
Even the implement
shed and the old original
frame barn are covered
in the matching siding,
A FACTORY
INSIDE
But it's the production-
-line appearance of the
swine barn's inside that
really likens Burgsma's
'operation to a factory.
Two striking features
of the inside operation
greet the visitor upon
entering the barns: the
absence of dirt and foul
odour, and the presence
of automatic buttons,
switches, dials and
meters, 'The swine plant
is probably as automated
as it is possible for such
an enterprise to he.
"We always went for
the hest," says Harry.
"We wanted a good en-
vironment to work in
because I depend on
people to work fur me,
and they have to he
happy."
The way it's nrganired,
Harry doesn't have to
depend on too many
people. Only two men
work full-time • at • the
barns which not only
produce 80 to 100 pigs fur
market every week of the
year, but also see that
may and more little pigs
ba every seven days.
Bill Weima has heen
-treed sma wilt -the s++sure
farm ever• since the
operation was built
almost three years a.zo.
He look, after th-e
"maternity ward" part
t 'assembly line while
!fa i i� , I 9 -year-old son
Run hired on full-time a
year ago to run the he g
harn.
Bill is a big part of
Harry's success secret.
"One of the most im-
portant things in an
operation this big is to
have good people working
roc you. to share some of
the responsibility," he
says.
"if you don't have that,
then I don't think it's
worth it." adds Harry,
who has enough work of
.his own to think about as
president of the Four
Seasons Poultry Farm, a
massive broiler and layer
set-up located on the
Burgsma's home farm on
the 2nd concession.
CARPENTER BY
TRAINING
Harry Burgsma was a
•
1 -year incl carpenter
when he emigrated from
holland in 1955. He
orked on construction in
Sarnia for three years
and after marrying a girl
he'd known hack hone,
bought a 100 -acre farm in
Ashfield and went into the
swine business a few'
years ago, was to use the
feed they could grow on
their own land. All of the
chicken feed has to he
-bought because it is to
difficult for a farmer to
make his own, according
to Harry. So now, all the
poultry business. high -moisture corn his
"Things' w�°ct.4.t.`,7.,77,17:17:::... rat is grown on
the beginning," admits the Burgsma's7650 acres,
Harry. "Prices were low about 80..of which are
for broilers, and we didn't rented.
have much to start with."
But before long he had
9.000 hens in the harn he'cf
converted- to handle
them, and had to keep
working out as a car-
penter to make ends
meet, F.ventually, a
marketing hoard was
established for potittry
and farmers were almost
assured of a profit every
year.
Now, at the Four
Seasons farm, there are
45.000 broiler hens and
23,000• layers, 'a sizeable
operation by anyone's
standards. Harry spends
most of his time on that
business, working with
full -tine employee Hank
Rrink who's been with
hint for 11 years.
C)ne of the reasons the
Burgsrna's• started in the
FARM
Bill Wei.ma, herdsman at Harry Burgsma's swine operation is shown at the feed
grinder in the building which connects the hog barns to the operation's "mater-
nity ward" (Photo by Jim Hagarty)
The swine set-up takes
place in two barns. The
finishing pens are located
in a, 45 -foot by 225 -foot
building, the first one
built by the Burgsmas.
Sixty-four pens with a
capacity 'of 16 to 20 hogs
per pen, line the inside of
that harn and everything
but the . feeding is
automatic.
Each pen has two
parts: a dry. concrete
area where the pigs sleep
and feed, and a slatted -
floor section where they
drink water from a
sensitive nozzle and leave
their manure. The
manure falls through the
openings in the floor into
a central _gutter below,
from where it is pumped
every six week's into huge
holding tanks at the back
of the barn.
Hot water heat pipes
line the ceiling in the hog
Karn, keeping the air dry
and at a constant tern:
pe.ratur(! of 65 degrees
during the winter. And in
the summer, when the
heat rises too high, a fine
mist of water showers out
automatically over the
pigs frbm.:pipes running
down the centre of the
barn, keeping the pigs
from becoming
overheated and slowing
down un their food c•on-
surrip.tion.
And if there', sickness
among any of the hogs,
the entire watering
systehi can he medicated
automatically. although
so far. Harry's gotten by
With a mortality rale of
only one animal per
month.
FROM CRADLE
TO GRAVE
With the addition of a
45 -foot by 400 -foot
breeding and weaning
barn, the Burgsma
operation has become
totally integrated, taking
in the•‘t•hole life circuit of
breeding, birth, weaning,
fattening and shipment.
The sow barn is divided
into four sections: the
breeding pens, the
gestation area, the
farrowing pens where the
new pigs are born, and
the weaning area where
they are kept until there's
room for them in the
fattening barn.
Again, as in the 'hog-
ha.rn, everything is
automated. Huge fans,
imparted from Denmark
are mouneted on the
ceiling and keep the 'air
circulating and the flies
at bay. Water pipes
running beneath the
surface of the concrete
floors keep the .floors
heated to make life a
little' more comfortable
and healthy for the
valuable animals.
And the feeding in all
those pens is automatic.
Plastic pipe carrying the
mixture of high moisture
corn, soybean meal and
premix. extend along
each corridor above the
pens. Individual pipes
run down into. each pen,
and all Bill Weima has to
do to feed his brood, is to
pull a cord which triggers-
-each each pipe filling each
feeding trough to the
Turn to page 3A •
Bill Weima mixes feed at the central hopper in Harry
Burgsma's swine -barns. Except for the fattening pens
where the high moisture corn feed is delivered by
shovel to the hogs, feeding in the barn is all automatic.
(Photo by Jim Hagarty)
,gig A p� _.
•y.y.�
Harry Burgsma, tett, and Bili Weima inspect one of
the boars in the breeding area of the Burgsma's swine
operation in Ashfield Township, about 10 miles north
of Goderich. The barns are clean, efficient,, fully
automated and practically odour free. (Photo by Jim
Hagarty)
WATER WELL
DRILLING
"76 YEARS EXPERIENCE"
• FARM • SUBURBAN • INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL •
• FREE ESTIMATES
• GUARANTEED WELLS
• FAST MODERN EQUIPMENT
• 4 ROTARY & PERCUSSION DRILLS
"OUR EXPERIENCE ASSURES
LOWER COST WATER WELLS"
DAVIDSON
WELL DRILLING
LIMITED
4 Rotary and Percussion Drills
PHONE 357-1960
WINGHAM
Collect Calls Accepted
"ONTARIO'S FINEST WATER WELLS SINCE 1900"
Olson's Gravel Pit
DUNGANNON, ONT. 529-7942
®A®A AMP' A®A ARE' A Air A AIN' A Air AdElt'A A'
300 100 Load
PRICES ARE PER TON tons tons Prices
SANDY FILL
11-2 GRAVEL
B-1 GRAVEL
DUST OR SAND
4" UNDER STONE
ROAD GRAVEL
CEMENT GRAVEL
5/8" 3 STONE
.30c
.40c
.50c
.40c
.50c
.60c
1.20
1.20 1,30
1.35
1.80 1.90
.44c
.54c
.64c
1.00
1.24
1.34
1.39
1.94
OUR DELIVERY CHARGE IS LESS
Dozer and scraper available for a
good leveling job
FARM CLASSIFIED
h
SECTION
B. Custom work
CUSTOM COMBINING.
We have the equipment
and the time, don't let the
weather spoil this year's
crop. Phone Robertson
Farms 524-6658.-31;32
BULLDOZING, Allis-
Chalmers No. 650, with
six way hydraulic blade.
Bill Robinson, RR 2,
Auburn, 529-7857. —16tf
40 TON of mixed grain
wanted. Phone 395-2404
noon hours or
evenings. -32,33
Shop Canadian
D. Livestock
AGGRESSIVE breeder
boar, 275 lbs. Phone 482-
3149.=32,33
FOR SALE — Ser-
viceable age Hampshire
boars, Yorkshire boars
and Hamp X Duroc
boars, ROP tested. Bob
Robinson, RR 4 Walton,
345-2317.-28-31 i
CLAY —
Silo Unloaders
Feeders
Cleaners
Stabling
Leg Elevators
Liquid Manure
Equipment
Hog Equipment
BUTLER —
Silo Unloaders
Feeders
Conveyors
FARMATIC —
Mins
Augers, etc.
ACORN —
Cleaners
Heated Waterers
WESTEEL-ROSCO
Granaries
B & L - Hog Panelling
LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS
RR 1, Kincardine, Ont.
Phone 395-5286
for
WINDSHIELDS
SAFETY GLASS ,
AUTO UPHOLSTERY
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ROOFS
BODY MOULDINGS'
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DOOR LITES
VAN WINDOWS
CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS
MOBILE UNITS
SEAT COVERS
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INSURANCE CLAIMS
CONVERTIBLE TOPS
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