Dustin Coleman raises wean pigs under contract on his farm in Missouri. Like many producers, he is always looking for smart ways to trim the fat from his budget without doing the same to his herd performance.

Last year, he reached out to Carthage Veterinary Service to discuss operational changes he might make to improve sow and parity performance without breaking the bank. Casey Neill, a nutritionist with Carthage, worked with Coleman to formulate a different ration for his sows, which he began feeding nearly a year ago.

Carthage Veterinary Service: What were some of the improvements you wanted to make to your operation that motivated you to reach out for assistance?

Dustin Coleman: One of the things we were trying to figure out was how to keep our sows in better condition — they weren’t unhealthy, but we were having a problem keeping them at a good weight throughout farrowing and breeding. We were having some troubles with underlines and teats on sows, in that they just weren’t as full as we thought they should be, to get the pigs that we wanted.

The piglets were getting some nutrition. After switching feed, though, data did show better pig weights — we were able to raise those a little bit, so that’s one thing we were looking for. Our wean contract isn’t based on weights, but at the same time, we want our buyers to get the biggest, best pigs they can from us.

CVS: As you worked with Carthage, what changes did you implement?

DC: We started feeding sows a little differently. We were maybe overfeeding some, and after talking with Casey, we realized that feeding those couple extra pounds was getting us no extra benefit. We readjusted to feed based on body condition scoring and started weighing feeders more to make sure we were feeding the proper amount — if we thought we were feeding a sow five pounds of feed, we weighed it to be sure it was five pounds.

The thinner sows, when we went to breed them back, we were having a problem keeping them bred. So we learned that if we could delay them a bit and get some more feed in them before we started breeding them, that did help.

CVS: What changes did you make in your feed?

DC: One big change was using nutrients that Carthage offered, as opposed to nutrients the feed mill would add to the diet. Lysine was a notable change, which helped tremendously with udder quality. We just bumped it 3/10, 4/10 of a percent, but that made a dramatic change.

Budget-wise, this diet would have been more cost-effective if corn had been the same price.

CVS: Did you note any changes in sows’ willingness to eat, with feed changes?

DC: We were worried at first it might dip, but all in all, the sows stayed at their levels of eating. We’re feeding 28-32 pounds a day through farrowing, and we feel like their energy level is right where it needs to be during this stage. It also helps a lot with stillborns, and we’re happy to see that. Based on anecdotal observation, we also think that our farrowing times have gone down, but we are just starting the process of tracking that metric.

CVS: What other outcomes did you begin to see after working with Carthage?

DC: The biggest thing we saw, and our veterinarian would agree, is better sow udder quality — they were fuller and had more definition, and we are not seeing a lot of udder edema.

We’re getting a better, bigger pig. We have raised our wean weights about 8/10 of a pound over the past year, and we believe a lot of that has to do with diet. Our total born has gone up about half a pig per litter. And we think the better feed, and our sows staying in better condition, has helped raise our conception rate about 3%.

I think the feed change has been a big factor. For example, we started it last fall, and despite being hit with a porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus break in November, we were still getting nice pigs out of there with good survivability.

CVS: Anything else you want to share?

DC: When I started working with Casey, we were in the middle of high feed prices and we wanted to try to lower that cost. He visited, walked through the operations, noted our feed system, and then sent us several rations to think over. We then went back and forth discussing how to proceed.

Casey was kind of the middleman with the feed mill, and he made sure everything was right in our feed and that they were doing what they were supposed to. All in all it’s been a great experience, and it takes a load off my plate not handling those details. Casey is visiting again next month; we want some feedback on what he saw prior to our changes, and what he sees now, regarding sow quality. We’re hoping he will have something better, or different, to say now!

Casey still reaches out to me every month or so to check on how things are going and asks if we need to change anything. He’s made it clear he is available anytime if he needs to come to our farm or if there’s a problem.

The feed we were using before was fine, in that it did what it needed to do — but we’re just getting a little better performance in what we’re using now.

Coleman has been a dedicated professional in the swine industry since 2012, is now the proud owner of Coleman Quality Pork. His journey started as a farmhand at Fisher Hog Farms, where his unwavering commitment and determination led to his ownership in 2021. Based in Middletown, Missouri, Coleman and his team operate a breed-to-wean facility with around 2,500 sows.

Neill is a nutritionist for Carthage Veterinary Service. He graduated with a master’s degree in swine nutrition from Kansas State University in 2005 and has traveled to 18 countries working with nutrition since.