Dennis Avery Article on Confinement Hogs
Greg and Lei Gunthorp (hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com)
Sun, 28 Dec 97 09:59:43 PST
Whoa! Did Dennis Avery ever make some sweeping generalazations about confinement
and pasture hog producers.
It all comes down to his last paragraph. He states Iowa confinement swine farms project
18% returns on investment(12% if they have no use for the manure). Why didn't he find out
a return on investment figure for pasture operations? It would have ruined his whole article.
Pasture hog operations will at least double those confinement figures! They also don't smell.
They don't pollute the environment if they are pasture operations(grass or legumes not bare
dirt). He made a lot of statements describing outside operations. (Ones on bare dirt that never
rotate pastures.)
And pasture operations give economic power to independant farmers. Isn't that the true problem with low input farming? If managed properly it can be too profitable for agriculture? We apparently
don't want farmers to make a decent living. We also apparantly don't want farming systems that
have long term sustainability. My family will continue to raise pigs on pasture for at least another
50 years if we have a market.(And still basically the same size as when it started!) Tell me a
confinement operation that can say that.
Best wishes,
Greg Gunthorp
hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com
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