By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER

Ohio Correspondent

SOMERVILLE, Ohio — Farmers need to develop a good relationship with their neighbors, their community. The pork industry developed the “We Care” initiative to strengthen that relationship. The Schwab Family Farm in Butler County, Ohio, and Legan Livestock in Putnam County, Ind., are two farms that embody that initiative.

We Care promises that pig farmers follow science-based, ethical practices in caring for their animals, producing safe food, supporting employees, protecting the environment and public health, and contributing to their communities.

“We launched the program in 2008,” said Dallas Hockman, vice president industry relations, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). “We felt we had done a great job in raising our product, but we had done a poor job in raising our voice and telling our story about the pork industry’s commitment to social responsibility.”

Jeff Schwab, a first-generation farmer, started Schwab Family Farm in the 1970s, just out of high school, said his daughter, Lauren. It is a breed-to-wean farm; they produce about 30,000 pigs a year. Lauren’s mother, Toni, works off the farm while Lauren and her brother, Ryan, continue to farm full-time with their father. He always emphasized humanely caring for their animals.

Lauren, who has bachelors and masters degrees from Miami University, is a vocal advocate for farming. She was a finalist in the America’s Pig Farmer of the Year competition, and was selected last year as one of the new Faces of Farming of the Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. She writes a blog, farmgirlwithcurls.com

“I recently wrote a blog post about giving animals that individual care and attention,” Schwab said. “Most farmers recognize that our farm has had to grow over time to create a livelihood for my parents, my brother, three other employees, and me. While we raise more pigs than we did in the past, the animal care has not changed. In fact, I would argue that it is better than it was when my dad first started farming and had fewer pigs.”

That’s because of the technology, Schwab said. They are a smart farm now. The barns provide the animals with a safe haven. There are no concerns about outside predators, diseases, or weather conditions. The pigs have automatic waterers, and the barns are temperature controlled. The piglets sleep contentedly, clean and dry, under a heat lamp.

“I can focus my attention on walking through the barns and looking at each and every pig. That mother can have 10 piglets, and they are going to get the same attention as if she had one. The barn is 70 to 80 degrees at all times so the pigs are all comfortable and stay healthy. I think the barns are warmer than our house! There are different designed pens for different phases of the pig’s life.”

Legan Livestock

That same idea of protecting and promoting the animal well-being is one of the four core values by which Legan Livestock has always operated. The other three are: producing safe food; protecting public health, and natural resources; fostering good relationships with their employees. They have a monthly training luncheon with employees where they discuss topics of importance to their safety and invite suggestions from those employees. Those four principles go hand in hand with the We Care initiative.

The leadership team at Legan Livestock (they raise crops and have about 2,300 sows) consists of Mark and Phyllis Legan, their daughter, Beth Tharp, and her husband, Nick.

“We have an obligation to care for the animals, to provide that safe food, and protect the community we live in,” said Nick Tharp. “To protect the environment we use no-till, cover crops, and we are always looking for practices we can do from a conservation sense that makes us better tomorrow than we are today. The pig manure goes into a pit and then is applied to the fields. It is a nutrient resource to produce the corn that goes back into the feed that feeds the sows.

“To help our community and to build those relationships we sponsor the local schools Spell Bowl team, and Little League teams,” he said. “Each summer we put on a picnic. We invite our neighbors, our family, our friends, our employees, the local officials; it gives us an opportunity to provide a meal for them and to share with them what we do on our farm.”

Across the country, pig farms have changed dramatically over time. In America in 1982, there were approximately 480,000 pig farms, compared with approximately 60,000 today.

Everyone involved in pork production – from farm owners and animal caretakers to veterinarians and drivers who transport pigs – plays a key role in responsible farming that reflects these We Care values, Hockman said.

The U.S. pork industry is smarter, stronger and more committed to transparency than ever before, he explained. Research, the latest technology, sound science and a willingness to embrace new and better production methods will continue to drive the industry’s commitment to people, animals, and the environment.