By STAN MADDUX

Indiana Correspondent

RENSSELAER, Ind. — A piece of southern California is coming to Indiana, but not bearing sunshine and shades.

An army of pigs are being deployed to the Hoosier State to help people live longer and at a higher quality of health. Premier BioSource broke ground August 30 on a $7.5 million facility in Rensselaer, a heavily farming community of close to 6,000 people in Jasper County, about 40 miles north of Lafayette.

At its beginning, the 78,000 square-foot facility will house 600 farrow-to-finish sows brought in from Ramona, Calif., where the swine-to-research company is based. The facility will gradually fill from litters delivered by the pigs and hold as many as 4,752 medically destined porkers.

Mark Bousema, president of Premier BioSource, said close proximity to customers and easy access to quality labor were factors in choosing Rensselaer for its expansion. He also cited Indiana’s favorable business environment and rich agricultural heritage.

“This was an easy choice for our company,” he said.

According to officials with the firm, established in 1987, the pigs will be used solely for biomedical research and product development. Specifically, advancements will be sought in heart stents, cardiac repair and rejuvenation, diabetes and insulin research and surgical procedures. They say pigs are suited well for such uses because they share many physiological and anatomical similarities with humans.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, also the state’s secretary of agriculture and rural development, said the knot-tying to bring the company here was natural given Indiana being a leader in agriculture and bioscience. The state is ranked second in life science exports and fifth in swine production, she said.

Having resources nearby such as Purdue University and the world-class reputation it has for work in both areas was also cited by Crouch as working to the state’s advantage. Up to 21 jobs were projected by the company to be operating from the facility by June 2019.

To her knowledge, Crouch said it’s the first farrow-to-finish facility for medical research pigs in the state. She’s hoping the result will be further growth in the state’s life sciences industry.

“It’s not just only a significant win for Jasper County, but for rural Indiana and for our state’s growing ag and biotech communities,” she added.

Premier BioSource partnered with Indiana-based Summit Livestock Facilities, which specializes in designing structures that create less stress for better health and production of the animals. The design is also geared for regulatory compliance, enhanced operational efficiencies and addressing social concerns.

Once the pigs are finished, officials said they will be sent to various centers in the eastern half of the United States for the actual research.

Jasper County is consistently near the top for crop and livestock production in the state. “Our strong work ethic and commitment to 21st century agriculture makes us an agribusiness hot spot,” said Kendell Culp, a local county commissioner and vice president of Indiana Farm Bureau.