Lehmann Brothers Farms – Raising pork and grain from Illinois Agricultural Assoc. on Vimeo.

An open door policy is a cornerstone of Lehmann Brothers Farms in Livingston County. And while biosecurity also remains a top priority when it comes to modern pork production, Art Lehmann says overcoming misconceptions and helping people to see where their food comes from is worth the effort it takes to bring visitors onto the farm.

Why These Pigs Live Indoors

“Not very many people live on the farm, and even fewer people know anything about animal agriculture. They get misconceptions shot at them all the time,” says Art, who farms with his brother, Ken. “We raise pigs in buildings because it’s a better environment than raising them in the great outdoors, especially in the cold winter and the really hot part of the summer here in Illinois. We’ve got to do away with some of those misconceptions about raising pigs indoors.”

Farm guests must follow some rules, such as avoiding other pigs before they visit and showering in and out of facilities located on sow farms. Art says as long as they can minimize risk to the animals, bringing those who don’t live on farms to where food production really happens is worth it.

See more: Farm Facts: Pigs

pork production
Brothers Art and Ken Lehmann raise pigs – and share details on how they care for their animals – on their family farm in Strawn; Photo credit: Michael D. Tedesco

“They get to see where their food comes from. That’s important,” Art says. “We can also tell them that while we’re not antibiotic-free, we use very few antibiotics. Instead, we’re using production techniques that allow us to have healthier pigs and use less of the things they would be concerned about, like antibiotics or hormones.”

How Farmers Protect Their Animals

Past visitors have included elected officials, food industry management and people with environmental concerns. Art says when his daughters were growing up, they brought elementary students for field trips to the farm each year, but today that is more difficult.

“Back then we didn’t have all of the biosecurity in place, and we had a smaller herd. Today when we do that sort of thing, we do it at a finishing site instead of a sow farm,” says Art, who notes the importance of keeping pig viruses off the farm. Though African swine fever has not yet made its way to the United States, it’s another disease the Lehmann brothers are watching closely.

See more: Farm Focus: Pork

pork production
Photo credit: Michael D. Tedesco

“We need to keep the health of the sow farm high so that we get maximum production, and then make sure the pigs we wean off of these sow farms to our off-site wean-to-finishing sites are healthy,” Art says. “Biosecurity is important to protect the sow herd and to protect us economically because the best production always comes with a healthy herd.”

Art says thorough cleaning practices remove most bacteria that might affect the health of the pigs before moving in each new group of pigs, but viruses are more difficult to control and don’t respond to antibiotic treatment. Viruses must be kept out of the herd. That’s why some tour groups simply can’t experience a personal visit through a sow farm. But technology helps fill the gaps, with excellent virtual tours and online resources available for schools and groups to use as needed.

What to Expect on a Farm Visit

Guests often have questions about gestation stalls (enclosures that keep sows safe during pregnancy) and animal care, environmental practices or food safety. Many are answering to customers or constituents who want to see food sourced differently. But Art says visitors are often pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the sows in gestation stalls, the well-being offered by climate-controlled housing and the lack of odor from the large livestock confinement facilities. He says it can be eye-opening to anyone who hasn’t been around livestock to tour a farm with 3,200 sows. They might see piglets born, as the Lehmanns’ sows give birth to1,800 piglets each week.

Photo credit: Michael Conti

With 1,500 corn and soybean acres, visitors also have an opportunity to ride a combine or tractor and learn about crop production. Ken enjoys sharing ways modern agriculture is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. One example is how variable rate delivery systems are putting nutrients right where they are needed in the field, in turn, protecting groundwater.

“They usually come away surprised or impressed by the level of technology and maybe change their mind on some misconceptions,” Ken says. “It’s just sometimes what they read. Some of it is misinformation. The more we personalize it and show people how we do things sustainably and environmentally … it’s good for our industry.”

About the Farm

Art and Ken have seen many changes since the 1960s, when they raised hogs on 40 acres outside as part of a more diversified operation. Today, they specialize in pigs and raise everything in environmentally controlled buildings. The family farm includes Art and his wife, Jana, and Ken and his wife, Mary. They work with 21 other farmers who also raise pigs for them. Contact the Illinois Pork Producers Association at ilpork.com to schedule a tour.

COMMENTS

  • Searching for link to “Video tour of the Lehmanns’ farm” mentioned on page 11 of IFBP Spring 2020 issue. Also tried to find it on YouTube
    (no luck there) Where can this video be located?

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