The new Midway Hutterite Colony in Pondera County is not only home to 19 families who previously lived at Miller Colony, it is also home to a 60,000-square foot, climate-controlled high-tech pig barn, where colony members raise USDA-certified natural pork.

The new colony farm was created in June when Miller Colony’s membership split and 76 individuals in 19 families made the move across country to Midway, located about 10 miles northwest of the small rural community of Brady. Miller is located in Teton County, about four miles south of Bynum.

For the past three years, colony members have been preparing the family farming and ranching operation, building a 24-unit apartment complex in which each apartment has three bedrooms and basement storage, and constructing a new church, a new school, a dining hall and pig, cattle and chicken barns, a slaughter house, plus a garage, blacksmith shop, carpenter’s workshop, grain bins and other outbuildings.

The crown jewel of the operation, however, might be considered the new pig barn. Construction on the barn began in September 2005, according to the Midway pig boss, David “Shorty” Hofer, and in April 2006 the pigs moved in. Colony members have been farrowing there for two full years now, maintaining about 480 to 500 breeding sows at the barn.

Hofer said the USDA “natural pork” designation means Midway hogs are fed no antibiotics to promote growth or enhance performance. Also, no hormone or hormone-like growth enhancement drugs are used in the market pigs.

Not only are the pigs raised essentially drug free, but the entire program is designed to comply with the National Pork Board’s Swine Welfare Assurance Program, in which animal health and comfort are priorities. Hofer said he and all the men who work in the pig barn have taken the Swine Welfare Assurance Program training. He said three colony members work full-time in the barn, and others help weekly with shipping.

The Midway crew is also certified through the National Pork Board’s Pork Quality Assurance program and the shippers who handle the market pigs are certified through Transporter Quality Assurance, Hofer said.

The new barn includes a breeding and lactation area for the sows; a nursery, where sows and their piglets are kept in climate-controlled conditions; and different sections for the market pigs as they grow and require different feed rations. “We treat our sows right,” Hofer said. “We care for them individually.

In the nursery, the temperature is set at an even 80 degrees after the piglets are born, and then the temperature is gradually reduced so that by the time the piglets move into the “grower” section, they are comfortable at 75 degrees.

In the grower section, the temperature is further reduced to 72 degrees. By the time the young pigs are moved to the finish area, the temperature is an even 70 degrees. When temperatures outside start to heat up, the pigs are cooled through the use of high-pressure misting coolers.

“These pigs are never heat stressed,” Hofer said.

The young pigs are housed in large communal pens. They become accustomed to walking down alleys through a gate to get to their “food court” and then returning to their group sleeping area. The gate that they walk through is outfitted with an “auto sort” scale device. When the pigs are almost at market age, this system is used to sort the pigs by weight without stressing them.

Consuming a mix of barley, corn and soy — none of which includes chemicals, animal byproducts or preservatives — the pigs will gain about one pound of weight for every three pounds of feed they consume. When the piglets are weaned off their mothers at 20 days of age, they each weigh about 14 pounds. About 150 days later, when the young pigs have now grown to about 260 pounds, they are ready for market. Hofer said the pigs are “finished” on barley, which provides an even, firm layer of fat that is desireable in top-quality pork.

With a constant rotation of animals, the colony is able to market 200 to 230 pigs a week, year-round.

Hofer said Midway Colony is member of Salmon Creek Farms, based in Twin Falls, Idaho, an association of family farmers and a family-owned processer dedicated to natural pork production.     Midway, like other partners in Salmon Creek Farms, is audited by an outside third party who checks the pig operation for compliance with industry standards for natural pork production.

Hofer said Midway’s pork is marketed under the Falls Brand meats label and is available in Montana at IGA grocery stores, including Eagle IGA in Fairfield; at Wal-Mart in some cities; and at 2 J’s Meat and Produce in Great Falls, along with several independent grocery stores from Libby to Roundup. Rex’s Market in Choteau sometimes has Falls Brand hotdogs and ribs, Hofer said.

The majority of Salmon Creek Farms natural pork is shipped to high-end restaurants across the United States and to customers in Asia through Independent Meat Co.’s Asia Distribution Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

Hofer said Midway is among 16 farms in Montana that produce natural pork for Salmon Creek and most of those farms are operated by Hutterites. In Teton County, New Rockport Colony is a member of Salmon Creek Farms and in Pondera County three colonies (including Midway), produce for the company.

Hofer said 70 percent of the pork production in Montana goes to Salmon Creek Farms. Overall, Hutterite colonies produce about 90 percent of the pork raised in the state.

Article Source: The Choteau Achantha

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