Custom Hog Feeding Operation

Custom Hog Feeding Operation AG WORLD Ag World 6-2-20 Wisconsin hog producers Dave and Judy Dvorak, of Whitelaw, feed out and market about 4,000 pigs a year, but the pigs all belong to other people. They furnish the housing and management for investors hoping to make some money in the hog market. The Dvoraks buy the pigs for their investors, charge them a housing fee, send them a feed bill, market the finished hogs, then send them a check for the profit. Some of the investors are hog farmers themselves; others are non-farmers. In a good year, the hogs turn an 18 to 20% profit for the investor, says Dave. The Dvorak's investment in the operation is their management skill, and housing for the pigs. Their main hog house, dubbed the "Hog Hilton", has 24 pens that hold 30 pigs each. The barn measures 192 by 36 ft. A barn on another farm holds about 600 pigs at a time. Three crops of pigs a year are turned over in each facility. The Dvoraks rent out their "Hog Hilton" at the rate of 6 cents per pig per day. "This is a relatively low rate, but it has helped ensure that our facility will be at full capacity the entire year," Dave points out. The Dvorak's are close to a dependable source of feeder pigs, the American Feeder Pig Co-op at Francis Creek, Wis., and they also buy some feeder pigs from local breeders. When new pigs come to the farm ù usually in lots of 30 ù they get the full veterinary treatment to protect against diseases and ailments. Because of the low death loss ù only 1/2 of 1% ù the Dvorak's have a standing offer to replace any pigs that die. They started custom-feeding hogs for investors three years ago and, so far as they know, it's the only such operation in Wisconsin. The cost of feed purchased at a local feed mill is passed straight on "at cost" to investors. "With feeder pigs coming in at $40, plus about $40 for feed and about $5.40 for three months of room rent at the Hog Hilton, investors ù depending on the current market ù can generally make $20 to $25 a pig every three months," Dave points out. For the hog farmer who might want to get into custom feeding, Dave and Judy advise: "Do a lot of investigation before you start, and advertise it well when you decide to get into it." The Dvorak's both have university degrees in agriculture and had 10 years experience in hog management before they started their custom-feeding operation. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave and Judy Dvorak, D-J Farms, Rt. 1, Whitelaw, Wis. 54247 (ph 414 755-4395).

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