For many years, Farmweld helped keep pork producers informed with its newsletter the Progressive Pork. To search through previous issues of Progressive Pork enter one or more keywords and click the search button. You can also browse through our index of articles.

Summer 2003
		FAST™ II – The Most Advanced Automatic Sorting Technology Available   Farmweld’s revolutionary new automatic sorting scale that is loaded with smart features and capable of providing more barn management information than any other scale on the market.
		Farmweld Introduces FAST II   Farmweld unveils FAST II, a state-of-the-art stainless steel sorting scale that’s driven by HerdStar™ electronics, designed specifically for sorting and managing pigs.
		No Camping In the Food Court   Dick Fitzsimmons shares a few tests he's devised to study his pig's behavior and explains why he thinks the FAST may help the industry.
		FAST Gives South Dakota Producer Real-Time View   Amos Wollman's new swine facility is equipped with the FAST system interfaced with his personal computer to get an up-to-the minute peak at the performance of his pigs.
		Tips for Wean-to-finish and Large Pens   Dr. Joe Conner offers some important suggestions on weaning pigs into large FAST barns.
		New Paylean Treatment Can "Step-Up" Profits   Data recently presented at an American Society of Animal Science meeting indicates producers can now get even more return per pig fed Paylean.
		Pigs In Large Groups More Socially Tolerant   Animal behavior expert, Dr. Harold Gonyou, dicusses automatic sorting and how pigs interact socially in large groups..
		Swine Vet Center Doc Weighs in on FAST Scale   Dr. Jeff Feder, of the Swine Vet Center, Inc., says he sees several advantages of automatic sorting technology.

 

Spring 2003
		New Facilities and Equipment Streamline Operations at Woodville Pork II   Woodville Pork II recently built a new 2,400-head sow unit that was designed with user-friendly breeding pens in the gestation-breeding facility and self-feeders in the farrowing rooms. The idea is to free up workers from extra steps so they can better focus on breeding and farrowing.
		A Blueprint for Breeding Success   Dr. Darwin Reicks of the Swine Vet Center, Inc., details Woodville Pork II’s new gestation-breeding facility.
		Crack Open the Training Tool Box   Read about a handy new training tool developed by Dr. Sarah Probst and her colleagues at Carthage Veterinary Service.
		Easy to Clean and More   Ohio producers Steve, Paul and Dave Fenstermaker selected Farmweld plastic flooring panels when they replaced nursery flooring at their operation. They say it is easier to spot sick pigs and clean flooring with Farmweld’s orange flooring verus other options.
		95 of 96 Pigs in Red Box   The Voigt brothers converted seven barns into FAST™ (Farmweld Automatic Sorting Technology) facilities last year and say the move has knocked hours off washing and loading chores, helped them sort more accurately for market and allowed them to feed pigs according to weight.
		FAST Boosts Average Weight Sold by 9 lbs.   Early results from FAST™ (Farmweld Automatic Sorting Technology) look very promising at Next Generation Pork. Average profit per pig was $4.27 more for the first complete group of FAST pigs versus the farm’s average in 2002.
		Pennsylvania Vet’s Clients Love Automatic Sorting   Consulting veterinarian Dr. Tim Trayer says automatic sorting makes moving pigs simple.

 

Winter 2003
		Selling Chef-friendly Meat   Delivering chef-friendly pork is the name of the game at Ellison Meat Co., Pipestone, MN. Ellison’s products go into upper scale, “white tablecloth” restaurants throughout the country. Without FAST, producers have a harder time selecting uniform pigs for market.
		Veterinary Consultant Upbeat About FAST  The FAST system has sparked new enthusiasm in growers. FAST is a positive alternative to traditional facilities that require more intense physical work.
		FAST Allows Pigs To Sort Themselves  Managers at the Hummer Family Partnership anticipate FAST will cut sorting and washing labor, improve sorting accuracy and allow its operation to better manage the feeding program.
		FAST Sorts Pigs in Over-filled W-to-F  KBQ, Inc., was one of the first operations to install FAST for wean-to-finish. Managers are impressed with how well the pigs started and continued to grow in the new facility.
		Helps Operator Work By Himself  Mechanicsville, IA, operator Rusty Schroeder built a FAST barn after he expanded his farrow-to-finish operation.  He says the system will allow him to load pigs by himself.
		Looking for Less Labor, Better Meat Quality   Kevin and Judy Leibfried installed FAST in a new 2,400-head facility at their Taunton, MN, custom finishing operation.
		Train Pigs to Use FAST Early   Farmweld has developed a basic training protocol to help pigs quickly learn to use the FAST system.