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The Real P3
Welcome to The Real P3 Podcast, where innovation and resilience meet to shape the future of animal nutrition and health. Join us each week as we dive deep into the heart of the industry. Every Monday, the 'Unstoppable' team brings you powerful stories of resilience and inspiration from leaders shaping our industry. Then, on Thursdays, the Animistic team showcases how innovation drives solutions in animal nutrition and business. Our sessions feature groundbreaking developments and practical insights across all livestock and pet species. Whether you’re a seasoned expert or new to the field, tune in to The Real P3 Podcast to empower your knowledge and inspire action in an industry where science meets heart.
The Real P3
2024 Tradeshow Season Highlights
In this episode of the Real P3 Podcast, host Casey Bradley takes us on an enlightening journey through the 2024 Iowa Pork Congress and the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), delivering firsthand insights into the latest advancements in animal nutrition, health, and welfare. Casey begins with a fascinating exploration of water solutions for swine with Ty Ontiberos from Trojan Specialty Products, uncovering the innovative approaches to ensuring livestock have access to essential water resources, even in the most challenging conditions.
As we move through the Iowa Pork Congress, Casey engages with Jason Mueller of Fabcore Plastics, revealing the significance of durable, outdoor-friendly feeders and how they're revolutionizing feeding practices. The conversation shifts to cutting-edge cleaning solutions with Adam from FarrPro, discussing the OmniJet power washer tips and their impact on reducing labor and improving barn hygiene.
The episode then transitions to IPPE in Atlanta, where Casey highlights the importance of career development and mentorship within the poultry and egg industry with insights from Barbara Jenkins of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association. The focus on animal welfare continues with a discussion with Alina Porta of Cloverleaf Animal Welfare Systems, sharing her transition from managing swine production systems to advocating for global animal welfare standards.
Throughout the episode, Casey's passion for practical application in animal nutrition shines, emphasizing the crucial role of technology and innovation in enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of animal production systems. Join us for this episode of the Real P3 Podcast, where science meets heart, and knowledge transforms into action, providing listeners with a comprehensive view of the latest trends and technologies in animal health and nutrition.
Tune in to learn, grow, and be inspired as we delve into the world of animal agriculture, exploring how industry leaders are addressing today's challenges and shaping the future of the sector. Whether you're a professional in the field, a student aspiring to join the industry, or simply an enthusiast passionate about animal welfare and sustainability, this episode promises valuable insights and inspiration for all.
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Casey Bradley - Introduction
0:00:00
Welcome to the Real P3 Podcast. Hosted by me, Kasey Bradley. We're diving into the heart of animal nutrition and health, broadening our scope with insights from the industry leaders and experts from the Sunswine Group and Swine Nutrition Network. Join us for a journey of discovery and practical advice as we navigate the ever-evolving world of monogamous. Produced by the Sun Swine Group and sponsored by Swine Nutrition Management, this podcast is your gateway to the latest in animal nutrition where every episode promises to be as enlightening as it is inspiring. Tune in, learn, and grow with us. This is the Real P3 Podcast, where science meets heart and knowledge transforms into action. For this week's episode on the Real P3, we're going to feature the interviews I conducted live at Iowa Pork Congress and IPPE in January of 2024. So stay tuned.
Trojan Specialty Products Interview
The most essential nutrient for all living creatures is water. So my first stop Iowa Pork was visiting with Trojan Specialty Products. Well I am here with Ty with Trojan Specialty Products and we're here looking at his different water solutions. Ty, can you introduce yourself and give a little bit of background of your company and your different products you have for the swine industry?
Ty Ontiberos: 0:01:28
Yeah, my name is Ty Ontiberos and I'm with Trojan Specialty Products. Trojan Specialty Products was a part of Ritchie a long time ago. My grandpa bought the company about 40 years ago and my mom is now the CEO and I'm the outside sales rep. We have had to do a lot of ingenuity with our products as watering systems for livestock and swine is kind of standard issue in a lot of cases. So, we have a lot of different options. We have a lot of high quality products. We have the 33 cups that you can use for your hogs. We have the three and four gallon pen waters that are really big in the show industry. We've had a lot of progress with that down in really hot areas of the country.
0:02:11
When they're showing their hogs in 100 degree weather and they're stuck in traffic, having an opportunity to have water available for your hogs and travel has been really important for a lot of investment into the backyard guys and the homesteaders. We have a lot of gravity options for the St. Bowles. Our nipples are made for gravity as well. We have the connector kits that allows anybody and anyone to make anything that holds water into a water at a relatively affordable price. And we like to make sure that it's readily available for everyone and not just people who have a lot of money to spend.
Casey Bradley
0:02:53
Well, and I work with a lot of those niche producers who do pasture-based systems from poultry to swine and anything in between. So, kind of, not the best, but at least it works and it's cheap. The backyard guys, I mean it's a lot of work doing that and we understand that so we try and help them out the best we can. Not having access to water that's under pressure out in your fields and having to carry water there and finding new, ingenuitive ways to get water to your animals has always been an issue that we've been aware of.
Ty Ontiberos
0:03:43
So we have done a lot of investment, like I said, into the connector kits and the 33 cup with the gravity valve on there just to make it easier for you guys. And people who love their animals deserve a quality product that they can trust will get their animals the water they need.
Casey Bradley
0:03:59
Well, I could tell you lots of stories of my childhood, carrying buckets of water to pick and learning that we need to go to the big touts and different things versus the buckets that spill in the back of the truck and barrels. Changed my life. Or when a water line breaks out in the pasture, it is not really fun.
Ty Ontiberos
0:04:21
No, it's never fun. And going out and chopping ice in the middle of the morning is never a good time either.
Casey Bradley
0:04:25
No, so the heated troughs really make my day. And this is a sustainability thing as well. So our solution was we actually had to run the water overflowing all winter.
Ty Ontiberos
0:04:40
Yeah.
Casey Bradley
0:04:40
And so when we think about a water sustainability environment perspective, runoffs from our lots, these heated options that we have has been a huge game changer from even a sustainability approach.
Ty Ontiberos
0:04:53
Absolutely. And we designed the 66B liquid propane stock tank heater to keep that from happening. Because when I was working with my horses, when I was younger, shoveling poop is required. There's no way around that. But going out and chopping ice, man, that was the rough part. So we have the 66B stock tank heater that keeps two to three foot around the stock tank heater for freezing over in the wintertime. You save on water, your horses and your animals have access to clean water through tough winter storms. And our other heaters are very important as well just to keep your well houses from freezing. And like those busted pipes you're saying, nothing is more aggravating than waking up in the morning to a busted pipe.
Casey Bradley
0:05:38
Well, I would say even on the commercial side, so if we're talking to the industry that listens to this podcast the most, the water bowls have been a huge opportunity for us to get good water intake in both the sow and the young pig together without having a lot of waste each as well. Yeah, yeah. And that's, that's really the goal.
Ty Ontiberos
0:05:58
I mean, it's, it's all about how to stop wasting water and keeping costs low at the same time. It's been a tricky line to walk, but I feel like we've been doing a very good job with my grandfather and my mom. My mother is very, very, very well-versed in the products and in the industry. She has built the company threefold, and we have been growing exponentially. And I hope that people already know of us, and if they already know of us, they buy our products and you know, enjoy our products because we're always customer minded and if our products do not meet the standards, we always try and make changes and adapt those through the years.
Casey Bradley
Well, thank you, Ty. It was great catching up with you at Iowa Pork Congress.
Ty Ontiberos
0:06:42
Thank you.
Fabcore Plastics Interview
Casey Bradley
0:06:43
If you know me and listen long enough, I always preach application of nutrition. There's only so much I can do as a nutritionist in a formula, but if it doesn't get applied right, we have problems. So my next stop at Iowa Pork was with a feeder company called Fabcore Plastics. Now in the past, I featured the bigger players, but this booth caught my attention for the capabilities and the new designs it had for some of my customers who don't necessarily feed indoors, but outdoors, and how durable these feeders.
Hi, I'm here at Iowa Pork Congress again with Jason Mueller with Fabcor Feeders, and he's featuring his nice new poly outdoor feeders, and I'm really excited to look at these. Can you give us a little bit of background of your company and your products?
Jason Mueller
0:07:33
Yes, so we've been in business for 11 years. We've developed the feeders 10 years ago. So the feeders are 10 years old. We've looked at developing different features on them for almost every single year. We make changes working with our customers, hearing what needs are, what dislikes are, and we've changed our feeders to what they are today off of customers inputs. The feeders are a half-inch polyplastic welded together by plastic welding. We have viewfinders in the sides in the hopper so you know the level of the feed inside. They're watertight. That's our mainstay is 100% of the hopper is watertight. Our feed tray is developed to keep the water only in the feed tray part that the hogs will bring in. We have diet controls in them. We've got locking lids. Yeah, so we've got many different sizes all the way up to a thousand pound capacities.
Casey Bradley
0:08:26
So what is the most popular size? Because I'm sure this would probably also fit with show pegs and different things.
Jason Mueller
0:08:33
So honestly, it changes every year. One year the single slot is really big for 4-H fare. Another year, the A slot, which is our thousand pound capacity, those are really big. And actually we have those in the like state universities, like Penn State University. There's a university in Dominican Republic that purchases our large feeders. But right now for 2024 and previous year, the six slot is our number one selling feeder
Casey Bradley
0:08:58. And why do you think it changes throughout the different years or the six slot versus an eight slot in your mind?
Jason Mueller
0:09:07
I think the farming needs or maybe they have grown their facility or grown their capacity of how many hogs they're growing. So I think that's what we're seeing is when we introduced into the market, but the one slot for each feeder was the biggest number one seller because that was the easiest for someone to grow a hog specifically under diet control for each fare. But as that's developed and we got our name out there, more and more farmers are seeing that our product lasts longer.
And so we see a lot of repeat business. Someone that may have bought a two-slot feeder is now buying a six-slot, and then they buy an eight-slot. So I think it's just the amount of hog head that they're actually growing or they have on hand, and it's just going to their needs.
Casey Bradley
0:09:55
Okay, can you dive a little bit more into the design? You said watertight, and as a nutritionist, watertight is my number one priority. I don't like to get water in the feed until we want it to mix possibly in a wet dry feeder. Yeah. I kind of go into the design and kind of where you've tried different methods. I mean and I've worked with outdoor sows and pigs all my life. I grew up in pasture-based systems and lids and leaks have always been a challenge. Kind of explain how you do things a little different.
Jason Mueller
0:10:22
Okay, so our lid right now is a completely lift-off lid. It's got a two-inch lip all the way around the perimeter, and that allows water to run over the top of the hopper, what we consider the hopper where you put your feet into. We've tried hinged, we've tried pitched, we've tried rotating off lids, and we would just always run into the problem of water leaking into the top of a hopper. So, we kept it simple. We kept a lift-off lid. It is a heavier lid.
That way, if the hog ever climbs up on it, it can handle their weight. So it is a heavy lid, but it allows the water to shed off the top and not collect and go and pool into the hopper. And then the only part that water can get into would be the feed tray part, where the hog's actually eating out of. And you know, that could be mud or whatever they bring in when they're eating.
Casey Bradley
0:11:08
Well, thank you so much, Jason. It was great for featuring you on The Real P3.
Jason Mueller
Thank you very much.
Casey Bradley Transition
Before we hop over to the next vendo, I just want to say thank you Jason and Fab Corp for the awesome pig coaster, another piece for my office full of pigs. Well, we talked about inputs with feed and water and now we're going to go to the outputs because as we all know, pigs are messy at times. And what do we have to do in between pig groups? Power wash.
Farrpro Interview
So we're going to stop by my friends at FarrPro and discuss their new technologies in the world of power washing. Welcome Adam, I'm so glad to stop by my friends at Farrpro again and you have a new technology to discuss, and I'm really interested to learn more about what you're exhibiting here today at Iowa Pork Congress.
Adam
0:11:56
Well thanks Casey for stopping by. We do here at Farrpro have a new piece that we are putting out in the industry called the OmniJet. It is a direct alternative to a turbo style nozzle for power washers that most the industry uses to wash hallways, carving rooms, finishers, trucks and anything of the sort. The big difference is we have no moving parts. It's 100% 304 stainless, so there's nothing to replace. A two-year full replacement warranty. And we use the exact same sizing chart that all the other turbo nozzles do, so we have direct replacements for what you're using now.
Casey Bradley
0:12:38
Yeah, so I'm standing here, obviously the listeners can't see this, but for somebody who has replaced so many parts in a turbo nozzle to see this and then hold it, I already know that the weight of my gun is going to be a lot lighter. So, kind of there's some other features on that.
Adam
0:12:53
Yeah, so anything from the exact same size to same size, our nozzle is lighter. And with that, you get less fatigue and we get less vibration. So, once again, less worker fatigue when the end of the wand that they're able to, at the end of a four-hour session washing, the worker is less fatigued for the day, hopefully improves morale when they're done with it because their arms are wore out from holding the end of that gun up for several hours.
Casey Bradley
0:13:21
Yeah, well, I've done it a lot longer than four hours. We're talking eight, twelve hours to get that barn ready for that next turn, right? So every precious ability to reduce fatigue is a big deal in this fine industry. Well, thank you, Adam, for being on the Real P3 and glad to hear from Farrpro again.
Adam
0:13:39
Thank you.
Casey Transition
0:13:40
Well, after that visit, Farrpro keeps asking me what size the power washer is because I said I was going to do a demo. I think I'm not going to do a four hour run demo, but I'm sure excited to try out these new OmniJet power washer tips in a real life situation because I have spent a lot of hours in the past on a power washer and it was some of the best think time. And I was never disturbed from my thoughts with phone calls or emails or text messages. It was just me, the power wash and sometimes the blasting music I was listening through my headphones. So on to the next, right? We've covered the gamut but we didn't talk about the waste.
And so I'm going over to my other friends, as you know I have a lot in the industry, to talk about Pig-Tek and their pit additive that they are featuring here at Iowa Port Congress. So I'm here with Scott Preston with PIG-TEK and we're here to talk about your pit additive.
Scott Preston
0:14:46. Yeah, the formula 542 is the the name of our enzyme-based pit additive that we have been testing over the last year and a half and brought to the market a little over a year ago.
Casey Bradley
0:14:57
What's the difference between enzymes and some of the microbial type of pit additives?
Scott Preston
0:15:03
With our enzyme product, it actually breaks down the materials, the feed additives, the feed ingredients that are in the pits and in the solids that the animals don't digest, actually breaks down the cell walls to make it to where the microbials can actually digest that and break it down in the pits.
Casey Bradley
0:15:20
And what kind of improvements are you seeing on nutrient profiles for the different characteristics, I guess, the benefits?
Scott Preston
0:15:28
We're doing a lot of that work right now. We've done some work with NC State. We're actually doing on-farm trials in several different parts of the country right now. We have some in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and then South Dakota to test because of different feed ingredients and feed types that are going into the diets and into the pits. So we're just at the beginning stages of a lot of that. We've got our first manure that's been applied to the fields. We've done all of the field grids and so on, trying to figure out what those levels are and then if we need to make adjustments to the amount of product we have to apply into the pits. Because currently we're running at a 35 parts per million into the the pits on a monthly basis. This is kind of a dump and pour? Yeah, yep. What we've tried to do is map out where they're having the trouble spots and then work from there. I've been utilizing the product for a little over a year and a half in my own personal barns. I pretty much tried everything and I hadn't found anything that had really worked. And so we ended up, I've got old partial slab finisher barns and those barns are a disaster when it comes to pit capacity.
0:16:37
So, not only are they paid to wash, we were having to pump on a quarterly basis. But we started out, when I purchased the barns, we were about a little over four foot of solids in the pits. And I'd been trying for years, trying to find something that works. And so when they brought the product to the office and told me what they were doing, I'm sort of just scratching my head saying, okay, I'm not going to believe it until I try it in my own barns. So we're down now to about 16 inches in a little over a year. So we've been able to pull that amount of solids out of the barns. Continue washing, running the barns the same way we always have. And the thing that it's done is it's made the manure more consistent as you're vacuum plumbing it out. Those old barns only have the little 8-inch clay tile that...
Casey Bradley
Yes, I've managed several barns with pits and with cusks every time and then the solid buildup, they're like, well just agitate it, add this and that.
Scott Preston
0:17:36
No, no, it never worked. And finally we were able to start utilizing Formula 542. And it wasn't instantaneous because the enzymes have to work and build up and build the environment to start breaking down the product. But we ended up, the first time I pumped out after that was noticeably different. And then I started getting comments from neighbors where our farm is next door to a Chicago resort, Man-Made Lake, Million Dollar Homes, and where my manure goes is not far away. So every time we would pump, we would get reported.
0:18:14
So those calls started going away. And so that was one of the things the farmer was very appreciative of that we were applying our manure to his farm ground because he wasn't getting the complaint calls anymore either. So basically by the time we were able to get back with the next load, you couldn't smell the load prior to and so it's about a 35 minute round trip.
Casey Bradley
0:18:36
And I think when we look at pit additives and we look at the microbes, well, there's actually there's benefits and they produce enzymes which kind of do the same thing, but they also create odors sometimes, depending on what type of fermentation you have going on. The fact that you're actually improving, or it's similar to my experience at AB Visto with our enzyme product we use for ruminants. We're almost pre-digesting that, setting that up for the microbes to be able to get better access to that fiber conveyor.
Scott Preston
0:19:08
Yeah, the way I try to explain it to producers that aren't real familiar with it is, like on the genetic side, you have your GGPs, your grandparents, you know, we're bringing a product that's more on the GGP level, and then it is creating the environments below for the GPs and the commercial animals. Down below is we're building the pit and the nutrient bundles within the pits, because I come from the genetic side. So it's always easier for me to explain it that way than it is to try to get into the science portion of it and then get the glazed looks when you're like, uh, yeah, maybe.
0:19:41
So, so I've had a lot more success explaining it that way, but it's been a lot of fun working with the product and being able to get see the benefits. So I'm excited to see if we can get the return on investment on the crop side. And that's where we're, we're putting our efforts into. We've got two trials that are set up that are five-year trials that we're going to follow them through all the way through. They're all the way through the application process to harvest and crop yield differences.
Casey Bradley
0:20:08
I would say as a nutritionist, you know, a lot of times we'll stop at that pig and we don't really care about what happens. Growing up on a mixed crop and swine operation, I've really had more of a full circle and I'd get calls even well you can't put five days to my diet I need the phosphorus I feel and in looking through conversations like that and I think if we start coming together and using technologies that we know works in the animal but can also work it yep and develop that that it's a full circle opportunity
Scott Preston
0:20:44
Yeah in being a producer myself it's always the return on investment I don't want to just put something in to spend money because as a custom finisher, I'm on a fixed income.
Casey Bradley
0:20:55
Yeah.
Scott Preston
0:20:56
And I want to make sure that what we're bringing to the table not only works for me personally, but works for the customers that we're bringing it to. And they actually are getting an added benefit to what they're doing. And that's sort of how I've always worked in the industry. And, you know, that is no different with what we're doing with the formula 542. So it's been exciting to see and it'll be exciting to see what the yields come into because as we're adding enzymes and stuff back into the soil and they added microbial, it'll be interesting to see how that all works out. Well, thank you, Scott.
Casey Bradley
0:21:30
It was great catching up with you at Iowa Pork. We always talk on social media and kind of different things going on, but it's nice to visit in person.
Scott Preston
0:21:41
No, perfect. Thank you very much.
Casey Bradley Transition
0:21:43
While the show is almost over with at Iowa Pork, I didn't get a lot of conversations on record, but I do have a fun one for you from a fellow swine producer and fan of the real P3.
Aaron Holiday Interview
So I'm really excited here at Iowa Pork again, sitting next to Aaron Holiday. As I found out, he's one of my biggest fans of the Real P3. And Aaron is now the Senior Development Manager at Sunterra. Can you kind of explain the new role and what makes you excited about being here at Iowa Pork?
Aaron Holiday
0:22:17
Yeah, for sure. So I've been with the company a little over three weeks now in the Senior Development Manager role and dealing with everything from pigs to people and future possibilities that we have to make our system as well as the industry more efficient. In regards to being here at Port Congress today, I have a strong interest in future technologies and efficiencies that are being utilized in barns to make it more enjoyable for our caretakers day in and day out for the overall care and upkeep of our animals.
Casey Bradley
0:22:45
What do you think is the number one challenge of implementing technology today in the swine industry?
Aaron Holiday
0:22:51
Yeah, so getting really getting our caretaker buy-in number one, they need to understand that there's going to be a return on investment not only from a dollar standpoint but more so from an animal welfare standpoint. And when we can prove that and show reductions in mortality, you know, the potential less antibiotic use, really achieving an overall happier hog, I think that it'll be a no-brainer and we'll see the progression of technology really increase here in the near future.
Casey Bradley
0:23:17
So, obviously three weeks is really hard to get a pin, you know, specific on what you're going to look at here for your position, but what are some of the main challenges that you've been tasked with overcoming today?
Aaron Holiday
0:23:29
Yes, so kind of the main focus right now for our company is making sure that we put our production managers in the best position to exceed, train and coach our new team members that have recently come in through the TN Visa program and other systems throughout the United States. So just want to build that positive culture and let them know that we're behind them 100% and whatever questions or concerns they have we're gonna get them answered, find a solution and help them
Casey Bradley
0:23:58
be the best they can be in the barn every day. Well it's great to catch up with you, Aaron. And for everybody listening, hopefully we're going to get a full podcast because Aaron has a lot of background and things to talk about that our listeners would be interested in.
Aaron Holiday
0:24:12
Yeah, that sounds excellent, Casey, and I look forward to it.
Casey Bradley
0:24:14
Thank you.
Aaron Holiday
0:24:15
Thanks.
Casey Bradley Transition
0:24:15
For me, the best part of trade shows is catching up with old friends and colleagues around the industry and learning what's new. I would say a lot of people attending NYWA Report would probably a little disappointed in the turnout and the current state of affairs of the swine industry. I did catch up with some other independent producers there and the word on the street is they're just trying to survive. As we know we've had some sales, some closures, some bankruptcies in 2023 and hearing the conversations and the presentations out of Iowa Pork Congress. I'm not sure 2024 looks any more promising for the swine producers in the US, but I'm optimistic as always, especially when we have young people like Aaron Holiday coming into the industry and trying to make our systems better.
Well, we're gonna head on over to IPPE, or the International Poultry Processing or Production, however you wanna use the P's, Expo in Atlanta, Georgia.
US Poultry and Egg Association – Career Fair Interview
0:25:17
Unfortunately, I was tied up with tons of different meetings during that event, but I did get a couple conversations recorded. And so I'm going to go through those here and we're going to start off with the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association and talking about their career fair. As you all know, mentorship and developing the next generation of leaders is near and dear to my heart. Hi, I'm here with Barbara with the U.S. Poultry and Ag Association at the career fair for current PhD and vet students looking for jobs as they enter the workforce here at IPPE. Thank you for being on our podcast.
Barbara Jenkins
0:25:55
You're welcome. Thank you. And as Dr. Bradley mentioned, my name is Barbara Jenkins. I am vice president of education and student programs with U.S. Poultry and Egg Association and Executive Director of the US Poultry Foundation. We started this program about five or six years ago. As some of you may be aware, we already have a flagship program for undergrads that we call our College Student Career Program, where they are looking for careers and internship opportunities. But then the missing piece was for PhD and vet students who were looking for those technical career opportunities. So this program came about, co-sponsored by the U.S. Poultry Foundation and Poultry Science Association.
Casey Bradley
0:26:38
Well, it's really awesome. What have you heard about the career possibilities or career market today for young graduates?
Barbara Jenkins
0:26:46
There are a plethora of opportunities. Everything is booming right now. Sometimes I wish I was 24 again, but me too, but it is a booming industry right now in the poultry and egg industry. So there are plethora opportunities available as can be seen in this room where in several of the high-tech companies are here seeking these high-end students. What are some of the critical skills that some of these higher end students need? I think right now it's communication skills. Communication skills, relationship building, which is what we're doing here mostly, building relationships with these companies so that they can get in and know what those opportunities are out there for them.
Casey Bradley
0:27:29
Well, it was great catching up with you here at IPPE this year for me was running into former customers and colleagues, but people who are navigating the industry beyond their traditional species of choice, which was pigs at the time, and now is working in the poultry sector. Even though I didn't have some of these conversations recorded, I got to run into Mark McCulley, who was formerly at Hanor and is now Director of Merchandising at NutriQuest. I ran into one of my old colleagues that I helped on the layer side of the business for Kalmbach, and that was Mike Hlavaty. So it was great to connect with him. And it sounds like their layer business and poultry business is continuing to grow.
0:28:21
Carl Jones with Natural Biologics to discuss a new feed additive we're considering for our customers diets. I got to go into Pas Reform North America, so they do hatchery equipment, and this is the first time in person I got to work with Liliana, who we've been working together virtually for over two years. But she took me on a tour of this technology, and this is what she actually managed when she was in Honduras working for Cargill. So it was really neat to meet those guys and learn about their academy and potential synergistic opportunities we have to continuing education for our industry. And then I think the coolest card I got was a plastic business card from Avepork USA and I love it. I'll never forget it. It will be the one that stands out forever.
Cloverleaf Interview
But before we round out some of the conversations from IPPE, I want to introduce you to one of my previous customers, Alina Porta, when she was at Hanor. Now she is with Clover Leaf Animal Welfare Systems. Can you tell us a little bit about what Clover Leaf does and your new role?
Alina Porta
0:29:35
Well, we are a global company, which we are very proud. We're going around the world certifying customers, producers, farmers, doing the whole training for them, creating the animal welfare system. We are actually PACO, Auditor Certified. So we have a lot of credentials to go to your system and help you build your own animal welfare system. Also we are traveling now to Europe, South America, Central America, helping packers, helping the producers if they want to be approved and proposed.
Casey Bradley
0:30:19
Well, going from managing about 20,000 sows from Hanover to Cloverleaf, what was the biggest thing you've noticed going into different systems today?
Alina Porta
0:30:28
Oh, as many ways to produce space, I would say that. If you think you know everything about how your system is and if your system is perfect, let me tell you, it's a lot of good stuff around. It's a lot of farmers keeping up with all the bad stuff that is happening to the industry, right? But they are engaged of the production and I really love to learn face-to-face the Europe production. That was something that I'm being told but now I've witnessed and I love to share with people how is the Europe production and I love to go to many systems in the US that they are doing really good stuff, really good.
Casey Bradley
So I've also been in a lot of European systems and it's pretty incredible to get to see how they raise pigs. What is one takeaway from Europe that you've seen and then managing in the US, that the US market needs to accept that Europe's doing right?
Alina Porta
0:31:43
I would say the animal welfare standards, they probably was hard for them to change the buildings, to reduce the number of animals. But actually many farmers, they are happy now because you can see year by year how the born alive has been increasing. They have less animals, they're over here, they can have less employees, and they are still producing the same number of animals. So yes, we are afraid because we want to keep producing pigs and putting more pigs in the industry, but at the end of the day, we can do with good practice.
Casey Bradley
Well, thank you, Alina, and we'll have you back on the real P3 soon.
Alina Porta
Thank you.
Casey Bradley Concluding Remarks
Well you definitely know that I'm going to feature a lot of different people and I'm going to focus more on gut health and how different components of our industry play into that role here in upcoming episodes. So I don't know about you but I'm kind of glad Tracer's season is wrapping up and now So until next time, if you get a chance, hug a pig, or a chicken, or a cow. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.